Sydney (AUS 1024)

The older student is a 17-year-old junior in high school. He is looking forward to experiencing Australia for three months, but also has in mind that the junior year is an important time in anticipation of university applications. His general plans are to study business at university. In general, he is a good student, although he tends to have weakness in math; he is currently taking pre-calculus. He plays tennis and pickleball, and enjoys skiing, golf, and other outdoor activities. He loves cars and wristwatches, fascinated by the mechanical principles that underlie both, although he has yet to delve deeply into engineering principles. He enjoys literature and likes to hear many different opinions. He likes the idea of studying philosophy. In Australia, he wants to build upon his feelings of independence; he enjoys making new friends in a new environment, creating a different world and social space for himself. He looks forward to spending time with his Australian family members, although he is worried about how to meet new people in Australia.

He tends to be more engaged with learning about topics that he feels he can use in the real world and does not fully engage with academic topics that do not grab his interest. If he doesn’t understand something, he becomes dismotivated. His executive functioning skills are good but could use some improvement with the right tutor. He is perceptive of other people’s emotional states. Naturally empathetic, he is an even-keeled de-escalator of conflicts. He is easy to talk to and naturally interested in other people. He takes his aggression out during constructive activities like playing tennis. He takes medication for an autoimmune condition that can affect his emotional balance, but he is aware of this and moderates these side effects as well as he can. When he was younger, he had a hard time sitting down and maintaining attention; now, he is better at self-control and has learnt re-centring techniques.

His favourite teachers are those who push him to learn, but also help him with questions, whether with homework or something difficult in class. He likes teachers who try to get to know him and his personality and are sincerely relatable. Rather than lecturing and taking notes, his preferred learning style is hands on, prioritising practical projects. His least favourite teachers are those for whom teaching is just a job. Teachers who only have one approach in trying to enable student understanding usually don’t reach him; especially in math, he needs multiple ways of learning a concept to come to grips with it.

His younger sister is a 14-year-old currently in 8^th grade. Like her older brother, she anticipates her Australian adventure with eagerness. She enjoys playing tennis as well as snowboarding and tends to pursue hands-on arts and crafts. She also enjoys reading fiction. She is a well-organized and very responsible student: the kind of student who makes to-do lists, always knows when assignments are due, and proactively does her homework. She is driven to do well, both by internal and by social motivation. Her greatest difficulty is in math. She doesn’t struggle with it per se, but is more comfortable when there is someone next to her to draw upon when needed. She likes the idea that she can come to a deeper understanding of the curriculum than she might otherwise enjoy while she’s away from her school. She will be happy if she is on pace with her peers and can seamlessly blend back into school, but the opportunity to explore her education in nontraditional ways is exciting. She loves animals, although she is not entirely looking forward to the reptiles, insects, and spiders of Australia. She is worried about being misconceived by Australian kids her age and assumptions they may have about Americans.

She is emotionally precocious. She has been able to articulate her emotions and needs from an early age and is skilled in understanding the temperature of a room and her own emotional states. She is mature and able to handle her emotional ups and downs, and never gets so moody that it interferes with her ability to study, but does tend to have stronger emotional experiences than her brother. The siblings are very close; occasionally they push each other’s buttons, but overall are very good to and for each other.

Her favourite teachers are very kind and engaging with the students; they care about how their students’ days are going and can encourage students to do their work without being overly strict. Teachers who are enthusiastic about their subject matter and can encourage that enthusiasm in their students inspire her to work hard and engage with the material. On the other hand, teachers who make her scared to ask a question or just put work in front of her without sincerely engaging the students are her least favourite.

The students’ mother will be taking them to Australia for a period of three months. It is anticipated their time in Australia will enable them to spend time with extended family members and explore. The purpose of this tutoring assignment is to ensure that the students can continue studies in their American curriculum while they spend time in Australia. Since they will re-integrate into their schools in America after their Australian sojourn concludes, they need a Tutor who can both enable them to keep up with their peers and give them a deeper educational experience than they would experience back home. The Tutor will be expected to travel with the family, providing a learning environment that is free-thinking, inspirational and enjoyable, but also structured enough to ensure the children keep in line with their peers back in America. Blended tutoring that mixes subjects and makes good use of the local environment should be the norm. In addition to keeping up with classmates at home, the opportunity to enrich the curriculum using the opportunities available in and around Sydney will enable the students to take greatest advantage of their opportunities.

