Penguin Tutoring Blog

“I am definitely going to recommend Penguin Tutoring to anyone and everyone who needs private tuition!”

It’s easy to have confidence in our tutors and in our management when we hear these kinds of comments from our clients!

Penguin Tutoring is the leading provider of private extra lessons in South Africa. From  Afrikaans to Zulu, from Maths and Science to Art, Penguin Tutoring has a skilled, specialised and trained tutor in your area, waiting for the opportunity to help your child achieve academic confidence and success. Please visit www.penguintutoring.co.za for more information.

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!