Thought I'd copy paste my rant from FB here. I'm genuinely interested in what other people think about this topic...
p.s. the views here do not represent NSW Tutors, just my own opinion as an individual =)
The Student: What he says is true and his opinion is the only one I would take seriously. People should start listening to students rather than the principals, administrators, tutors. It's the students who are the ones learning, they are the future.
The only constant in this world is that there will always be change. New generations and new technology (Web 2.0, social media, mobile, wi-fi) means we should change to new methods of teaching. Our current system is obsolete.
Firstly, I'd like to start with debunking a common misconception.
Some people seem believe that good tutors know all the answers and are able to effectively share those answers with their student.
This. is. not. the. case. If you believe this, you are a fucking idiot.
That's like saying a good doctor will simply give you the right medicine... while your dyspnoea gets worse and you slowly die of congestive heart failure.
No, a good doctor inspires you lead a healthy lifestyle, they make sure you don't get heart failure in the first place. They practice PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE. A good doctor aims to make themselves obsolete.
Similarly, good tutors (and teachers) should instill a degree of passion in their students. If required, they should guide students towards the answers from first principles. A student with a good tutor will achieve a state where they understand the material and are genuinely interested in learning more. Like a good doctor, a good tutor aims to make themselves obsolete.
Getting over-tutored is definitely a problem for some students who have excessively worried parents. I didn't have a private tutor myself as I did not feel it was necessary. (Self-motivation = win)
A good tutor should always try to make their students learn for themselves and will encourage them to exhaust all other learning avenues (textbook, teacher, friends, parents etc.) before asking the tutor their questions.
The Principal: "Classroom teachers who are well qualified, up-to-date with changes in syllabus requirements, experienced and hard working will provide all the assistance that is necessary for students to succeed at the HSC, so long as the students make the best use of their class time and take advantage of offers of additional help from their teachers."
She pisses me off. I wish my shit smelled like rainbow and lollipops but that doesn't always happen now does it?
Students who fall behind often stay behind and teachers play the blame game. The Year 10 teacher blames the Year 9 teacher for not showing little Johnny how to do algebra properly.
We live in a world of limited resources, time being one of those resources. Teachers have limited time.
Some students are left behind, and the education system expects them to catch up themselves by taking the initiative to learn.
Here's some ground-breaking news... the under-achieving delinquent sitting in the back row does not see the value in spending time on their education. Even if you provide all the resources in the world they are not going to "take advantage of offers of additional help from their teachers" as they would much prefer to smoke weed and have sex than learn how to differentiate from first principles.
Public school teachers are often over-worked and not up-to-date with the syllabus due to numerous other school commitments.
I'd love to get the principal of a public school instead of Meriden to share their opinion. I'm sure they do not give a fuck about private tuition and if anything they would like to see more qualified teachers enter the industry and a pay rise for themselves.
Administrator: "A TUTOR'S services are simply irrelevant to the success of most HSC students"
This dogmatic comment makes me lose any faith I might have had in education administration. (Hint: I had none) A good English tutor can often make or break a student's HSC. Thousands of students will testify to that. Brian Croke should get his head out of his ass and talk to students rather than sit on his administrator high-horse.
Tutor: Won't even bother. Clearly trying to sell themselves and give themselves some good PR.
My opinion: Everyone in this article has their own agenda except the student. The principal, administrator and tutor are all disconnected with the reality which the student faces everyday .
Students should make up their own mind. If you are shit at a subject, either drop it or motivate yourself to work harder. If you can't motivate yourself go ask for help from your teacher, your friends, your parents or as a last case resort, go find a tutor.
TL : DR
If a student is able to engage in self-directed learning they will not need a tutor. A good tutor will help you become a self-directed learner. Our current model of education is out-dated, stupid and needs to change.
