BLOG
Why Tutoring Doesn't Work, And How Achievement Coaching Helps Kids Succeed
Here’s what parents of high-achieving students know. Tutoring doesn’t work.
If you’re a parent considering tutoring for your child, here’s what you need to know: Tutoring can help in the short term. It might get your child through homework, clear up confusion on a tricky topic, or boost a test score. But short-term fixes aren’t the same as long-term achievement. Real mastery - the kind that builds confidence, independence, and lasting success - needs something more structured, more strategic, and far more personalised than tutoring alone can offer.
At Return to Genius, we don’t offer tutoring. We offer Achievement Coaching, and it’s a completely different path leading to genuine, long-term success.
What is Achievement Coaching?
Achievement Coaching goes beyond “just getting through” school. It’s designed to help your child:
Build confidence and resilience, through mindset work
Build strong academic foundations through deep conceptual understanding, not rote learning
Discover their unique strengths and learning style to develop personalised strategies for achievement
Develop healthy learning habits that last
Feel supported by fostering positive relationships with fellow learners and academic mentors
In short, we work on the whole learner, because academic success is about more than worksheets and test scores.
What We Mean by Achievement Coaching
Achievement Coaching combines five key ingredients:
⭐ Academic Coaching (Done Right)
Not homework help. Not endless worksheets. We follow a clear, systematic approach to building deep understanding, fluency, and problem-solving skills, using evidence-backed insights and world-leading teaching methodologies (from Singapore, home to the world’s top-performing students) and tailored to your child’s needs.
⭐ Mindset & Motivation
We help kids rebuild confidence, overcome fear of failure, and develop the self-belief they need to take on new challenges.
⭐ Strengths-Based Approach
Your child isn’t a one-size-fits-all learner. We help them lean into their personality, interests, and natural abilities, rather than forcing them to fit a mould.
⭐ Relationships & Community
Positive peer groups. Encouraging coaches. Trusted adult mentors. We know that real learning happens when kids feel seen, safe, and supported.
⭐ Habits for Long-Term Success
Goal setting. Study skills. Routine building. These are the foundations of independent, self-driven learning, and they last long after any program ends.
How Achievement Coaching is Different from Tutoring
Tutoring:
❌ Focuses on short-term fixes to get through the next test
❌ Often chases symptoms, allowing missed concepts to persist
❌ Can leave kids dependent on constant help
Achievement Coaching:
🟣 Addresses the real causes — confidence, mindset, foundations
🟣 Follows a research-backed roadmap — no session-to-session scramble
🟣 Integrates emotional well-being and academic mastery
🟣 Builds independence, so your child doesn’t need endless support
It’s ABOUT MORE THAN GRADES — Confidence, Independence, and Potential EQUATE TO HIGH ACHIEVEMENT
Sure, we care about academic success. But marks on a report card aren’t the whole story.
We care about your child becoming:
⭐ Confident in their ability to learn
⭐ Independent, motivated, and resilient
⭐ Equipped with the skills they need for school, and life
⭐ Connected to a supportive community of mentors and peers
That’s the path to real, lasting success. That’s why we don’t tutor. We coach for achievement, and for life.
Want to help your child rediscover their inner genius? Learn more about our personalised coaching programs here and book in for your free consultation with us.
Why Children with Autism Often Struggle in Traditional Learning Settings
Our Return to Genius coaching programs weren’t designed to just help neurodivergent children cope with the demands of school - it helps them tap into their unique gifts to realise their full potential and thrive!
Many children with autism have the intellectual ability to thrive in school, but experience barriers that are often invisible to teachers and peers. These barriers are emotional, sensory, social, and cognitive, and when they go unrecognised, students can internalise the belief that they’re "not good at learning."
Some common challenges include:
1. Masking and the Fear of Being Seen
Many children with autism become skilled at masking - that is, suppressing their natural behaviours, stimming, or confusion to appear “typical.” In a classroom, this can mean:
Pretending to understand when they don’t, to avoid embarrassment
Avoiding participation to hide confusion or uncertainty
Agreeing even when they feel lost or overwhelmed
This performance is mentally exhausting, and it’s why some children “hold it together” at school only to fall apart at home. Crucially, when the brain is in a state of high alert or anxiety, it cannot absorb or retain new information effectively. Learning suffers - not because of intelligence, but because of a lack of safety.
