Penguin Tutoring Blog

Penguin Tutoring personalises the placement of a screened and trained tutor, matched to your child’s needs, and provides inspirational extra lessons and tutoring for them in the comfort of your own home. Visit www.penguintutoring.co.za to find out more.

Melenie van Wyngaardt & her high school sweetheart have been together for 15 years of which 9 have been as a married couple.  She is the mother to a 6 year old son Connavah Joshua and a 5 year old daughter Skyla Jade.  She regards motherhood as the one title on her CV that is her most triumphant achievement.  Although it is a daily learning experience, it is also the most rewarding to her.

Most of her corporate experience has been gained in the Maritime Industry as part of the Client Services team, for then, the second biggest shipping line in the world.  Clients experience life as individuals and therefor they have different expectations and needs; this fact has led Melenie to approach each client with respect and individual focus.

If Mel could have her life over, she would be “almost the same” person, but with the exception of making more informed decisions.  She would most probably take time to ask the question and then wait for an answer and accept it with a positive outlook.  Those places she would like to visit would firstly have to start with a pilgrimage to Israel, then the great pyramids in Egypt, the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China and the list continues on to any place she has not seen yet ….. to experience life, culture & be changed as an individual.

Her experience with Penguin Tutoring has shown her that all households, regardless of socio-economic status, language or culture, are affected by similar external factors. Parents only do the best they know how;  kids only want to be loved, heard and accepted;  everyone wants to attain some measure of success.

Penguin Tutoring personalises the placement of a screened and trained tutor, matched to your child’s needs, and provides inspirational extra lessons and tutoring for them in the comfort of your own home. Visit www.penguintutoring.co.za to find out more.

Melenie van Wyngaardt is our Operations Manager based in Port Elizabeth. She heads up operations for Johannesburg, and provides support to franchisees. She is a mother of two, and has been with the company for over a year. She has spoken to many moms and dads, and shared in the trials and tribulations of those childrens’ academic challenges. Call her today, she’ll be certain to provide advice, or assist you in personalising a tutor for you. She has shared her findings on exam preparation below. Please comment and share your own tips.

Our extensive experience in this field, but also as parents ourselves, has led us to conclude that the burdens for any examination weighs more heavily on young learners and cause them more stress than any other form of academic assessment.  Many people will not face a more stressful situation for the remainder of their lives.  We wish to share a few tips on what we as parents, can do to relieve the pressure:

• Make them aware that they are being supported by all in the family.  Sometimes the scariest prospect for our children is what will happen if they disappoint us. We can let them know that we are on their side, regardless of their results.
• Be considerate to the pressure they might be putting on themselves. Help them to set realistic goals and put the exams in perspective!
• Let them know that their studying is a priority for the whole household by trying to minimise any sense of isolation they may be feeling. Put a copy of their exam timetable on the fridge to make it easier for everyone to talk to them about it. If regular household habits, such as having the TV on all afternoon, are making it difficult for them to remain focussed, try and make temporary changes that demonstrate the family’s support.
• We can make ourselves more available, by offering to help with study planning or even perhaps setting time aside at the end of the day to test them.  Give them tips on other ways to jog their memory during an exam, e.g. acronyms or keywords or perhaps even those sometimes silly rhymes to remember scientific elements.  Discuss any problems they may have with their exam technique.  Address time management & the importance of taking time to read and interpret a question before answering.  Try and come up with creative ways to help them improve on their mistakes.
• Our individual dynamic strengthens / inhibits our relationships with others and likewise so our children may have trouble relating to their teachers.  Take time to discuss their individual relationships with their teachers.  Schedule an appointment with the teacher and discuss these related issues. Also, discuss possible guidelines on areas which should be focussed on.
• The internet is a vast resource for previous exam papers.  Our website also has a useful link to these resources, which can be found at www.penguintutoring.co.za
• Stress can deplete our systems from necessary nutrients and inhibit the brain from maintaining optimal concentration levels.  Get an appropriate multivitamin to aid them with concentration.  Make sure that they are getting enough breaks during their study sessions.  Encourage them to be outdoors and carry on with their extra murals.  Make sure that all meals are balanced and have a few healthy snacks on hand.  Ensure that they are getting enough sleep as this is vital to clear & calm thinking.
• A tutor can be an enormous help during this stressful time.  These young individuals would be equipped to mentor, offer support and act as an understanding ear.  Furthermore, they would be sensitive to the stressful nature of an exam as they would have experienced exactly the same!

We understand that the approach to learning needs to be done in a specific manner and each learner needs to be especially catered for - you need look no further than Penguin Tutoring to invest inexpensively in your child’s future.  For a tailored solution, find out more about our offering at www.penguintutoring.co.za.  Our national footprint now includes Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Pietermaritzburg, Cape Town and the Winelands.

Please leave a comment on how you’ve found exam preparation made easier.

Suzanne van der Merwe runs Penguin Tutoring Winelands

Suzanne is a high school teacher as well as an author of high school textbooks.  She is the Subject Head in Consumer Studies at a local high school and has had vast teaching experience in Consumer Studies/Home Economics (HG and SG), for the past 15 years.   She has written the Grade 7—9 Technology Text & Workbook range as well as Consumer Studies Grade 10 and 11.  She is presently writing the Grade 12 Consumer Studies Text & Workbook. Education is her absolute passion.

Suzanne has recently purchased the Winelands area franchise for Penguin Tutoring and has been operating since the end of July 2009.  She is highly driven and motivated and thoroughly enjoys a challenge!

