Do you need to generate more inspiration, creativity and enthusiasm in your child’s learning environment?
When my daughter comes home with her homework, she is always asking “why?”. Why do I have to learn all this stuff? Why do I have to do this now? What´s in it for me?
Eventually it all ends up in the lap of us, the parents. If I had the knowledge, extra time, teaching skills and patience it might work out just fine, but right now the hours after school are filled with stress, tears, and frustration. I started thinking, their must be a better way for our family and for the other families in Stockholm going through the same situation. Then I learned the Swedish government will pay 50% of home tutoring fees. Yes it’s time to hire a private tutor.
I asked around my network and was recommended to talk to Lyfta, a Swedish company providing home tutoring. I decided to sit down with them and ask them some questions concerning the school system in Sweden.
Home tutoring has until recently been scarcely utilised in Sweden, but since the political contribution through “RUT”, by 50%, the situation has dramatically changed. Parents can now easily get access to private tutors who come home to their kids and help them with their homework and school work needs.
Tell us about yourself?
LYFTA, which means “to lift”, is a company who provide home tutoring in both Swedish and English. It is run by Malin Tyrén Bakken and Annika Olin. Annika, 42 years, worked as a math and science teacher for many years before she became a life coach helping people finding jobs and new careers. She is now working full time at LYFTA AB with home tutoring and school coaching. MalinTyrén Bakken, 44 years, has a background as a teacher in Swedish, Norwegian and English and as a coach helping students with various difficulties. Together they have many years of experience from different school systems as teachers and professional school coaches and are well aware of the difficulties facing parents and students today.
“We are a response to all this and we want to make a difference! With our background as certified and experienced teachers and professional coaches, we want to give parents a choice and a tool to help their children when they face challenges in school. We educate our tutors so that they not only give them educational help, but also give them motivation, structure and the support they need to reach their goals.”
There has been a lot of discussions in the Swedish media and among politicians about the Swedish school system, but the teachers themselves remain quite silent. Why do you think this is the case?
“We often get the answer that there´s so much to do as a teacher, meetings and reports to fill in and more meetings. The time to reflect over the lessons and the students is not there. And when the world outside the school starts to talk about the school, the teachers have a feeling that nobody listens to them anyway. So they remain silent and keep on trying to do their their best. ”
How do think this situation can be changed?
“School coaching is starting to become a known phenomena now, since several TV-programs have pointed out the problems with student who don’t pass the minimum qualifications in the main subjects. The School Ministry have just started a new and very interesting project where they involve school coaches in the class rooms to give feedback and coaching to teachers in schools who volunteer to receive this help. LYFTA is a private initiative in this direction. Through feedback and powerful questioning, we want the teachers to find their own answers to improve their teaching- and leadership skills in order to lift the students. We also have on-line coaching and educational programs for both principals, teachers and students for different needs. We live in a world where flexibility in time and space is necessary, that is why we have tried to give our best tools and tips through these interactive on-line programs.”
How do these services make a difference?
“Today we have many students engaged in our programs and our tutors visit them once or twice per week to help them with their home work. The satisfaction for the students when they succeed with their homework is so rewarding! We are here to make a difference, that´s the only thing that matters in the end.”
What gives you the motivation to do what you do?
“The truth is always simple when it´s good… The mission is development through challenges, where the goal is to become a little bit better as a person in some way, a little bit happier and fulfilled, and to spred that to the world. We try to do this through LYFTA by focusing on schools, students and teachers to give them a momentum forward on their road to better personal and professional development.”
To find out more head to www.lyfta.nu
Or Contact:
070-489 07 02
Cover Image: Lena Granefelt/imagebank.sweden.se
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