2. Fear of Getting It Wrong
Many children with autism have a deep fear of making mistakes in front of others. This is not simply shyness. It can stem from:
Past experiences of being corrected harshly or ridiculed
A rigid internal sense of “right and wrong”
Difficulty coping with ambiguity or the pressure of timed tasks
Executive functioning challenges (planning, working memory, shifting focus) that make performance in fast-paced classrooms difficult
In group settings, this fear often causes math avoidance, low confidence, and disengagement, even if the student has the ability to do the work.
3. Sensory Sensitivities
Bright lights, loud noise, movement, unpredictability - all these factors in a traditional classroom can make it hard for a student with autism to focus. Even subtle things like classroom chatter or pencil tapping can become barriers to concentration.
4. Literal Thinking and Conceptual Gaps
Many students with autism are highly literal. In math, this can be a strength, but it also means:
They may not intuitively “get” abstract explanations
They may need concepts broken down step-by-step with clear patterns and logic
They may struggle with vague language or inconsistent teaching styles
Traditional instruction often assumes background knowledge or flexible thinking that some students haven’t yet developed.
5. Delayed Confidence, Not Delayed Ability
Most importantly, many children with autism are not behind academically but they just haven’t been taught in a way that works for them.
What looks like disengagement, disinterest, or low ability is often a combination of:
Burnout from masking
Fear of judgment
Lack of emotional connection with learning
Curriculum that doesn’t align with how they process information
Why Confidence Reset Works for Students with Autism
The Confidence Reset program is designed around the idea that real learning requires emotional safety, individualised support, and clear structure. For students with autism, this means:
Private coaching first, so students can ask questions without social anxiety
A gentle pace, with deep concept explanation - not just tricks or shortcuts
Clear routines and expectations, with flexible delivery for sensory and attention needs
Supportive coaches trained to recognise masking and avoid triggering shame or frustration
Gradual social integration, moving toward semi-private or small group coaching only when the student is ready
Rather than asking students with autism to conform to a system that wasn’t designed with their unique gifts and abilities in mind, Return to Genius adapts the system to fit them. Because we know that when students feel seen, safe, and understood, their inner genius emerges.
Want to find out more about how our coaching can help your child transform their relationship with learning?
Get in touch with us to book in your complimentary consultation and to discuss strategies to support your child.
The Global Advantage: How a Worldwide Learning Community Sets Your Child Up for Success
Return to Genius connects families in over 50 countries through research-backed programs, global education methods, and a supportive international learning community.
Education shouldn’t stop at your postcode. In an interconnected world, the most successful learners are those who see beyond the classroom, and beyond their local community.
At Return to Genius, we believe education should expand your child’s horizons, build global connections, and introduce them to the best learning methods from around the world. That’s why we’ve always aimed bigger than tutoring, bigger than school, and bigger than the neighbourhood.
A Global Learning Community That Started Small
It all began with the Storyful Family Challenge - a simple idea to help families make learning joyful at home. We expected a handful of sign-ups from our local network. Instead, we had hundreds of families join us from over 50 countries, from Australia to Singapore, the UK to across Africa, and everywhere in between.
It reminded us that one thing connects families across cultures: the desire to help children grow in confidence, ability, and independence is universal.
That challenge became the foundation for our global learning community - a space where families, students, and educators from around the world come together to share knowledge, celebrate progress, and discover what’s possible.
Global Best Practice, Delivered to Your Door
Wherever your family is based, your child deserves access to world-class education. That’s why we bring global research, proven methods, and diverse expertise directly into our coaching programs.
For example, our math approach draws on the internationally recognised Singaporean method, known for its success in building deep understanding, confidence, and problem-solving skills - consistently ranking Singapore at the top of global math assessments.
But our global outlook goes beyond just our curriculum:
✨ We use evidence-based frameworks from educational psychology and learning science
✨ We incorporate diverse perspectives from working in multicultural communities
✨ We tailor everything to your child’s local curriculum and individual needs
Why a Global Learning Experience Benefits Your Child
Being part of a worldwide learning community does more than improve academic results. It helps your child:
🔭 See the Bigger Picture: Exposure to different cultures and approaches builds empathy, adaptability, and global awareness.
💜 Build Meaningful Connections: Learning alongside peers from diverse backgrounds fosters confidence and social skills.
🔥 Be Inspired by Possibility: A global network shows your child that their potential isn’t limited by location and that success has no borders.
And for parents? It means knowing you’re not alone. You’re part of a global community of families who want something more than endless tutoring and short-term fixes - families committed to real, lasting success for their children.
