Warwick Maths/Stat graduate and full time maths tutor with QTS/PGCE. I teach maths/further maths to year 7-13. I can also help with entrance exams and maths challenge prep.

Find out more about Sam

• When did you develop an interest in your chosen field and in private tutoring?

  Towards the end of Year 10 and the start of Year 11 is when I truly started to realise I had a passion for maths, since this was the time that I started to take my revision/studies seriously. I enjoyed studying/revising maths far more than most of my other subjects, since the main focus was on problem-solving rather than lots of memorisation. So much so that I decided to choose Further Maths A-level as one of my options. This was despite the fact that the school only really recommended it to those in the top set studying Further Maths GCSE (which I was not at the time). The thing is, when you truly have a passion for something, you will know because obstacles like this won't deter you. I remember that, in order to catch up/get ahead in my A-level studies during the summer between Year 11 and Year 12, I would spend hours per day familiarising myself with the course and trying to get an edge. A lot of this consisted of watching YouTube videos which involved a person explaining how to do questions. So, in some ways, I am a bit of a late bloomer.
  
  In terms of private tutoring, this occurred during my first teaching job. This involved teaching small groups of GCSE students as well as giving one-to-one help to some A-level students. Due to this being a rewarding experience, I knew there was definitely something in teaching/tutoring for me, hence why soon after, I signed up to the Superprof platform as well as started a course to become a qualified teacher. So, for the next two years, I was training to become a qualified teacher whilst simultaneously doing some private tutoring on the side. I trained at two secondary schools, and the year after, I had my first teaching job at Harris Westminster Sixth Form. If I compare teaching to private tutoring, I prefer tutoring because I can fully lock in on ensuring the student learns effectively without any other distractions, and therefore I can apply the theory I had learnt from my teaching course more effectively. Private tutoring has the advantage of obtaining a better understanding of each student's individual personality, prior knowledge and learning style. When I was in a position where I had enough students to make private tutoring a full-time career, I took it with both hands and have been helping more students ever since!

• Tell us more about the subject you teach, the topics you like to discuss with students (and possibly those you like a little less).

  I teach maths to all years, from Year 7 up to Year 13 (including Further Maths A-level). I think one theme that links the topics I like teaching the most is whether there is any interesting story related to them. Such as how Thales used a simple stick, the shadow it casts and an understanding of similar triangles to measure the height of an Egyptian pyramid, or the genius of Carl Gauss, who was able to add all the numbers from 1 up to and including 100 in mere seconds, much to the shock of his teacher. The only areas of maths courses I don't like teaching (and, for the record, most students do not like learning either) would be anything which is simply not all that mathematical, such as the learning of the dreaded large data set in A-level Maths.

• Did you have any role models; a teacher who inspired you?

  I took inspiration from my teachers/lecturers who had the following qualities:
  
  -Relentless attention to detail and a truly deep understanding of everything they are teaching, and therefore the ability to explain concepts naturally that are potentially beyond the scope of the course.
  
  -The ability to create an environment which is calm and relaxed but simultaneously encourages deep thinking.
  
  -Genuine happiness when their students succeeded or understood a new concept.

• What do you think are the qualities required to be a good tutor?

  The ability to assess the student as an individual, both academically and personality-wise, and therefore come up with lessons tailored to this. Therefore, a tutor needs to be well-prepared and organised. Personality-wise, a tutor should be patient, calm, supportive and encouraging.

• Provide a valuable anecdote related to your subject or your days at school.

  One of the first things I remember hearing during one of my first university lectures at Warwick was the phrase "great mathematicians are lazy". As someone who previously had always tried really hard and put in the hours, this seemed wrong to me. But after going through a problem in two ways, one which took two chalkboards and the other which took a few lines, I began to understand what the professor meant.

• What were the difficulties or challenges you faced or are still facing in your subject?

  This actually relates to my previous answer. During my A-level years, I was quite rigid with my methods, even if they were perhaps a bit long-winded at times. This, of course, not only had time-saving disadvantages but also meant that more complex problems, although enjoyable, could be quite tricky by not being a bit more open-minded about the available methods used to solve problems. Over time, I have improved in this, to the point where I feel prepared to dive into a vast array of problems with the ability to think a bit more outside the box. However, having the right person beside me throughout my education could have allowed this process to have been even quicker.

• Do you have a particular passion? Is it teaching in general or an element of the subject or something completely different?

  I do not consider myself a person with, let's say, a "God-given" gift for maths. I am simply a normal person who found joy in it towards the end of my secondary school years and never looked back. With me, in some ways, I was lucky to find this, but I think that anyone could also obtain a similar thing or, at the very least, enjoy it enough to really want to succeed in it at GCSE/A-level, not only because they have to, but because they want to. Hence why I have a passion for teaching maths.
  
  Here are a few other things I am passionate about, though: travelling, rock/metal music, sport, going to the gym, FPL and card games. I am actually able to apply my knowledge of probability to help with the last two. ;)

• What makes you a Superprof (besides answering these interview questions :-P)?

  I have already helped, and am currently helping, students of a variety of ages succeed in maths. Why? Well, one reason is my personality. I am always calm, sympathetic and get happy when my students succeed. Also, since I am a full-time tutor, I have the time to fully plan out a lesson tailor-made for the student to succeed, and therefore I have also been described as being very well organised.