Charles G - Tutors - Keystone Tutors

• 7+ English & Maths: public school entrance exams
• 8+ English & Maths: public school entrance exams
• 11+ English & Maths: ISEB and public school exams, including pre-tests
• GCSE History, Classical Civilisation, English, History of Art, Religious Education, and Philosophy (all exam boards)
• A Level History, Classical Civilisation, English, History of Art, Religious Education, Politics, and Philosophy (all exam boards)
• Oxbridge preparation
• Interview preparation
• Study skills

My experience begun as a GCSE student, tutoring struggling children in the lower years. Moving into Sixth Form, I taught catch up classes to my peers in History, English, and Philosophy, whilst also teaching guitar outside of school to grade 8 level. Throughout my time at university and into my postgraduate degree, I continued as a tutor and an academic mentor to first and second year students. I have also enjoy a variety of experiences in marking and editing essays, academic journals, and even the writing of book reviews. In addition to my training as a professional tutor at Keystone, I also received training from TEFL in teaching English as a foreign language. Over this time, it has been my pleasure to devote myself to the learning of others, and often free of charge. For these reasons, I consider myself not just a tutor, but also a mentor. It is my belief that an education should always be partnered with the development of the whole person.

After having tutored students throughout school, I finally received A*AA in Philosophy, History and English. During my undergraduate studies in Philosophy, I had the privilege of being taught by an exceptional German teacher in my final year who inspired me to consider teaching, later taking a ’Teach English as a Foreign Language’ qualification. This feeling continued to snowball under the auspices of my professors at St. Andrews. To these teachers I am proudly indebted. Having struggled greatly as a child at school, it is has been personal ambition to replicate what they did for me in a context which I once found so difficult. Since the traditional family occupation has always been in teaching, I feel a great sense of pride in continuing that legacy, whilst also making my own mark upon it. During my studies, I have worked for bookshops, academic journals, and even as a transcriber of 19th century manuscripts. Currently, I run a German Intellectual History podcast for St. Andrews, whilst taking my PhD in History at Cambridge University.

I pursue a Socratic or dialogue based approach to tutoring my students. Not only do I think this reduces a student's anxieties, but it also involves them in the discussion on a more equal footing, making them a participant rather than just a recipient. My classes are characterised by a high value on intellectual openness and generosity, coupled with a light sense of humour. I ask questions and allow the student to ask me questions, we develop our ideas together and move forward in a reciprocal and open dialogue. The move is always toward greater clarity and insight, breaking things down and seeing how all the components fit together as the discussion progresses. My objective is to elicit as much as possible from the student, whilst giving them the intellectual tools to succeed. I believe this helps a student improve their confidence, enabling them to better articulate their ideas whilst giving them the sure footedness needed for autonomous and thoughtful inquiry.
When teaching GCSE and A-Level humanities, I also put a high value on fostering sympathy for the inner lives of those under study, whether it be a novelist, participants in a freedom march, or German citizens in the aftermath of WWI. I try to put the student in the shoes of whoever we are looking at by using a menagerie of sources and insights to encourage reflection. This not only helps to develop a more mature and critical approach to study, but I also think it inculcates a more empathetic and understanding view of other the world.

Having previously worked in a number of bookstores I am an avid reader of just about everything, and I also dabble in writing myself, both academic and fictional. I also like to visit art galleries and museums, but one of my big hobbies is trying out new recipes, with an exponentially growing cookbook collection. Other than that, music is something very close to my heart, and I have been a frequent performer of live music since I was 13, in addition to composing my own music with my best friend. Currently I am pursuing a PhD in History at the University of Cambridge.