15 Aug 2018

The Alchemy Team HSC, Schooling, Students, Study Permalink

The most important skill required for HSC success

The Alchemy Team 15 August 2018

If you have children in year 10, 11 or 12 this could be the most valuable thing they will read as they approach the HSC.

I am regularly asked the question by senior students – ‘what do I need to do to succeed in the HSC?’. They ask it like there is a secret that only the top students know, like there is a formula that I can give them to guarantee a 99+ ATAR.

The thing is, the most important skill required for HSC success is also one that generally dictates success in life. It isn’t about sleepless nights or putting in 16 hour study sessions – in fact, it is the opposite to this.

The single most important skill that differentiates high performing students from everyone else is time management.

The ability to manage ones time effectively is a completely undervalued skill not just in school but in life. There are always going to be a hundred things we need to do at any point in time, but the ability to say ‘yes’ to the right things and ‘later’ or ‘no’ to everything else is such an important skill to learn.

Being good at your subjects is important. Working hard is great. But they are in vain if you don’t manage your time well.

Here are 3 tips I give to my own students that are serious about succeeding in the HSC:

1. Get a diary and use it.

I use ‘diary’ in a very broad sense here. It doesn’t have to be a book you write things in – it can be your phone’s calendar or your organiser on your laptop. Whatever you choose, you just want to ensure it is clear and easy to use. Every time you are given homework at school, diarise it. When you get an assessment task, put it in your diary and give yourself reminders at intervals so it doesn’t creep up on you. Even schedule in study time and treat it like a job – if it is in your diary you stick with it; no ‘if you feel like it’ allowed.

2. Understand your priorities and let your time reflect this.

We all have the exact same hours in a day. In order to maximise the 24 hours you have you need to know what is most important to you at any given time. If your focus is on doing as well as you possibly can at school, you need to make this your priority. This means saying no to the things that your friends want you to do. It means saying no to the temptation of mindlessly scrolling through social media and delaying your revision for a test. It means getting to bed at the right time to ensure enough rest so you are fresh at school the next day. These things aren’t fun – but they are required to achieve your goals.

3. Be 100% in

Whatever you do at any specific moment, make it your goal to be 100% present. Time is precious and you don’t want to waste any of it. If you are studying – be 100% in the study zone. If you are with family, be 100% present with the family, not constantly checking your phone or thinking about other things you need to to. The best people to be around are those that are 100% present in whatever they are doing, and whilst this can be a challenging thing to learn it will make your life far more rewarding if you can master the art of being present.

When things get busy it is very easy to wish for more hours in the day. Sadly, this won’t happen. All we can do is maximise what we already have – which is why time management is so important.

01 Aug 2018

The Alchemy Team Life, Parenting, Students Permalink

Teaching your child to love reading

The Alchemy Team 1 August 2018

Whenever I meet a student who doesn’t read – or worse, doesn’t enjoy reading – it breaks my heart a little. As a kid, a long time before iPhone and iPads and Youtube I would stay up late learning about the world through characters in books.

The benefits of reading are endless, but in this tech world it is getting harder and harder to inspire a love of reading in young people. Here are 4 strategies I’ve found can aid a student in the reading journey:

1. Encourage them to read at their ability level.

This is one of the biggest obstacles I see to students enjoying reading. If they are reading something that is too difficult for them it is unlikely they will enjoy it – just like we struggle to enjoy things we aren’t good at. Choosing books that are appropriate for their skill level is really important – and getting this right will in turn improve their skills which will then lead to more advanced books. Speak to their teacher or your tutor about identifying their reading level and choosing books that are ideal at their level.

2. Choose books that interest them.

You will know the natural interests of your child, so try to pair them up with stories that appeal to these. Just because a book is popular or other kids like them doesn’t mean your child will. You’ll find books on every niche at your local library or book store, so choose those that your child will naturally gravitate to. I’ve had students read books on Rugby League, Minecraft and novels based on their favourite youtube stars. There is something out there for everyone!

3. Make it a habit

Daily reading time is so valuable. It is a time to switch off from the electronic stimulus and get their imagination working – but also ensures their skills improve day by day. I suggest no less than 15 minutes of quiet reading time a day; 30 minutes if possible. I make it a before bedtime activity for my own kids – but you need to do what works for your family’s schedule. By making it a daily habit, they won’t put up a fight when asked to read as they will just accept it as something they do everyday.

4. Be the example

It is hard to tell a child that reading can be an enjoyable activity when they never see Mum or Dad doing it. Leaders are readers – so do what you can to show your kids that reading is something you enjoy too. This one is tricky – I know how busy your schedule is. I just try to turn the TV off for an hour on Saturday afternoon and spend time reading. Even though my kids continue to play, they see Dad sitting down and enjoying a book which I believe is just as effective as telling them to do it.

