The Dog Days of Summer: Tutoring for the Determined

Somewhere between the fourth bramble and the fifth step, my golden retriever puppy decided that she had experienced quite enough of coastal walks, thank you very much.  With the quiet dignity of a small Victorian child in a Dickens novel, she stopped dead in her tracks, sat down and gazed at me with the expression of one forced to walk barefoot to the workhouse.

Reader, I carried her.

Well… my nephew carried her.

There I was, halfway along the cliff path, doing an impromptu deadlift with 14 kilos of fluff and floppy ears.  (Well… my nephew was.)  And while the sea sparkled behind us and tourists looked on in a blend of pity and “that’ll teach you to get a retriever” it got me thinking about tutoring.

Specifically, the widely held belief that tutoring is some sort of educational ambulance, sirens blaring, swooping in when a student’s metaphorical academic legs have given way.  It’s for the strugglers, the stumblers, the shirkers.  The ones firmly refusing to ascend another analytical paragraph.

But here’s the thing: the students I work with aren’t floundering.  They’re not waving the white flag or refusing to engage with Shakespeare unless bribed with snacks (although, we’ve all been there).  More often than not, they’re bright and perfectly capable - they’ve just had it with the steps.

They want to go from a 5 to an 7, a C to an A.  They want to write about poetry without actively fantasising about being somewhere else.  They want their essays to sparkle with structure and substance, rather than spiralling into a well-meaning waffle-fest.  They’re walking the walk - but they want someone to help map the route, or at least carry the rucksack while they take a breather.

So no, if you are asking, tutoring isn’t just for those who’ve collapsed by the roadside. It’s for the ones who want to keep going but better, faster, sharper. The ones who’d like a bit of support before they hurl their copy of ‘To the Lighthouse’ into the nearest body of water.

As for my puppy, she’s recovered fully.  Hasn’t done a step since.