The World Is Their Classroom, And It’s Just the Beginning
What started as a small family challenge has become central to how we work at Return to Genius. Whether your child joins us through coaching, holiday programs, or simply by accessing our resources, they’re stepping into something bigger - a global network designed to help them succeed.
Because no matter where you live, your child’s potential is unlimited and the right global learning environment helps unlock it.
Want to discover how Return to Genius can bring global best practice to your child? Explore our programs here and sign up for your free consultation.
Evidence-Based Learning That Works: The Research Behind Return to Genius
Return to Genius uses research-backed, globally recognised methods - like Singaporean Math and learning psychology - to build confidence, mastery, and independence in students.
If you're looking for more than guesswork or endless worksheets, you're in the right place. At Return to Genius, our approach is grounded in decades of research - from education, psychology, and learning science - combined with real-world experience helping students succeed.
Why We Use Singaporean Math, And Why It Works
Our math coaching is built on the globally recognised Singaporean approach, consistently ranked as one of the world’s most effective teaching methods - and tailored to local classrooms.
Singaporean students regularly top international assessments like PISA and TIMSS and it’s not by accident. The Singaporean math curriculum builds deep understanding that equips children as young as six to begin tackling complex problem-solving - which requires a much higher level of analytical ability than filling in worksheets. This is what sets Singaporean students to outperform their peers in other countries, from an early age.
Key Features We Bring to Your Child’s Learning:
✨ Concrete–Pictorial–Abstract (CPA) Progression
Students move from real-world examples, to visual models, to abstract equations - building true comprehension at every step.
✨ Mathematical Modelling & Problem-Solving Heuristics
We teach students to apply math in real-world contexts, strengthening logic, confidence, and critical thinking.
✨ Structured, Sequential Skill Development
New concepts build on secure foundations, reducing gaps, preventing overwhelm, and making success feel achievable.
All of this is integrated with your child’s local curriculum, so they stay aligned at school while building world-class skills.
We combine the best of global research to create a complete learning experience:
⭐ Educational Psychology
Building confidence, motivation, and resilience so students stay engaged, even when learning feels hard.
⭐ Behavioural Science
Goal-setting, structured routines, and positive reinforcement to help good habits stick.
⭐ Learning Science
We use proven techniques like spaced practice, immediate feedback, and metacognitive strategies, so students truly understand, not just memorise.
Why Evidence-Based Learning Matters
Shortcuts don’t create lasting success. What does?
A clear, systematic method for building deep understanding
Practical tools to tackle unfamiliar challenges
Motivation and confidence that grows with each success
This is how students rediscover their inner genius and develop the skills, mindset, and independence to thrive long after their time with us.
Want to help your child rediscover their inner genius using cutting-edge, evidence-backed strategies? Learn more about our personalised coaching programs here and book in for your free consultation with us.
Why Confidence, And Not Just Ability, Determines Student Success
Confidence shapes how students approach challenges, yet tutoring programs ignore this.
Confidence is one of the most overlooked ingredients for academic success, yet it’s often what separates students who struggle and those who thrive; or those who get a bit better as they catch up at school, and those who continuously excel.
In our experience, it's rarely just a matter of raw ability. It’s how children feel about their ability that determines whether they lean into challenges or shy away from them. That’s why building confidence isn’t an afterthought in our coaching programs - it’s built into everything we do.
Why Confidence Matters for Learning
Decades of research - and our work with numerous students - show that confidence isn’t simply about self-esteem. In learning, confidence shapes:
🌟 Will a child try again after making a mistake?
🌟 Will they ask for help or stay silent?
🌟 Will they believe effort leads to improvement — or assume they’re “just not good at this”?
A confident learner is more resilient, motivated, and willing to engage. Over time, that mindset translates into stronger skills, better results, and real independence.
The opposite is also true. Low confidence creates a negative spiral: fear of failure leads to hesitation, which leads to avoidance, which leads to falling behind… and the cycle continues.
Where Confidence Gets Lost
Unfortunately, school isn’t always designed to protect confidence, especially in subjects like math. Even capable students can lose their belief in themselves due to:
Early struggles that go unnoticed or unaddressed
Feeling like “the slow one” in class
Anxiety or embarrassment around asking questions
Repeated mistakes without understanding whyWell-meaning but unhelpful comparisons to siblings or classmates
Over time, many students begin to believe they’re “just not a math person” and unable to tackle complex problems without assistance. That belief becomes the real barrier - one that tutoring alone often fails to address, and even exacerbates.