Learning to enjoy reading at a young age is so valuable, and will lay the foundation for how they view it as they get older. I hope you are able to find a way to inspire a love of reading in your family!

15 Jul 2018

The Alchemy Team Homework, Parenting, Schooling, Study Permalink

How to get your child to do their homework

The Alchemy Team 15 July 2018

It’s hard. We all know it’s hard. But it doesn’t need to be a war everyday.

Here are 5 strategies to encourage your child to do their homework:

1. Create a regular schedule

Children thrive on a schedule. Ballet every Wednesday at 4pm. Rugby every Thursday at 6pm. Homework every day at 3:45pm. Consistency is so valuable when it comes to homework. Make it part of their daily schedule and they won’t even question it – they will just know it is what they need to do to do what they want after. Consistency builds habits – and habits determine a child’s future.

2. Create a ‘homework routine’

Adding on to the need for a consistent schedule is also the need for a consistent homework routine. This should involve three things – the timing, the location and the process. Maybe they get home, have a sandwich and then head off to their room to do their homework. The location should be the same space every day – and should ideally be used for only homework. Help them get everything out of their bag and establish what they need to do, but at the end, teach them to clean up their desk and put everything away. This routine of time, place and process will become second nature and you won’t have to fight them to get it done.

3. Make their study space theirs.

Space and budget permitting, try to create for them a study space that is uniquely theirs. Help them decorate it and put pictures on the wall above the desk of places they want to visit or things they want to do. The study space should be somewhere they want to be, not somewhere they feel like they have to be. Making them feel comfortable and relaxed in their own study space will make their homework time much more productive.

4. Get rid of distractions.

Homework will be a hundred times easier for you and them if they aren’t distracted by things happening at the same time. Turn the TV off, put the iPad away and if another sibling is playing with toys, get them to do it out of sight and in another room. Children, just like us adults, are powerless to resist distractions – so avoiding them completely is much better than trying to build the willpower to resist.

5. Help them when needed, but don’t do it for them.

After a long day, kids can get tired. They know that it can be easier to pretend they don’t know something than invest the effort in working something out. Have a blanket rule that you will help guide them in the right direction, but that you won’t do it for them. If this is a house policy, they won’t waste their time on trying to convince you otherwise.

Homework can be a challenge, but it is both an important learning device and teaches valuable lessons about discipline and time management. I’ve found these strategies to help with my own children, but also in students I have supported over the years.

May they work just as effectively for you!

10 Jun 2018

The Alchemy Team Life, Tutors Permalink

How to make a great first impression

The Alchemy Team 10 June 2018

So much of life is about building and maintaining healthy relationships. Strong social skills are so valuable, which is why we place such a huge emphasis on the social aspect when hiring tutors – an ability to connect and relate to a student is just as important as a strong academic record in my eyes.

A big part of this comes down to the first impression we make when we meet someone. Research suggests that we make a judgement about someone within 7 seconds of meeting them to determine if we trust them or not. You also never get a second chance to make a first impression, so it crucial to get it right the first time.

Here are 5 ways to make an incredible first impression, whether you be a tutor meeting a student for the first time, preparing for a job interview or taking a girl out on a date:

1. Be on time

This is so simple but so important. If you have arranged to meet someone or scheduled a session with a student, arrive on time. Being late is disrespectful. Arriving on time let’s the other person know that you value them and respects their time.

2. Smile

A smile is the easiest form of persuasion. Few things build trust like a genuine eye-wrinkling smile – not a fake grin, but an real smile that brings out the lines next to your eyes. Whenever you meet anyone for the first time smile and let them know without saying a word how happy you are to see them.

3. Be presentable

Remember how I said it only takes 7 seconds to decide if you like someone? You have got to assume most of that is non-verbal – so how you look is really important.

No one likes being told what to wear; I get that. But I think it is important to dress in a way that matches the person you are meeting. It is just as easy to over-dress than it is under; don’t wear a suit to the beach, don’t wear track pants to a job interview. Be clean and well groomed and look confident in how you present yourself.

4. Use their name

When they tell you their name, aim to repeat it back (naturally) a few times in the first few minutes. Using their name let’s them feel valued and unique, and you are far more likely to remember it next time.

5. Be attentive

Pay close attention to what they are doing and saying. Read their body language – are they pulling away from you, and therefore you need to give them some more space? Are they smiling and grinning back as you crack a joke, and can therefore be a bit more informal with them? The better you can read people, the better your first impression will go.

