Penguin Tutoring Blog

“I accept the call to responsibility that comes with the many rights and freedoms that I have been privileged to inherit from the sacrifice and the suffering of those who come before me.
“I appreciate that the rights enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa are inseparable from the duties and responsibilities to others. Therefore I accept that with every right comes a set of responsibilities.”

Today saw the launch of The Bill of Responsibilities, an initiative by Lead SA and the Department of Education,with the support of the National Interfaith Movement.  A nationwide programme will teach the youth of our country the content and implications of this Bill, a first of its kind in the World. It is an educational document to be taught in schools and publicised and debated throughout all areas of society.

The Bill of Responsibilities is a complementary document to the Bill of Rights and has the power to change South Africa for the good. Each one of us has the potential to change the course of this country’s future, and when we change our behaviour, we change the attitudes of those around us. We all need to improve our moral values and behavior and base our values on the foundations of integrity, compassion and decency.

Through the positive actions of every individual, we will be able to improve our wonderful country, and the future of the bright young people just at the beginning of their lives.

Lets all embrace this change and Lead South Africa.

Penguin Tutoring is the leading provider of specialist academic tutors in the country. Our professional management and extensive tutor database will ensure that your children get everything they need and more out of their extra lessons.

The year 2010 has been an exciting adventure for most South Africans as we played host to the World for an exhilirating month during the Fifa Soccer world cup from June to July. Not so exhilirating for the Matrics of this memorable year as their scholastic calendar was turned on its head to accommodate the long winter holiday, and then their lessons were disrupted by a prolonged teachers strike.

On Monday, 25 October, 67000 eager and anxious young people start their final exams. They have been told that this is the most important event of their young lives, and that their entire future depends on the outcome. Yes, the exams are important, and yes, good results will open doors to tertiary institutions,and bursary offers. But the results printed on the Senior certificate are just a small measure of the person. South Africans are world renowned for their resilience, their strength of character and their sheer guts and determination, especially in the face of difficulty. So use your energy to believe in yourself, to believe in a positive outcome, to believe in an exciting and fulfilling future. ke nako - the time has come.

Good luck to every one of you as your anxiously turn over that first question paper. Good luck to your family as they wait on the sidelines in nervous anticipation.

Good luck!

2010 has been a trying year for our young learners at school. The Soccer World Cup, exciting and inspirational as it was, played havoc with the school timetables and learning programmes.  Added to this, an extended teachers strike put additional pressure on teachers and learners to complete the curriculum in time. Prelims were postponed, teaching days were lengthened and communities rallied around our precious  Grade 12’s to help them prepare for the all important “MATRIC“

The first exam takes place on October 25th. By now, all attention is focussed on preparing for this important event.

We at Penguin Tutoring Co understand the pressure and the difficulties that learners and their parents are faced with. For their entire school career, they are  told of the importance of this final measure of their capabilities. Their future relies on these results. This is all scary and daunting stuff and in addition to this, many young people are faced with the dilemma of making a career choice - which degree? which university? which residence?

We would like to pass on some tips on making the exam experience a bit easier for both parents and learners.

Parents, try and maintain a consistent environment for your children.  Avoid change, crisis and conflict. Be there to support and love. Be available to discuss the post-mortem of the exam if your child needs to share - but just listen, don’t judge. Provide healthy satisfying meals and ensure a restful environment for a good night’s sleep. Make time for family fun and entertainment and encourage your child to keep active and fit. Consider enlisting the help of a tutor. Even at this late stage of the academic year, these young people have the experience and expertise to help your child with exam techniques and study methods. They act as mentors and role models and can defuse unnecessary tension.Get a good night’s sleep before the exam.

Learners, try these helpful tips:

• Get a good night’s sleep before the exams
• Don’t try and cram the night or morning before the exam
• Arrive early and be ready to write with all the correct equipment
• Check you have received the correct paper
• Read and understand instructions
• Preview the question paper and allocate writing time
• Read the questions and underline key words
• Set out answers clearly, numbering in accordance with the question paper
• Write neatly
• If uncertain of a question, or find you are running out of time, answer at least in part
• Don’t panic
• Review your answers
• Stay till the end of the allotted time

Finally, keep all things in perspective. Keep focused and keep a positive attitude. Believe in yourself, and if things go wrong, don’t give up.

Good luck!

Penguin Tutoring is the leading provider of specialist academic tutors in the country. Our professional management and extensive tutor database will ensure that your children get everything they need and more out of their extra lessons.

Phakama School is tucked away in a forgotten corner of the Kwena basin valley in Mpumalanga. This little school accommodates 130 primary school children from the surrounding farms. Just a year ago, Penguin Tutoring Co became aware of the constant struggle the teachers faced to deliver quality education to the children in their care. For many of the children, their only meal is provided by the school “kitchen “. Here, a big black three-legged pot is placed over a wood fire in the open area next to the school building. At break, the children line up in anticipation, and the cook ladles out steaming porridge.

Student teachers from the Wits school of education are assigned here for their practical experience bloc, and are given a taste of the plight of the rural school child and their gallant teachers. Penguin Tutoring Co has partnered with Wits and Phakama through our Corporate social initiative project (CSI)  in an effort to “give something back “  Through our sponsorship, the Wits students were able to present the school with sets of readers for every Grade, in both English and Sepedi.