A Coaching Approach That Builds Confidence
At Return to Genius, confidence isn’t treated as a lucky side effect of success. It’s something we intentionally cultivate through:
✨ Systematic, Rigorous Instruction: Confidence grows when students know they’re building real skills, not just scraping by.
✨ Personalised Strengths-Based Pathways: Every child learns differently. When students see their unique needs and strengths reflected in their program, they engage more deeply.
✨ Quick Wins and Long-Term Growth: We structure learning to provide early moments of success which build momentum, while always keeping mastery as the long-term goal.
✨ The Triangle of Motivation: Our Return to Genius framework includes Connection, Confidence, and Challenge. Confidence doesn’t exist in isolation. It grows within a supportive, stimulating environment.
Confidence That Lasts
Our goal isn’t short-term boosts that fade after a good test result. We work towards lifelong confidence - the kind that stays with your child beyond the classroom, exams, and even beyond their time in Return to Genius programs.
By helping students build real skills, healthy mindsets, and belief in their ability to learn, we set them up for success - not just in math, but in whatever challenges life throws their way.
Want to help your child build the confidence to thrive? Explore our coaching programs here and book in for your free consultation.
Why Strengths-Based Coaching Works: How Return to Genius Helps Your Child Rediscover Their Potential
Return to Genius uses strengths-based coaching to build confidence, close learning gaps faster, and help students thrive - by working with their natural strengths, not against them.
At Return to Genius, we believe that real, lasting academic confidence isn’t built by trying to “spot fix” weak areas. It’s built by helping students discover and nurture their unique strengths and using those as the gateway to confidence, independence, and academic mastery.
While most tutoring programs only ask, “What is your child struggling with?”, we also ask: “What hidden strengths does your child already have — and how can we use those as the foundation for success?”
Strengths-Based, Not Deficit-Focused
It’s easy to focus on gaps. School reports, test results, and traditional tutoring often zoom in on what’s missing - but that narrow lens can leave even capable students feeling discouraged, overwhelmed, or stuck.
We take a different approach.
Every student who joins Return to Genius starts with a comprehensive assessment, including our in-house Learning Profile Assessment, designed to build a clear, practical picture of your child’s:
Cognitive and learning style
Confidence and mindset profile
Existing academic foundations - what’s secure, as well as the gaps and what needs strengthening
Hidden strengths and natural tendencies that can be used to unlock growth
This strengths-based model doesn’t ignore the gaps — but it helps close them faster, because we work with your child’s natural abilities, not against their wiring.
Many Strengths, Many Paths
Not every strength shows up on a test. We’ve worked with students who were written off as “lazy” or “unmotivated” - only to discover exceptional abilities once the right approach was in place:
🌟 Students with hidden spatial reasoning or problem-solving skills
🌟 Reflective, observant learners who thrive with the right learning environment
🌟 Gifted students whose talents were buried under frustration or perfectionism
Strengths look different for every child - and that’s why every coaching program at Return to Genius - whether in a private or group setting - is personalised. Whether your child is catching up, regaining confidence, or ready to stretch themselves, we use their strengths as the foundation for growth.
Rediscovering What Makes Them Tick
We often hear parents say: “My child used to love learning. Now they just seem uninterested.”
Sadly, this is common. Confidence, curiosity, and potential don’t disappear - they get buried under years of stress, comparison, or simply the wrong approach to learning.
Our coaching programs are designed to help students reconnect with their strengths, rebuild their confidence, and rediscover that love of learning - not through endless tutoring, but through a structured, strengths-based pathway to independence.
We call it helping them find their Genius Zone - that space where learning feels challenging but achievable, where strengths are recognised, and where growth becomes inevitable.
Want to help your child rediscover their inner genius? Learn more about our personalised coaching programs here and book in for your free consultation with us.
Why Joy, Connection, and the Right Relationships Are the Foundation for Academic Success
Return to Genius uses connection, positive peer groups, and joy to help your child thrive in learning.
If you’ve ever seen your child light up around the right teacher or become more motivated to learn around a supportive peer, you already know what we know: relationships shape learning.
At Return to Genius, we don’t treat relationships as a happy by-product of good education - we include them in our programs design. Connection isn’t just about feeling good - it’s a critical ingredient for academic success.
Learning That Feels Personal
Our coaching spaces aren’t overcrowded classrooms where students slip through the cracks. They’re small, structured groups where every child is known - by name, by personality and by their unique strengths and abilities.
