The Clara James Approach to learning

I've spoken to a few people who would like to get into tutoring but fear the lack of work over the summer holidays.

There are families who want/need the support because their child needs the routine, or they don't want their child to forget what they had been learning prior to the break, or it helps ease the anxiety of going back to school in September. The goal is to use the right # to find those families - often home-ed or SEND families.

You can also do summer workshops which then also help to raise awareness of what you offer and increase your income during September onwards.

In this episode I mention that I am starting a Facebook community where if you are considering becoming a tutor or are growing a tutoring business, it will provide a place for you to ask questions so that as a group we can work together and help you to grow.

To join us there, the link is https://www.facebook.com/groups/1735495497655588/

(Or if you want more structured support please do drop me a line and we can have a chat: [email protected])

I've committed to finding my first three Clara James franchisees.

And I've been thinking a lot about what I'm actually looking for in those three people.

Yes, there are practical things.

They need to want to build a tutoring business. They need to share the values behind Clara James. They need to care about doing a good job.

But there's something else that, to me, matters enormously.

I want them to be able to create a space where a child feels completely safe saying:

"I don't understand."

And then, perhaps even more importantly:

"I still don't understand."

Because that's actually quite a difficult thing to say.

"Just ask if you don't understand"

As adults, we say this to children all the time.

"If you don't understand, just ask your teacher."

And it sounds perfectly reasonable.

But I've been thinking about what we're actually asking that child to do.

Imagine you're at work.

Your boss has spent half an hour explaining something to you.

Everyone else appears to understand it.

You don't.

Would you feel completely comfortable putting your hand up and saying:

"Sorry, I don't understand any of that. Could you explain it again?"

Some of us would.

But I suspect quite a few of us would smile, nod and hope we could work it out later.

Now imagine you do have the confidence to ask.

Your boss explains it again.

And you still don't understand.

How easy would it be to say:

"I'm really sorry, but that still doesn't make sense to me. Could you explain it again?"

And what about the third time?

That's effectively what we're asking children to do.

Except they're doing it in front of their peers.

And they're potentially doing it in an environment where they've already started to believe that everyone else is cleverer than they are.

I can relate to that child

I think one of the reasons this matters so much to me is that I can empathise with that feeling.

I've been the person who hasn't necessarily understood something the first time it's been explained.

I've known what it feels like to lack confidence in my own ability.

I've known what it feels like to compare myself with people around me and wonder whether they're simply cleverer than I am.

I was lucky.

I had people who could explain things to me differently.

Not necessarily explain the same thing louder or repeat exactly the same words again.

Actually find another way of helping me understand.

And there's a huge difference between those two things.

Because if someone explains something to you three times in exactly the same way and you still don't understand, you can very quickly start thinking:

"There must be something wrong with me."

But perhaps there isn't.

Perhaps you simply need another explanation.

Another example.

Something visual.

A conversation.

A game.

Something practical.

More time.

Or someone who says:

"That's fine. Let's try this another way."

That's the tutor I'm looking for

That's what I want from the people who eventually become Clara James tutors and franchisees.

I'm not looking for somebody who simply knows maths or English.

I'm looking for people who can create that safe space.

People who don't make a child feel silly because they didn't understand something the first time.

Or the second.

Or the third.

People who are willing to stop and think:

"The child isn't understanding this. What can I change?"

And there are probably lots of reasons somebody might naturally think that way.

Maybe you struggled yourself at school.

Maybe you've watched your own child struggle.

Maybe you've worked in a classroom and seen the child who desperately needs another explanation but there simply isn't enough time to give them the individual attention they need.

Maybe you've been the adult sitting in a meeting pretending you understand something because you don't have the confidence to admit that you haven't got a clue what's going on.

You don't necessarily need to have lived the child's exact experience.

But you do need to have the compassion to recognise what that experience might feel like.

I'm not looking for 100 franchisees

One day, I'd love Clara James to reach a lot of communities.

I'd love hundreds, perhaps thousands, more children to benefit from the approach we've developed over the past 14 years.

But that's not what I'm concentrating on right now.

Right now, I'm looking for three people.

My first three franchisees.

Three people who want to build high-quality local tutoring businesses.

Three people who believe children are individuals.

Three people who are prepared to adapt rather than expecting every child to adapt to them.

Three people who understand that progress isn't simply about getting a child from a 4 to a 6, or improving a test score.

