The value of private English and Maths tuition for your child – and how Goldilocks is involved

Pauline reports that on average approximately 80% of students are two years behind in their learning of the New Zealand curriculum. So, it’s no wonder that many parents and caregivers are seeking additional assistance for their children from private tutors.
 
Pauline has owned the Kip McGrath Whitianga learning centre for five years and has a wealth of experience across her educational roles in different school environments. She’s had hands on teaching roles through to managing education teams. She also has extensive training in Reading Recovery and has worked with SPELD children.
 
Her experience as a trained teacher and the ability to communicate effectively are vital ingredients to her business.  And she highlights that building trusted relationships are key to the success for her students.
 
Obviously, Pauline knows a lot about education!

At our centre our professional teachers aim to bring students back up to speed, instill solid learning habits, grow a student’s confidence and interest in learning. We offer face to face and online tutorial services for students Year 2-13 in English and Mathematics and tailor the learning to the needs of each individual student. I really believe in transformative learning with a phonics base, we just love phonics which we use regularly at the centre.

– Pauline Curtain, Owner and Tutor Kip McGrath Whitianga

English and Math tutorial services offered at Kip McGrath

Kip McGrath Whitianga provides the same proven programme of tutoring services that are available throughout New Zealand and Australia.  The learning programmes offered at the Whitianga learning centre cater for children with learning disabilities, and those students who need to extend their learning.
 
Key things Kip McGrath Whitianga tutoring offers:

• A free initial assessment
• Building up your child’s confidence
• Face to face lessons
• A lot of different activities offered as part of the learning programme
• Individualised programme – supporting the NCEA curriculum
• Qualified teachers – offering a proven programme
• Local teachers with local knowledge. 

Tutoring for students with learning disabilities

The Kip McGrath program is designed to help children who have learning disabilities, and just don't seem to be able to make a connection between wanting to learn and what is to be learnt. Pauline notes that there is a lot of research about why that's happening between the eyes and the brain, why children have learning challenges. So, the Kip McGrath program is specifically designed as an individual program with individual support. 

Extended learning and preparation for boarding school
 
Tutoring services are also offered for students that are seeking to extend their learning. Pauline and her tutors are available to provide a customised programme to challenge the student above the everyday requirements of their current year level, often working at least a year above what they are in their age.
 
Her team also work with parents and students who will be going to boarding school. At the Kip McGrath Whitianga learning centre tutors work to give students skills that the boarding school will expect such as homework. The aim is to get these students ready, extend them and create excellent learning habits.

How the Goldilocks principle of teaching is used at Kip McGrath

The Goldilocks principle is applied by having children start at the level that they are working at, not what anybody expects them to be working in. This establishes an excellent starting point to give students work they definitely know. Then new work is slowly introduced to challenge them, and they have to practice this. 

The whole way through this learning process tutors are expecting students to work at 80% or above. Each lesson is designed so all the work that we've given students should be at a pass rate of at least 80%. As part of the mix 20% of work is new learning – to introduce something new and give a bit of a stretch for the learner.
 
So, the just right used in the Goldilocks tale, is applied in this Goldilocks principle and the aim is the child achieves both success and learning.

Seven questions with Pauline

All About Whitianga: What are the signs that your child may need extra tuition?

Pauline: Keeping an eye on your children’s school reports and having open dialogue with your child about their lessons, and how they feel about school is really important. Traditionally parents who seek my services often report that it is a general feeling that their child is unhappy about going to school and the parents can’t find any reason why they didn't want to go to school. They thought their child might be behind a little bit, or they might be dyslexic.
 
During COVID lockdowns many parents had to be the child's facilitator of education, and they suddenly realised their children were really quite behind. When teachers would post online lessons, parents were able to see the children couldn't do it. So that became an added incentive for parents to come and chat with me, use our free assessment tool, and find out exactly what their children didn't know and where were they at.
 
How do the free assessments at Kip McGrath work?

Before we start a student’s learning journey with our team, we like understand how best we can assist that student and their family. So, after an initial chat we offer a free assessment using tests related to the NZ Curriculum to understand your child’s learning level.
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What do you think is key for a student’s learning?
 
Repetitive learning! Repetitiveness of learning (in a fun way of course!) makes progress more streamlined and quicker. This really helps to accelerate a student’s progress. So, for example by missing a lesson, we can sometimes stop the brain from remembering that information. We actually have a little saying that is don't skip Kip, which means every day, every week, we come to Kip and every week you go home and do some homework.
 
