Nick has been tutoring with Weave for two years.
Read his short reflection about his experiences as a tutor and friend.
I started volunteering on the tutoring program about two years ago. I knew that I was keen to start doing some kind of volunteering, and I couldn’t really pick a place.
I was looking for something that resonated with me, but also where I was using skills that I already had.
Volunteering with Weave is an immensely satisfying experience — connecting with young adults, helping them and watching them grow. Even in a couple of weeks, the way that they grow and the way they come out of their shell is an immensely satisfying experience.
I think teaching is one of those things where you can see the fruits of your labour quickly. When they “get it” and you can see that they get it, it’s a very satisfying feeling.
It’s improving someone’s life in a very small way, but there’s something about teaching that I find intrinsically satisfying.
One of my students really struggles with maths, so a lot of the work that we do is very fundamental, basic stuff. When I first took him on, I focussed purely on the content of times tables to very little effect.
And it took me a couple of weeks to realise that there’s so much more going on behind-the-scenes in terms of a student’s confidence.
It would sometimes leave me quite frustrated. Then, there was a turning point, when I went in a little more casually, and my only intent was to listen to him. I looked beyond maths to just be there for him.
There are lessons when we won’t even talk about maths, just talk about something going on in his life. To me, that is the value of one-on-one tutoring — it allows for the very personal connection, it allows students to set the pace that works for them. He’s flourished in a rather profound way. His willingness to open up has markedly improved.
That is the turning point — from being a teacher to being a person.