Sometimes progress starts when a child who has spent years thinking:

"I'm stupid."

finally feels safe enough to say:

"I don't understand."

And knows the response isn't going to be frustration or judgement.

It's going to be:

"That's absolutely fine. Let's find another way."

That's what I want Clara James to become

I want children to have the opportunity to become the best version of themselves that they can be.

Not the best version of the child sitting next to them.

Not their brother.

Not their sister.

Not the person who understands everything the first time.

Them.

And I want to build a community of tutors who can help them do that.

So yes, I'm looking for my first three Clara James franchisees.

But I'm not simply looking for three people who want to own a tutoring business.

I'm looking for three people who want to become the person a child feels safe saying, "I still don't understand," to.

If you think you might be one of them, I'd love to have a conversation.

No pressure. No expectation.

Just tell me a little about you, why this resonates with you and what you'd like your tutoring business to become.

[email protected]

On 4th November last year I unexpectedly lost my mum. In that moment I decided I was going to be proactive and do something that would make her (and hopefully my kids) proud of me and would become my legacy.

For years I had spoken about franchising the business, but I always put it off until tomorrow. But with the help of Leona, my mentor, it is becoming my reality. I've grown in confidence in myself and the franchise and the knowledge that it could help so many more children if I push myself and make this a reality.

So... I have set myself a target of getting my first 3 franchisees in the next 90 days. Will it happen? Who knows, but what I do know is that I am going to go all in and do my best to make it happen.

If you are interested in learning more, having a chat, or know someone else that might be, please do get in touch: [email protected] 

When we first start tutoring, most of us say yes to everything.

One more lesson. One more family. One more evening. One more Saturday morning.

After all, we became tutors because we want to help.

But over time, without clear boundaries, the business we love can slowly begin to take over our lives.

In this episode, I share some of the lessons I've learned over the past 14 years about setting boundaries as a tutor, including:

• Deciding how many students you're willing to support before your diary fills up
• Managing cancellations whilst remaining compassionate
• Why payment policies matter
• The hidden dangers of being "too flexible"
• How boundaries can actually make you a better tutor

Most importantly, we'll explore why being helpful and being professional are not opposites.

Tutoring is one of the most rewarding careers I know, but if you want to enjoy it for years rather than months, boundaries matter.

If you're considering becoming a tutor yourself, I also have a few free copies left of my book, Become a Tutor. Build Confidence. Change Lives.

It's the book I wish someone had given me when I first started and contains many of the lessons I've learned along the way.

If you'd like a copy, simply email me at [email protected] with your postal address and I'll happily pop one in the post for you.

I hope you enjoy the episode.

One of the questions I'm asked most often by parents is:

"They understood it yesterday... so why have they forgotten it today?"

It can feel frustrating.

As parents, we naturally wonder whether they were concentrating, whether they were just guessing the answers the day before, or whether everything has simply disappeared overnight.

But very often, I don't think they've forgotten it at all.

I think they're struggling to find it.

In this episode, I explore why learning isn't always a straight line and why forgetting doesn't necessarily mean a child hasn't learned.

Sometimes new information is still fragile.

It hasn't had enough opportunities to become secure.

Other times, the information is there, but the child needs a different route to help them retrieve it.

That's why simply repeating exactly the same worksheet over and over again isn't always the most effective approach.

Instead, we can revisit the same idea in different ways.

Perhaps it's a discussion.

Or a mind map.

Perhaps it's a practical activity.

A YouTube clip.

A board game.

A real-life example.

Every new approach gives the brain another opportunity to understand the concept from a slightly different angle.

Gradually, those connections become stronger.

One of the reasons we use so many games at Clara James Tutoring is because games naturally combine lots of different ways of learning.

Children are talking.

They're listening.

They're looking.

They're moving.

They're making decisions.

They're often laughing.

All of those experiences help create multiple connections with the learning.

There's another advantage too.

If I was to ask a child to complete the same worksheet twice, I'd probably get a questioning sigh.

Why would they want to do it again. It wouldn't make sense!

But if I lose a board game...

I'll probably say,

"Best of three?"

The learning is exactly the same.

The experience feels completely different.

Games encourage children to revisit skills again and again without it feeling repetitive.

Of course, every child is different.

Some children love games.

Others prefer more structured activities.

The important thing isn't the game itself.

It's recognising that learning often becomes stronger when we approach it from different directions rather than simply repeating exactly the same thing.

And perhaps that's one of the biggest misconceptions about learning.

