My Place: Joanne Fergusson

Joanne Fergusson. (Supplied)

Tara Murray

Tutor Joanne Fergusson has a passion for helping children reach their full schooling potential, so she wrote a book to help, children, their parents and tutors help achieve that. The book ‘A guide to Home Tutoring’ focuses on ways to make home tutoring easier for everyone involved. She talks with Tara Murray about why she decided to write a book.

What is your connection to the local area?

I live in Hillside which is in the area of Brimbank. I am a stay at home mother, married to Kevin and have a son named Andrew.

What’s your favourite thing about the local area?

I really like the community that involves my parish church, fantastic libraries, schools, restaurants and shops.

Where’s your favourite place in Brimbank to eat?

My favourite place to eat in Brimbank is, “The Coffee club” at Watergardens. I love the atmosphere and menu.

What made you decide to write a book?

It was mid-2019 when I decided to write , ‘A Guide to Home Tutoring’. I wanted to help tutors in areas such as organising, planning, assessing and more. I know that many parents are wanting their child/children to improve and gain confidence in their learning. The book is about how to help give students the edge at school.

How long have you been a tutor?

I have been a tutor for four and a half years. I decided to become a tutor when, as a teacher I felt the need for extra money. I enjoyed tutoring a lot so I decided to stay with it. Also I became a tutor because I liked working with children.

From your experiences, do you think home tutoring is more important than ever since COVID-19?

The book is very helpful in the time of pandemic. Many students may have fallen behind in their 2020 learning, when they had to do online learning at home. This book provides fun and easy ways to help improve students’ learning and give them the edge at school.

Tell us something about you that most people wouldn’t know?

Something that most people don’t know about me is that I run a few times a week at the gym.