A Team Tuition: September 2020

Success is like a sugar rush – sweet, but short-lasting. Once tasted, it must be constantly chased and achieved in order to sustain the feeling of elation. Failure, on the other hand, is like Milo – low-GI, releasing its burn slowly. It knocks the wind right out of your sails, and its effects are often long-lasting.

Sam, a young man from Brisbane, is entering his final year of school next term full of confidence. But it very well could have been a different story. Sam failed Year 10 Maths last year, and that one result had a profound effect on his performance across the board in the early stages of Year 11, as his mother Renee explains:

“After failing Maths in Year 10, Sam lost all confidence in himself, and started to think he couldn’t do Maths. He doubted his own ability. He became anxious during exams, and would freeze and forget everything he had learnt due to his lack of confidence.”

Not only did he start to become tense in exams, but Sam’s loss of confidence also unravelled the study habits he had established in his first four years of high school.

“I wasn’t confident in my ability,” says Sam, “so I thought there wasn’t any need to study because I already knew I was going to fail.”

Sam’s Transformation Using Academic Personal Training

Renee knew something needed to be done to restore her son’s confidence, particularly in the lead-up to his final years of high school. So on the recommendation of a friend, she got in touch with A Team Tuition about setting Sam up with an Academic Personal Trainer.

“A Team was very friendly and from my first conversation with them, they were on the same page as me and understood how important it was to get Sam’s confidence back in order for him to improve,” says Renee. “They were very familiar with the Year 11 curriculum and ATAR. They chose a tutor, Lachlan, based on Sam’s needs.”

Lachlan, a Brisbane-based APT, has been working with Sam since the start of 2020. In three terms, he has helped transform Sam from a failing Maths student to a A student, with a successful year 12 now firmly within reach! Lachlan credits their closeness in age as the key reason he was able to help Sam achieve this remarkable turnaround:

“I think, as a young university student who completed high school not too long ago, I’m able to genuinely relate and connect with Sam. I’m probably more familiar with the content than his parents may be, because I’ve studied it recently myself. Also I have an understanding of his workload and the pressures of Years 11 and 12, so I can talk about it with him and give him my advice. It’s because of this relatability that we’ve been able to achieve this transformation.”

Additionally, the ability for Lachlan and Sam to work through example questions together in their own time, pressure-free, greatly assisted Sam’s learning.

Why Academic Personal Training Is About More Than Just Mark

While the improvement in Sam’s grades has delighted student and tutor alike, Lachlan, his academic personal trainer, has also been proud of the change in Sam’s confidence.

While Lachlan has been thrilled with Sam’s progress in Maths, he has also seen how this newfound confidence has been beneficial for his schooling in general, noting that Sam has re-implemented a consistent and efficient study schedule.

Renee agrees:

“Sam has his confidence back and believes in his own ability again. He is so much happier now. I believe working with Lachlan has also helped his study habits for all subjects. He applies himself and is now achieving results that match his efforts.”

On the back of working with A Team Tuition, Sam has rediscovered his mojo, and has set himself up to be rewarded for his hard work in his final year of high school.