Good luck and make your first impression count!

15 May 2018

The Alchemy Team Parenting, Schooling, Study, Tutors Permalink

What makes a great tutor

The Alchemy Team 15 May 2018

Finding the right tutor for your child can be a daunting task. You can scroll through endless ads on Gumtree or your local Facebook group without really knowing what to look for or how to ensure they tick the right boxes.

At Alchemy we make your life easy because we do the work for you. We make sure every single tutor that works with us is the very best at what they do, and then back this up with our first session 100% happiness guarantee – so if you aren’t wowed by them it’s on us.

We’ve been doing this a long time – so we know what qualities make a great tutor. Of course there are things that every tutor should have – like a Working with children check, strong knowledge of the subject they are teaching and excellent communication skills (like all Alchemy tutors do). However this is all about identifying what makes a tutor great – how to spot the ones that dazzle that little bit more.

Here are 5 qualities of a great tutor (and 5 things you’ll find in every Alchemy tutor!):

Your child finishes the session with a smile on their face

Being a great tutor is so much more than just conveying knowledge. It is inspiring, motivating and believing in the student. A great tutor leaves each session with their student feeling more confident and capable than when they arrived. You will know if you’ve got a great tutor because your child will look forward to their session each week!

They know what the student needs to focus on without your guidance

Great tutors know your child’s curriculum and calendar like it is their own. They are aware of gaps in learning and areas of focus after the first session. You can remain confident that your child is in the safest of hands – you don’t need to watch them like a hawk to make sure work is being done, but can trust your tutor knows exactly what to do.

They are reliable

This is so important. Great tutors are dependable – you know they are going to be there every week for your child and won’t flake out on you at the last minute. They respond to your messages in a timely manner and efficiently communicate admin matters.

They are long term focussed

A great tutor thinks big picture. It isn’t just about how can they maximise marks in an upcoming exam, but how can they ensure the right foundations are in place to ensure long-term understanding of the content. This may take a little longer, but it ensures your child is really learning every week rather than simply remembering content from a text book.

They are 100% committed

A great tutor feels like an extension of your family – a partner in your child’s education, rather than just someone you hire to do some work. They are just as committed and invested as you are in seeing your child succeed. They make your child’s sessions a priority and you know they are in it for the long haul.

These are just a few of the qualities that come together to make a great tutor. When searching for a tutor on your own it can often be a gamble – but when choosing Alchemy to provide a tutor for your child it is a certainty.

Considering a tutor for your child? We can help! We have amazing tutors ready to go that will help your child grow in confidence, love the learning experience and ultimately realise what they are capable of. Learn more here and book their first lesson online today!

20 Apr 2018

The Alchemy Team Life, Parenting, Students Permalink

The importance of the family dinner table

The Alchemy Team 20 April 2018

We live in a busy world. As a parent you’re managing work, juggling kids, orchestrating a packed schedule of pick ups and drop offs and working through an endless list of household chores that never seems to get any shorter.

Despite the amount of xbox your child may play, they feel busy too. They have all these pressures that make them feel pressed on all sides; schoolwork, social expectations, questions about their future. It might not always seem like it as you weave around their legs as they sit on the couch while you try to vacuum, but they feel the pressure too.

That is why I love the family dinner table.

In this instant world where we look to get things done as quickly as possible, the family dinner table is quiet in the noise. It is a breath of fresh air in the chaos of the week. It is a time to come together as family, turn the TV off, put our phones aside and enjoy that time together.

It is an opportunity for you to get more than just grunts from your teenagers behind their phones. It gives you a window to find out what your primary schooler learnt at school. It is an opportunity for you to teach them valuable life skills in that 30 minutes that they focus on what you say.

Eating together as a family doesn’t have to happen every night. But it should be a priority in your week. Once, twice, thrice – whatever you as a family can manage. Lock it in and make sure everyone is there.

Here are 5 reasons why the family dinner table should be a priority in our homes:

1. Eating together provides a time that kids can count on spending with their parents.

That consistent family dinner time is something that your children can look forward to because they know they will get your undivided attention.

2. It improves kids’ thinking and linguistic development.

Rather than staring at their phones or watching TV, they are engaging in sustained conversations about interesting topics. It challenges them to think, communicate and respond.

3. More family meals lead to greater relationships.

Not only amongst family members, but outside of this also. It teaches children to slow down and take time to communicate, teaching them valuable life skills that they can apply in their interactions with others.

4. It gives you a window in to your child’s world.

It can be very hard to notice changes in your child if you only spend quality time with them once a month. Having regular meals together will allow you to see if there are any issues or challenges confronting them and give you an opportunity to monitor their development.