Progress doesn't always come from doing more.

Sometimes it comes from understanding differently.

In this episode we discuss:

•  Why children don't always forget as much as we think they have. 
•  The difference between learning something and being able to retrieve it. 
•  Why revisiting topics from different angles strengthens understanding. 
•  How games create opportunities for repetition without boredom. 
•  Why confidence grows as understanding becomes more secure. 
•  How making learning enjoyable often leads to greater participation and better long-term progress. 

If this episode resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you.

Whether you're supporting your own child at home or you're a tutor looking for fresh ways to build confidence alongside knowledge, I'd love to continue the conversation.

Because every child deserves to be seen.

When I first started tutoring I had so many voices inside my head telling me I was a fraud and that I shouldn't be doing this. 

For years, I dreaded going to a new family because I was sure that this was the family who was going to discover I wasn't actually a very good tutor. And no one ever said it, only me and my self doubt.

Slowly over time you start to notice that when people are commenting about you it's with love and warmth and kindness. They are sharing your name because they have appreciated what you have done for their children, their family.

And that voice inside your head starts to fade.

Then, recently I got braver and I started to tell people that I wanted to franchise the business. People congratulated me on the idea, they asked me why I wouldn't do it. And the more I opened up to the positive words I was hearing the more confident I felt and the more I started talking about it. About our ethos that we should be working with the child sat in front of us in that moment - not the syllabus, the lesson plan, their label. Them as an individual.

What, I am trying to say is if you are considering becoming a tutor and you too are hearing those negative voices of doubt, please remember that they only exist in your own head. Please do give it a go because you could change a child's life, or even the lives of many, many children and that is something you should always hold your head up and be proud of.

So, good luck. I wish you well on your journey and if you want a chat or have any questions, please do ask. I am always ready to help:

[email protected]

If I wanted to start tutoring now, what would I need to know?

The legal bit, I guess.

I think this is possibly the bit that stops people from getting started in becoming tutors in case they get it wrong or just don't do something and then they find themselves in trouble.

They are confident with working with children but the legal side of it is a whole new ball game and it seems terrifying!

So, in this podcast I chatter on about what I deem to be the most important bits and how I do it. You might embrace my ideas or ignore them. The choice is your but hopefully it will give you something to consider.

So, if you've ever thought about becoming a tutor, or you're already tutoring and would like a bit of support to grow, please do get in touch.

Whether that's a free copy of my book, our new tutor membership group, some 1:1 support, or simply a conversation about where to start, I'd be delighted to help if I can.

Sometimes, when a child is struggling at school, the first assumption we make is that the problem lies with the child.

Perhaps they're not trying hard enough.

Perhaps they're not naturally academic.

Perhaps they just need to work a little harder.

But what if we've been asking the wrong question all along?

In this episode, I explore one of the beliefs I'm probably most passionate about.

That sometimes the problem isn't the child at all.

Instead of immediately asking, "What's wrong with this child?", perhaps we should pause and ask a different question:

"Is the environment, the teaching method or the pace actually allowing this child to learn in the way that works best for them?"

Education has traditionally been built around systems that expect large groups of children to move along the same path, at the same pace and often in the same way.

For many children, that works perfectly well.

For many others, it doesn't.

That doesn't mean those children are incapable.

It simply means the route they're being asked to follow isn't the right one for them.

During the episode, I share a conversation with one of my students who made an observation that's stayed with me ever since.

She suggested that perhaps children should be grouped according to how they learn rather than how they perform.

At first, it sounds like a simple idea.

But the more I thought about it, the more profound it became.

Imagine classrooms where discussion-based learners could learn through discussion.

Where practical learners could learn by doing.

Where children who need more movement, more structure or a different pace weren't constantly comparing themselves to a system that wasn't designed around them.

How many more children would discover that they are capable after all?

This isn't about criticising schools or teachers.

Far from it.

Teachers work incredibly hard within a system that has developed over many generations.

Instead, it's about recognising that every child arrives with their own strengths, experiences and learning preferences.

If we continue expecting every child to travel exactly the same road, we shouldn't be surprised when some of them begin to believe they're the problem.

At Clara James Tutoring, we've gradually come to see our role differently.

Rather than expecting children to fit the path we've already created, we try to understand the child first.

Who are they?

How do they learn?

What gives them confidence?

What has their educational journey looked like so far?

Only then do we begin planning the route ahead.

Because every child deserves their own path.

Some children will run.

Some will walk.