The older student is currently taking English 11 Honors, Intro to Economics, Rhetoric, Precalculus, French 4, Intro to Chemistry, and Psychology. A Tutor with prior experience in supporting this range of material will be critical to his success in keeping up with his peers while he is away. In addition to his standard curriculum, the Tutor should find time to do standardized test preparation with him since university applications are coming soon. Junior year is a critical time in an American student’s high school journey. He is generally on firm footing, but someone with particular skills in supporting math and a strong hands-on learning philosophy in chemistry will help him to do his best.

Since the younger student is in 8^th grade, the Tutor has an excellent opportunity to put her on firm footing as she transitions into high school. She is a hard worker. Like her brother, she also studies French. She relishes the opportunity to get ahead in her studies. Gaining greater depth in her middle school subjects will put her in an excellent position to make a strong start in high school next year.

Both students have limited previous experience of Australia, and the opportunity to explore this new environment presents an excellent occasion for a knowledgeable Tutor to expand their educational journey by utilising the local surroundings. Tutors who are Australians or have experience living in Australia will be at an advantage in applying for this role. Such local knowledge will also prove helpful in assisting both students to participate in volunteer activities. Getting involved in local civic or political organizations, for example, would help the students to understand Australian culture better through immersion.

The role will require a truly superb educator who can use their environment to make their lessons come alive, and who has the experience of teaching across the age range involved in this contract. They should have excellent subject knowledge and infectious enthusiasm for every subject they cover. It will be necessary for the Tutor to be fully versed in the American curriculum, having had experience of teaching it before to children of these ages. Teaching in the inspirational environments planned offers able teachers unparalleled opportunities to illuminate the standard curriculum and enhance the learning experience in ways that should make this experience for the children something special that they reflect on fondly and look forward to with excitement. The Tutor should use the local environment as a resource wherever possible. This aspect of the role should not be reactive according to the schedule – it should be proactive, with the Tutor seeking out opportunities and making suggestions.

The older student anticipates taking the SAT or ACT after his Australian sojourn, and shall have begun his preparation by the time his journey commences. Weekly time spent with him preparing for one of these standardised tests is essential to ensuring that he will have the best outcome possible. Prior experience in coaching students with these tests is important.

Since both students are taking French, and their mother has some French background as well, it would be nice to have French-language lunch or other similar activity that can help the students and their mother to reinforce their facility in French.

The Tutor must be organised, flexible, and adaptable. Although the family will try to maintain a routine, there may be occasions where local festivals are taking place, or a local venue is worth a visit, and the decision is made to adjust plans at short notice. It is important to roll with these interruptions, even to join in with the family, and certainly never to complain. These occasions are not inconveniences, but opportunities, and it is important that the Tutor is able to adjust flexibly and see them in this way.

This role requires a resourceful, intelligent, and knowledgeable educator who is sensitive to the unusual circumstances of the position, relaxed and is easy-going with a sunny disposition on the one hand, while firm, encouraging and directed on the other. It is also important that the Tutor remembers that although the working environment is relaxed compared to formal schooling, it is essential they always remain professional, respectful of the family’s privacy, and aware of the confidential nature of the assignment.

The students’ home state has various legal reporting requirements in place for home schoolers, which is the category under which these children will be classified during their sojourn. It will be the Tutor’s responsibility to stay on top of these requirements, proactively researching what they are, and filing the appropriate evaluations, forms, and reports on time and in thorough detail.

The Tutor is expected to work for an average of 40 contact hours a week. Teaching will predominately take place Monday-Friday, but there may be occasions when the Tutor is required to work weekends in lieu of a certain time throughout the week. A degree of flexibility will be required on the Tutor’s part.

The Tutor will be entitled to two consecutive days off per week, usually at weekends. As far as possible, the Client will give the Tutor at least two weeks’ notice of when their ‘weekend’ break will be. The standard vacation allowance does not apply to this short term contract.

The Client will provide accommodation with Internet for the Tutor, which may also act as the children’s schoolroom. This accommodation will be clean, safe and secure. The Client will be responsible for all bills on this property with the exception of any private phone calls.

The Client will be responsible for necessary travel expenses. It is not anticipated that a car will be necessary for the duration of this assignment. There may be occasions when the Tutor must help the students to find their way to a new location if their mother is not available. For example, making sure the students get on the correct bus, train, or ferry if they are going to a tennis class or visiting a family member or friend would be helpful.

The Tutor is responsible for his or her own meals except for any that occur during tutoring time. The Tutor will be responsible for arranging and financing their own health, possessions, and travel insurance.

The Tutor must be fit and health-conscious, an adult able to set a good example for the students. If the Tutor plays tennis, it is likely that they may be invited to participate with the students.