Bringing out the best in me

 

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Starting my second year at University like any student, a solid goal of mine was to get a part-time job related to my degree that I can grow in. After applying to a few jobs and receiving disappointing rejections from different companies, I started working as an English tutor at No1tutors.

At first, I was overwhelmingly nervous about teaching. I was unsure of to expect and did not believe I had the proper training to support students. However, I had the opportunity to shadow Femi Adams who had an extraordinary ability to teach and who helped me develop foundational teaching skills I will undoubtedly use in my future. It was one of the most valuable aspects of working with No1tutors- being able to observe a phenomenal teacher in action. Not only did I learn from simply observing Femi teach, but also from being able to discuss any questions or concerns I had about teaching and learning which made me realise the value of having a teacher-mentor to shadow.

One of the most profound approaches of Femi’s leadership skills that helped me grow throughout my time at No1tutors was that we would consistently reflect on both my strengths and my weaknesses. We would discuss what are the areas of growth for me? Also, how do I make sure I am incorporating my strengths into a lesson? I soon started to notice myself developing skills in teaching and began to understand the complex nature of education and how much strength and skill there is in teaching. It allowed me to embrace the complexities of teaching rather than become overwhelmed by them.

In time, I learned and felt more prepared to teach and how to respond to unusual situations. When I was unexpectedly asked to teach four students who were at varied levels of ability, I did not shut down in a state of panic because I had discussed and observed Femi on how he differentiates tutoring to meet the needs of all students; His ideas and input helped guide me through what could have been a terribly overwhelming situation.

An important skill I also gained during my work was developing a reflective and feedback method. By taking time to think, write and report back to my mentor about my experiences during my tutoring lessons, I was able to assess the different aspects of my teaching that had been going well and think about ways to change things that had not been working for my students. By keeping a log of my accomplishments and my struggles, I had a record of not only what strategies worked, but also why they worked so well.

Being a shy introvert, a major personal goal I accomplished was being able to communicate effectively and confidently with other people at work, whether it was guiding other team members or giving feedback to parents- it helped me break out of my shy shell and prosper into a more confident person.

 

My time at No1tutors has shown me how helpful it can be to have a professional offer assistance and reassurance when I might otherwise feel lost and helped me gain so much confidence and knowledge. Every day was a unique conversation, challenge, and opportunity to try something new. As I’m thinking of content to write about how grateful I am to have worked with such an incredible company and team at my first teaching job, I realise that I don’t need to. It is more of a feeling, and that’s why it’s difficult to put it in words. I was surrounded by so many great people who have passions outside of work, goals for their future, and different perspectives that make them unique. When you’re working with a great group of people, you can’t help but bring your best every day and that’s what No1tutors did for me. It brought out the best in me! It stood for its motive ‘we simply raise your confidence’ not only is that statement true for students but for the tutors too.

I know most of us think any job will suffice but how many of us actually stop and think about the sort of work environment we want to be in? To me choosing the right job is one of the most important things in life. The fundamentals that make work a positive environment are the people, the work, and what the companies’ values are.