I recently decided that as well as freelance tutoring that I would also do some distance teaching for a company called Learning Curve, who are based in County Durham. This will be a new experience for me and one I am very much looking forward to. I have always preferred working one-to-one with learners and despite not being in the same room it will still be a personal one-to-one service that I offer.
I have been to Learning Curve’s Head Office a few times and it is a beautiful drive through the Pennines and on the edge of the Dales. I am not sure that I would fancy it much in the winter but in Spring with all the lambs frolicking in the fields, it has been really lovely. I have to say that County Durham is a picturesque area and I managed to have a look around Durham and climb the cathedral tower (225 steps) which was quite a feat. I needed a strong cup of tea when I got back down again.
I have been allocated some learners and it is interesting to find out their motivations for doing a maths qualification. The reasons vary quite a lot, for some people it is simply because they need it for their job or maybe they never had a maths qualification and would like to get one or it is a stepping stone onto something else.
Although I will probably not meet these new learners in person I have spoken to them on the phone. It doesn’t seem to matter what age people are, if they have had a bad experience in the past with maths or think they aren’t any good at it then they seem to find the idea rather daunting. I obviously try to set their minds at rest, as my web page says ‘They’re only numbers, they can’t hurt you.’