Some will stop for a while before continuing.

Others may take a completely different route to reach exactly the same destination.

And that's okay.

Perhaps success isn't about getting every child to travel the same road.

Perhaps it's about helping every child find the road that allows them to flourish.

In this episode we discuss:

•  Why struggling doesn't always mean the child is the problem. 
•  The difference between ability and learning style. 
•  Why one-size-fits-all education doesn't work for every child. 
•  A conversation with one student that completely changed the way I think about education. 
•  Why confidence and reassurance often come before academic progress. 
•  How creating an individual learning journey can help children achieve goals they once thought were impossible. 

If this episode resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you.

Whether you're a parent looking for support, a tutor who shares this philosophy, or someone who's simply passionate about helping children reach their potential, I'd love to continue the conversation.

Because I truly believe...

Every child deserves to be seen.

"They're just being lazy."

It's a phrase many parents, teachers and tutors have heard.

Sometimes we've even said it ourselves.

But what if what looks like laziness isn't laziness at all?

In this episode, I explore one of the biggest misconceptions I come across when supporting children.

Very often, what appears to be laziness is actually something much deeper.

It might be fear.

It might be confusion.

It might be frustration after repeated setbacks.

It might be anxiety.

It might be a lack of confidence.

Or it might simply be that the child has stopped believing they're capable of succeeding.

When children repeatedly experience failure, many develop ways of protecting themselves.

Sometimes that means avoiding the task altogether.

Sometimes it means appearing uninterested.

Sometimes it means saying they don't care.

Because, emotionally, it's often easier to look lazy than it is to risk feeling incapable.

During the episode, I share one of my own memories from school.

I remember taking a piece of work to my teacher, only to be told I'd spelt a word incorrectly and needed to do it again.

I corrected it as best I could and proudly took it back.

Again, it was wrong.

Again, I was sent away.

The problem wasn't that I didn't want to learn.

The problem was that nobody had given me the piece of understanding I actually needed.

I wasn't refusing to learn.

I simply didn't know how.

Looking back now, I often wonder how many children experience exactly the same thing.

They're expected to improve, but nobody has identified the missing piece that would allow them to succeed.

It's one of the reasons I believe behaviour is often a form of communication.

Instead of asking,

"Why won't they do it?"

perhaps we should ask,

"What is this behaviour trying to tell me?"

Because focus isn't just about concentration.

It's influenced by confidence.

By tiredness.

By anxiety.

By neurodiversity.

By the learning environment.

And by the child's previous experiences.

When we begin to understand the reason behind the behaviour, we're in a much stronger position to support the child rather than simply reacting to what we see on the surface.

At Clara James Tutoring, we believe that understanding always comes before judgement.

Because once we understand why a child is struggling, we can begin helping them move forwards.

In this episode we discuss:

•  Why "laziness" is often a symptom rather than the real problem. 
•  How fear, confusion and frustration can affect motivation. 
•  A personal story from my own school days that shaped the way I teach today. 
•  Why behaviour is often a form of communication. 
•  The relationship between confidence, focus and learning. 
•  How understanding the child helps us provide the right support. 

If this episode resonates with you, I'd love to hear from you.

Whether you're a parent trying to understand your child's behaviour, a tutor wanting to support children more effectively, or someone who believes learning should begin with understanding rather than assumptions, I'd love to continue the conversation.

Because every child deserves to be seen.

Over the years I have paid for mentors, attended numerous courses and read hundreds of books about how to market my business. Some of the ideas have been gold dust. Some have just been just been wrong for my personality type and the business I want to build.

I've done things which have worked: I have a website, created fliers, written a book (or two), but have cost time and money.

I have also done other things which were easier and it is those I talk about in this podcast. Some of them I have spoken about before but I hope you still find your nugget of gold in here.

I talk about how I use Facebook to offer help and write stories/memories from my experience as a mum, tutor, student (rather than just shouting that I am here to help).

I mention the car magnets that I had on the side of my car that must be responsible for leads which have generated thousands over the years.

Tutoring for charity gave be credibility and got me on the local radio. 

Then finally our starter packs that we give in our first lesson with each child) and how we offer the first lesson free.

The book I wrote: Become a Tutor: Build Confidence. Change lives offers answers to the questions that I had when I first started tutoring. If you would like a copy (completely free, a gift from me to you). Let me know and I will pop a copy in the post for you ([email protected])

I wish you loads of luck on your journey as a tutor