It’s also important to keep a variety of learning activities in the mix to keep children engaged. At Kip McGrath we offer a mixture of computer activities, handwritten worksheets, or tasks like a game. Activities are mixed up each week to give variety and a new challenge
 
And of course, always praise and acknowledge success!
 
How can we avoid being distracted during our learning time?
 
Well, firstly distractions are a normal part of anyone’s day. Having a cellphone or device that rings, beeps, or notifies you regularly is a classic example of useful tools that can also be distracting.
 
Being distracted is really about the brain keeping us safe, so that we can then decide to hide or to run – that sort of cave man mentality that sits down in the bottom of our brain and kicks in to assess our surrounds to keep us safe. The key thing is to create the best learning environment possible by removing as many distractions as possible, while also enabling students to acknowledge any distractions that may come into the learning time, like sounds or people. Ultimately the student needs to learn to focus back onto the learning task at hand as quickly as possible. And that is a real skill to practice and learn.
 
Our brain makes us feel safe by being distracted by sounds and things around the room and we have to teach our brain to come back and focus on our work. We may look or listen to that distraction briefly and then let our brain say, ok, I'm safe. It's okay. I can go back to my work. This is little saying I use quite often with my students.
 
At Kip McGrath devices are put aside and we have a dedicated learning space where each student has a computer and headphones on so they can focus in on the task at hand. They don't need to worry about any other children and they’re safe at the centre.
 
Do you have any favourite types of technology that you use in the classroom?

Our core technology is using our computers. We actually leave cell phones at the door. And we also have written and tactile activities for students that we use for variation.
 
What are the right amount lessons to have?

There is no one size to fit everyone, and that’s why we tailor our learning programmes to each individual student. However, I would suggest that at least 12-15 weeks is a realistic time to think of enrolling for. This really allows us to assess the real progress that a student is making.
 
It’s very exciting to see how far my students come in their learning when they are working with us in parallel to their school learning. In many cases I have seen a year and a half to two years progress made by the end of a student’s private tuition with us. Most of our students have been with us for a year and a half – that seems to be the average.
 
Are lessons available during the school holidays or if students are sick?

Lessons are available 48 weeks of the year with tuition offered during term time and over the school holidays (except for the Christmas break). And, if students are away for holidays lessons can be planned and sent to do throughout the week, or they can do an onscreen tutorial which makes the learning time quite flexible.
 
Recently I had 15 children enrolled over the holidays which really retained the continuity of their learning and helped to accelerate their learning progress.

More about Pauline Curtain

Pauline knew she wanted to be a teacher since the tender age of 11. She left her parents orchard in Te Puke after high school to train at Teachers’ College which was the start of a career that has now spanned 30 Years.
 
It was a busy first year of teaching at Papamoa as it also included two other significant milestones in her life – her marriage to Tony and her 21st birthday.
 
Pauline and Tony then moved to Auckland where Pauline loved every minute of working in South Auckland schools in the classroom and also moved up to leading teams to assist the Deputy Principal. An opportunity for a lifestyle change to Whitianga arose via Tony’s work and Pauline secured a teaching role at Mercury Bay Area School which saw her working in the Primary School with new entrants up to years four, six and eight.
 
In 2017 disaster struck and Pauline spent 10 weeks recovering from a health condition. The situation was not ideal, but Pauline believes this challenge actually came at the right time and place in her life.
 
Pauline used her recovery time to assess how her life might need to change going forward. When she heard the local Whitianga Kip McGrath was for sale this sparked an immediate interest. Quickly grabbing the opportunity, she soon purchased her first business – locking in a plan that included her passion for education at its heart.

The purchase of Kip McGrath was where I found I could be my own person again, teaching the way I wanted to teach children, believing in children that they could all learn. I'm in my own little business, my own little classroom without the politicians or the politics of the education system. Just the students and the focus on their education which was really cool.

– Pauline Curtain

Contact Kip McGrath Whitianga 

Pauline owns the Kip McGrath franchise on the Eastern side of the Coromandel including Whitianga to Coromandel town, and through to Whangamata.  Families outside of these areas can also connect with Pauline via on screen tutoring services.
 
For any questions about your child’s learning or to book a free assessment  use the related link below to contact Pauline Curtain.