5. Family meals are healthier for everyone.

When you are busy it can be so easy to just grab the easiest meal possible – often something that is not good for your body. By setting aside this time, you will be eating a meal that has taken time to prepare and will be much better for you in the long run.

These are just five simple reasons, but I am sure you can think of dozens more. I challenge you to prioritise the family dinner table and make it a key part of your week – your children will thrive and you will get a chance to take a break from the madness of life.

26 Mar 2018

The Alchemy Team Life, Students Permalink

Don’t lose your voice!

The Alchemy Team 26 March 2018

I’ve been so inspired by the March for our lives movement in America. Obviously it takes place in a land far away, surrounding an issue that we (fortunately) don’t have to deal with here in Australia, but I am so inspired seeing young people take the initiative where adults would not.

I am not trying to make a political statement here, this isn’t about that at all. So often I see students think that they don’t matter and that their voice doesn’t deserve to be heard. They get lumped in with millenials; entitled, lazy and too optimistic. But in my experience working with young people, this isn’t accurate.

Most student know they want to make a change, want to improve the world – they just don’t know how. They feel powerless amongst a population of adults that dismiss them too easily. So this powerless can come across as lazy. They are optimists, and believe that they have something unique to offer the world which can be taken as entitlement.

Most young people I know are hard working, humble and willing to get their hands dirty. Sometimes they just need an effort to throw their energy at.

Students, don’t lose your voice. Don’t let the world beat it out of you. If there is a wrong in the world, find a way to make it right. A 20m tree starts out with just a seed – and you can be that seed in the world.

Every great idea, every great change in the world started with one person. Even when it seems like no one is paying attention to you, don’t lose your voice.

01 Mar 2018

The Alchemy Team Life, Parenting, Schooling, Students Permalink

3 ways to stop your kids being bored

The Alchemy Team 1 March 2018

This title might be deceiving. I don’t mean 3 ways to entertain your kids so they aren’t bored. I am talking about building the muscle and resilience within them so they don’t turn to complaining about being bored the minute the iPad or TV is turned off.

Here are 3 ways you can help make this happen.

1. It is a very different world for a young person to when we were young. They live in the instant world. I remember as a kid having to sit through TV shows I hated to get to the ones I liked – but in 2018 this doesn’t happen anymore. They can watch whatever they want, when they want it on Netflix or Youtube. When my daughter asks for a snack in the car and we tell her to wait until we get home, she carries on endlessly until we give in out of frustration. She gives a new app on the iPad about 4 seconds to load before getting tired of waiting and opening another.

These simple moments of instant gratification may be causing more harm than we can see.

The ability to delay gratification is a huge indicator of success later in life. Health, wealth & fulfilment – these are all dependent on the ability to delay the enjoyment until a later time. Don’t eat that cookie right now. Don’t sit down in front of the TV but go for a run first. Don’t buy that top on your credit card, but save up for a few weeks. Work hard now so you can afford to go on that holiday next year.

Allowing our children to get everything they want instantly affects this development. It hinders their ability to handle stress. The reality is that the real world; the working world of offices and work sites aren’t like this. People don’t get what they want, when they want it all the time. If someone wants a pay rise, they don’t just get it, then need to put in the work and prove their worth far before they ever bring it up.

Try to teach your children to wait. To take a breath or do something else first. This will reap dividends in their psychological development and reduce the desire to get what they want as soon as they want it.

2. We have created these worlds where young people must be in a constant state of fun.

Video games, youtube, texting friends, playing at the playground. The moment our children aren’t doing something, we feel something is wrong so find something else to fill the void with. There is rarely time for them to just sit and be quiet. Or perhaps further, do something they don’t want to do – like help out around the house or in the kitchen.

Basic monotonous work is actually good for us. It builds resilience. It is the same muscle in our brains that makes us teachable at school.

When we flood our children’s lives with fun activities (because seeing our kids having fun makes us feel like good parents) we fail to exercise this muscle. When our children confront a problem at school they say things like ‘It’s too hard’ or ‘I can’t do it’, because the workable ‘muscle’ doesn’t get trained through fun – it gets trained through work.

3. Technology rules the world for anyone under the age of 18. If you want to see a teenager at their worst, take their phone away for an hour and watch all hell break loose. Compared to what happens on a screen, real life is ‘boring’. It is hard to compete with what they see on youtube or TV, and this changes their perspective of what is normal.

When you go to the gym for a long period of time you develop what is called muscle memory. This makes it harder and harder to tear the muscle and grow because your body adapts and gets used to the high level of strain. This is the same with the brain. When a child plays video games for 4 hours, their brain gets so used to high levels of stimulation that anything less than that can be seen as boring.