Suzanne has no children and loves travelling. She has been very fortunate to travel to many parts of the globe!

If she had her life over…she would still be a teacher!

Suzanne says: “I absolutely love my job and thrive in an educational environment.”

“My best bit about being part of Penguin Tutoring is being able to share my passion for education with so many other people, who are in need of further assistance.  I feel so strongly about the importance of education, and now Penguin Tutoring allows me to get involved on another level.”

It is this kind of passion for education and learning that we look for in all our members, from franchise holders like Suzanne to tutors, administrators, parents and learners! Extra lessons can be such a pleasure when they come from this kind of environment.

Welcome to Penguin Tutoring, Suzanne, it looks like you’ll fit right in!

Graz Schmid runs Penguin Tutoring in Cape Town

Graz Schmid hails from a strong Italian upbringing although born on the South Coast of KZN.  Schooling was followed by a year at the then Natal Technikon. She has been employed in secretarial roles and Human Resources for over 30 years across industries that have varied from life insurance to IT and Petroleum.

Graz joined the team in February 2009 and has taken over the Cape Town Franchise as of October 2009.

Her passion lies in working with young people – scholars & tutors alike – to see them develop and grow into young adults. Relationships are very important and thus working with clients also makes it a pleasure to go to work every day.

Graz’ s greatest personal ambition is to travel by ship to Antartica (in the summer months!) This has been on the cards since 2005 before getting involved so closely with the Penguin Team.  Now this desire is that much stronger!She has been married to Alfred for 16 years.  Together they raised Simon who is now married to Justine and they have given Graz & Alfred the two most wonderful grandchildren Olivia & Dominic.

For the past 15 years in the corporate environment, the staff gave Graz the title of “their Mom at Work”.  This has been further refined to “nurturing penguin” which is part of Graz’s Penguin Signature.

Contact Graz at graz@penguintutoring.co.za for any information about extra lessons in Cape Town.

Jessica Scholey runs Penguin Tutoring Pietermaritzburg

Jessica is one of the newest members to the proudly penguin family.  She is mom to Brandon and they live in Pietermaritzburg.  She is a bit of a jack-of-all-trades having worked as an aesthetician, computer tutor and web developer but to mention a few.  If Jessica could do her life over she would run away and travel the world with a blues band.  She would love to visit China but if that’s not an option then a quiet little place at the wild coast would be perfect!

Until then, Jessica is really excited to be on board and in charge of Penguin Tutoring in Pietermaritzburg. Get in touch with her at jessica@penguintutoring.co.za. Welcome Jessica!

Experience: There’s nothing quite like that word to rain all over your graduation parade. Why? Because in case you haven’t noticed, your degree means nothing to employers without it…and let me guess - you don’t have any.

You keep trying to explain to your parents that you can’t get any experience until you get a job, but no one will give you a job unless you have experience. After they all told you that a degree would be your ticket to a great future, you’re still sitting there, slopping your mom’s porridge all over your dressing gown while you go through the motions yet again on gumtree…and it’s 11 am.

What’s more, getting a job is harder than ever now that you are competing with victims of the recession who have experience. On top of that, you also have to deal with the fact that in these shifty economic times, you are vulnerable without experience even if you do land a job because you are so dispensable on the last in, first out policy.

According to Jan Coetzee, managing director of Manpower South Africa, the current generation of graduates has been entering the job market with totally unrealistic expectations, compared with those of their predecessors.

“They think a degree will ensure they get work. And I cannot say how many come to us looking for a monthly salary of at least R20 000, exorbitant benefits or a management position.”

These individuals have, however, zero work experience and compete with an ever-expanding pool of jobseekers.

In an interview published by Fin24,com, Coetzee went on to explain that the recession is also bringing home emigrants from England, Australia and New Zealand, adding even more competition to the job market. All while the market itself shrinks  as companies save money by cutting out non essential labour.

So, what does this all mean? Was your degree a waste? Absolutely not. But as Coetzee says, adjust your expectations and if you are still an undergraduate, it is not too late to take some proactive steps to protect yourself!

Gaining work experience before you enter the job market is the key to enhancing the value of your degree. So while you are still studying, think of where you want to work and find out about opportunities for vac work at those companies. Apply for part time jobs that will furnish you with genuinely useful skills; the average student waitress or bartending  job just doesn’t stand out anymore.

The more we chat to our tutors, the more we feel confident that tutoring is one of the best student jobs out there.

• It’s flexible during term time as well as holidays,  and so does not threaten to jeopardise your study time.
• It shows not only that you understand your subjects but also that you know how to communicate effectively and read the demands of the learner.
• It demonstrates intelligence, professionalism, commitment and reliablity.
• It’s challenging and ultimately, incredibly rewarding.

These are soughtafter qualities and skills that would immediately separate you from the rest of the pack.

If you decide you would like to be a tutor, we at Penguin Tutoring have opportunities available all over the country.

All you need are A or B matric symbols in the subjects you want to tutor and to convince us with your application that you could carry the standards of professionalism to which we adhere. Visit www.penguintutoring.co.za/tutors/apply.

Oh and one more thing: at least 5 years of previous experience is essential………………………Ha! Just kidding!

Come the 15th of September, the class of 2009 will be entering the last stage of their exodus from matric, with 40 days…and 40 nights left before this year’s final exams are scheduled to begin.

But it’s still too soon to panic because our specialist tutors are standing by all over the country, just waiting to help you help yourself. Visit www.penguintutoring.co.za for past papers, study tips or to find out about extra lessons in any subject!

GOOD LUCK MATRICS 2009!!!!!