Just a few short years ago, Phakama School had no roof and the ablution facilities were an open pit in the ground. Many of the children had never seen the written words in a book. But, with the vision, energy and continuous effort by many dedicated and passionate people, this is slowly changing. Today, after handing over the books, the children sang their songs of thanks, and filed into the gaily decorated classrooms, protected from the harsh sun by a sturdy roof! The youngest class lined up outside the neat ablution block before being served their porridge. The middle class concentrated hard on the sums written on the board while the “Most hardworking”, “Best in reading” and “Best in counting” proudly wore their crowns for the day.

Penguin Tutoring Co is proud to be part of that change and we will continue to channel resources into education projects aimed at improving the future of our country’s children.

Parents of Matrics are going to need some extra help and guidance over the next few weeks.The Prelims have been postponed by the Gauteng Department of Education due to the ongoing educators strike. Exams were scheduled to start on the 3rd September, but will now take place during the week of 20th September. The papers will be written in the afternoons and catch-up sessions will take place in the mornings.

The Department of Education has been distributing Study Guides to affected schools and parents and learners are urged to download past papers from these websites;
www.thutong.doe.gov.za Click on “Support for Matrics “  or  www.education.gpg.gov.za Click on “Matric exam material ”
The DoE will also put up self explanatory guidelines on how to study, and set up study groups. Lessons will be broadcast through radio and television through the Department of Basic Education.

We at Penguin Tutoring Co are concerned about the strike and its far reaching negative impact on the future of these young people. We have tutors available in all areas to assist you. Log onto our website www.penguintutoring.co.za and ask for help now.

Penguins, lets LEAD South Africa and volunteer to help out at schools in crisis.

Just a few weeks ago, we watched with pride and excitement as we hosted the most successful sporting event in the World. We wore our Bafana shirts, waved our flags, and felt proud to be South Africans. On Saturday 94 000 (and thirteen) of us swarmed to the FNB stadium in Soweto to cheer on our rugby boys. We are a very special nation of amazing people. We have pride and commitment and belief that we can achieve the impossible.

But we are also strongly aware of a crisis that is currently unfolding in the hospitals and schools. South Africa’s education is in a state of crisis as members of one Teachers union, SADTU, embark on violent strikes and prevent learners and teachers from attending school. If Government has not responded to their demands, members of Naptosa will join their colleagues.

We sympathise with their cause and strongly believe that they should be well paid for work well done. After all, the future of our nation is in their hands. But, we can’t sit by and watch as learners miss out on essential teaching, not now, only weeks before their final exams.

We at Penguin Tutoring Co would like to assist these bewildered young people where we can and we appeal to you to come forward if you are able to volunteer your time. You had the benefit of a good education and are now able to follow your dream as a student at a tertiary institution. Thousands of Matrics may have to delay writing their exams until next year, because of the disruption to their education

We will be offering to help out at schools and in communities to prepare the Matrics for their final exams. Do the right thing - sign up with us and help LEAD SA.

This week saw 1 million government employees on strike. Their demands are for better pay, better working conditions and better housing allowances. Some schools advised parents to keep their children at home as they couldn’t guarantee their safety. As parents, our first concern will be for our own children  - their safety if they do go to school, or their disadvantage if they miss out on valuable learning time by not being at school.

At Penguin Tutoring Co, we strongly believe in the value of a quality education for all the children of our country. We believe that this can only be delivered by top class, committed and dedicated educators. If the teaching profession cannot attract the very best people to their ranks, our children have little chance of being educated to world class standards.

We empathise with these teachers, and agree that they should be paid an excellent salary - for work well done, with measurable results. After all, the future of our children, and this country, is in their hands.

While Education is in crisis , we will continue to offer our supplementary tutoring service to all learners throughout the country, who are worried about their preparation for pending examinations. Matriculants have their Prelims looming, and with this in mind, we have recruited additional qualified tutors. We have a Saturday School project  “on ice”, waiting for a suitable partner school.

If you are concerned about your child’s performance and the increasing pressure on them to get on top of their work in the short time left before the end of this academic year, call us.

We will be able to help.

June 2010, Johannesburg - Penguin Tutoring and the I am Changing the World Trust (iACTw) have teamed up again to provide personalised extra lessons to previously disadvantaged learners from Grades 10, 11 and 12 in Maths, Accounting and Life Skills.

The week-long program conducted from 21 to 25 June in Sandton was dedicated to improving the understanding and capacity of the learners as well as providing them with the guidance to realise their individual potential.

‘The end goal of this program is for learners to consider their futures more seriously and how it is possible to become successful by harnessing the power of education’, says Murray Legg, Marketing Manager at Penguin Tutoring.

Penguin Tutoring is a national company that offers the highest quality one-on-one tutoring in all school subjects and has enjoyed a 100% success rate of assisting its learners to improve their individual marks - during its four year lifespan. Penguin teamed up with I am Changing the World in 2009 to extend this service to those in need.

There is no doubt that an alarmingly high percentage of learners around the country are suffering from poor quality education. It is not the desire within the learners that is lacking, but rather access to qualified material and teachers, suggests Sonia Berisford-Murray, founder iACTw.

Together, Penguin and iACTw hope to make available the opportunity for all learners, from all backgrounds, to excel in their chosen subjects and fields so that they are equipped with the best tools to make a success of their lives, and South Africa as a whole.

‘Success for us is about promoting and enabling the positive difference every individual can make in preserving our environment, society and wildlife. Education is the basic platform required for the advancement of all citizens – both in South Africa, and globally, concludes Berisford-Murray.

If you are interested in doing a project with us, please contact us at 2010@penguintutoring.co.za.