I don’t have a suggestion for how much screen time is right – nor do I have any specific rules for my own kids. But it is important to understand that when we default to technology as a babysitter it may be causing more harm then good.

Being bored is a complaint my 4 year old daughter pulls out regularly. It isn’t something we have taught her, so she must have picked it up at preschool. When she does it, we stop her and tell her that nothing is inherently boring and that she needs to find a way to make them interesting, whether this be cleaning up her room or eating her dinner.

I hope you can find a way to beat the boredom and ultimately set them up for success in school and beyond.

28 Dec 2017

The Alchemy Team Life, Students Permalink

How to set smart goals

The Alchemy Team 28 December 2017

I love a new year. It is like starting the first page of a brand new book waiting to be written; the story ready to go wherever you choose to take it.

Every year I spend some time in the lead up to the new year writing down my goals for the year ahead. It is something I have done since I was in school and it has always helped shape my priorities and direct my focus.

I am a firm believer in the power of goals and encourage everyone I work with to have their own goals they work towards. With goals you will be more motivated, focussed and experience a much greater sense of purpose and meaning.

I try to break my goals down in to 4 categories:

Business/Career
Health
Relationships
Personal

I also try to limit my goals in each category to three; any more than that and they become too vague.

Goals need to be actionable – this exercise is different to a dream board. In a seperate place I keep my big picture stuff – what I want to be doing in 10/20 years – but this is all about the year ahead, and creating goals that I can work towards and tick off at the end of the year.

They say that goals need to be S.M.A.R.T:

Specific: Your goals need to be clear and specific – they can’t be vague. For example, ‘getting a good ATAR’ is not specific enough – instead, break it down; you want a 85 average in English and an 80 in maths.

Measurable: Having a measurable goal allows you to track progress and stay motivated. For example, saying ‘I want to lose weight’ isn’t really measurable – but saying I want to lose 10kgs is.

Achievable: As I said above, this is about the year ahead – so having ‘become a millionaire’ is probably not achievable within the time period (unless you are sitting on a ton of money already…). Your goals need to take all things in to consideration, including the amount of time you can invest in to them.

Relevant: Your goals should be cohesive with all your other goals. For example, you can’t have a goal to play more video games and study more – these will work against each other. Your goals should align with who you are and your bigger picture dreams.

Timely: Goals need to be time bound – every goal needs to have a date in which they should be completed. In this situation that might be the end of the year, or it might be sooner if another goal is contingent upon it.

All goals have an element of difficulty to them, but some are definitely more challenging than others.

A relationship goal I have for next year is to make time for date night with my wife every week. This isn’t really that challenging, but I think it will be hard to prioritise it when things are busy and kids are noisy and all we want to do is stay in instead of going out.

Other goals, like business goals are much harder and will require day in, day out dedication to see them happen. Weight loss goals take daily discipline and hard work.

Before the new year comes around, set some SMART goals for yourself in each of the 4 categories (if you are in school, swap school in for career) and write them down somewhere you will see them regularly. Make the next year your best yet!

11 Sep 2017

The Alchemy Team Life, Rants, Students, Study Permalink

Putting in the hours

The Alchemy Team 11 September 2017

I believe in working smart – that if you get super focussed and in the zone you will maximise your productivity and achieve far more in that one hour than in three hours at 70% focus.

But I also believe in putting in the hours.

Elon Musk, creator of Tesla and Space X said, “Work like hell. I mean you just have to put in 80 to 100 hour weeks every week. [This] improves the odds of success. If other people are putting in 40 hour work weeks and you’re putting in 100 hour work weeks, then even if you’re doing the same thing you know that… you will achieve in 4 months what it takes them a year to achieve.”

Putting in the hours will give you a huge advantage. Everything in life takes time, so by doing extra hours you will get better, faster.

A really handy exercise to do is to map out your week in detail. In a spreadsheet list every activity you do and be as detailed as you can. Once you block out sleep and school and transit time and maybe your casual job, you will be left with a few dozen hours in the week.

You have many choices when it comes to what you do with those hours. Play video games, see friends, practice guitar.

Try to make it a rule to give at least 30% of them to your goal – whatever that is.

If your goal is to get in to University, give that 30% to studying. If your goal is to become an actor, give that 30% to creating youtube videos. If your goal is to become a singer, spend 30% of your free time making music.

Putting in the hours is what separates an expert from everyone else.Considering a tutor for your child? We can help! We have amazing tutors ready to go that will help your child grow in confidence, love the learning experience and ultimately realise what they are capable of. Learn more here and book their first lesson online today!

The Alchemy Tuition Blog