Right now, I feel immensely proud of my students. HSC results time is always nerve-racking. Will my students get the mark they’ve worked so hard for? Will they achieve the ATAR they dreamed of? Will they gain entry into their desired university courses?
When I heard that one of my students achieved a 99.95 ATAR, I was elated! He’s now off to study at the prestigious school of dentistry at the University of Sydney. Of course, I only helped him with English—my knowledge of science and maths is woefully limited—but I feel proud to have contributed to one of the crucial rungs on his academic ladder. My other two HSC students also achieved excellent results, both securing places in their desired courses at UNSW. It’s been a successful year, to say the least! As a tutor, I can’t help but share in their emotional highs and lows. English is tough, and I’m grateful to have played a role in their success.
I also received a satisfying personal result. After three and a half years of intensive work, I finally submitted my PhD thesis at the University of Sydney in November 2024. To my delight—and surprise—it passed without corrections. It’s the last degree I’ll pursue (I promise!), and while it was as challenging as it was enjoyable, it was immensely rewarding. My general argument centred on how the Romantic poets William and Dorothy Wordsworth, alongside Samuel Taylor Coleridge, were significantly inspired by contemporary children's literature. I’ll be writing more about my research soon and plan to turn large sections of my thesis into academic journal articles, eventually culminating in a published monograph. For now, though, I’m giving academic writing a break and devoting my full attention to tutoring.
This year, I am privately tutoring six HSC students from a range of schools, including PLC, Kincoppal-Rose Bay, James Ruse, and Knox. This requires becoming something of an expert on a broad array of texts—novels, plays, poems, and films. To be an effective English tutor, you need an in-depth understanding of the texts your students are analysing. I’m genuinely excited to delve deeper into works such as Nineteen Eighty-Four, Emma, and The Tempest. It’s one of the great perks of being an English tutor—the constant opportunity to learn.
I’m also thrilled about expanding Brocklehurst Academy. One of the downsides of private tutoring is having to turn away numerous potential students because of limited time. The solution? Build a team. A team of highly dedicated and well-qualified English tutors—not just anyone, but tutors who share my passion for helping students excel. All the resources I’ve developed over the years will be available to every tutor, and together, we can support even more students in improving their English skills.
Another exciting development is the continuation of our online classes at Brocklehurst Academy. With three years of fantastic content, I’ve invested countless hours in creating, refining, and enhancing class resources. For students in Years 7 to 9, these classes comprehensively cover every aspect of English, from building vocabulary and analytical skills to mastering creative writing, essay structure, and the grammatical rules that are often overlooked in traditional classrooms. I'm also excited to get stuck into more challenging classic texts in the Classics Reading Class!
2025 promises to be an incredible year for Brocklehurst Academy and our students. I’m eager to see what we can accomplish and, most importantly, what our students will achieve!
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