Our coaches and facilitators aren’t distant instructors. They’re experienced educators, mentors, and role models who take the time to understand each student - their strengths, their learning style, their unique spark.
When children feel safe, supported, and known, they’re far more willing to take academic risks, ask questions, and stay engaged, even when learning feels hard.
The Power of Positive Peer Influence
The people your child learns alongside matter. That’s why our coaching groups are designed to foster:
💜 Collaboration, not competition
💜 Peer encouragement that builds quiet confidence
💜 A shared sense of curiosity and progress
Research shows that students learn better when surrounded by motivated peers. We’ve seen it firsthand: when learning feels social, supportive, and engaging, confidence and achievement follow.
Parents: A Supportive Role, IN JUST MINUTES A DAY
As a parent, you play a vital part in your child’s academic success, even if you don’t have hours each day to spend helping them with their schoolwork. tutor.
Our programs are structured to keep parents connected, without adding to their workloads:
🤍 We keep you updated on your child’s growth
🤍 We share simple ways to stay involved (that fit real life)
🤍 You stay part of the daily learning journey, with opportunities to be involved through daily learning activities, without carrying the teaching load
Joy Is Serious Business
We believe learning should be joyful, because joy fuels motivation, memory, and resilience. That’s why every part of the Return to Genius experience is designed to feel welcoming, purposeful and - yes - fun.
Academic success isn’t built on worksheets alone. It grows in an environment where students feel seen, supported, connected and confident.
Ready to fuel your child’s journey to academic success with a large dose of joy, friendship and warmth? Find out more about our coaching programs here and book in your free consultation with us.
Why We Don’t Believe in Endless Tutoring - And Why Independence Helps Kids Succeed Instead
Our goal as coaches is to get ourselves fired, as quick as possible. When your child no longer needs us, we’ve succeeded.
Many parents automatically turn to tutoring when their child starts to struggle with schoolwork or lose confidence. It feels like the obvious solution, and the multi-billion dollar global private tutoring industry is more than happy to reinforce that idea.
But what often goes unspoken is that much of the tutoring industry quietly relies on keeping students dependent.
The model is simple: as long as families believe their child needs ongoing weekly tutoring, the business keeps growing. So, the focus often becomes short-term help - patching knowledge gaps, assisting with homework, preparing for the next test - rather than building the confidence, capability, and independence students truly need.
At Return to Genius, we don’t engage in that tutoring model. We offer Achievement Coaching -comprehensive, structured academic support that goes far beyond tutoring. Our approach combines everything students need for lasting success: tailored academic support that targets underlying knowledge and skill gaps, mindset development, confidence-building, strong relationships with peers and mentors, and cognitive skills for long-term independence.
Why Traditional Tutoring Often Falls Short
Tutoring, at its best, can help students get through the next challenge - a tricky concept, a test, an assignment.
But too often, it becomes a cycle:
A child feels lost or anxious when facing a topic or task
They get just enough help to complete the immediate task
Their confidence stays shaky, as they don’t have skills to tackle the next topic, so tutoring continues indefinitely
The focus remains on surviving school, rather than building the foundations for independent learning. Even after months (or years) of tutoring, many students still avoid challenges, still doubt themselves, and still feel like math - or learning in general - isn’t for them.
In contrast, Achievement Coaching addresses the real issues:
⭐ A clear, systematic method for building deep understanding
⭐ Tools and strategies for approaching unfamiliar challenges
⭐ Practical support for confidence, motivation, and resilience
⭐ Strengths-based learning tailored to each student
⭐ A focus on habits, mindset, and relationships — because success requires more than academics alone
We work with students to build both their academic and personal confidence, with a structured plan designed to make them capable, confident, and independent.
A Clear PathwaY, With Purpose
Every student at Return to Genius follows a personalised roadmap. Together with families, we set clear, short-term goals for each term or program. Students work towards these milestones with support from their coaches, building academic foundations and self-belief along the way.
Once those goals are achieved, families can make an informed decision about next steps:
Some students feel ready to take ownership of their learning and step back from coaching entirely
Others choose to continue with us through structured programs like Study Clubs, which provide accountability, peer learning, and ongoing challenge, without creating dependency
High-achieving students often progress into Distinction League, designed for those ready to extend beyond the standard curriculum and tackle advanced academic goals
Whatever the path, the process is transparent, purposeful, and always focused on student growth, not keeping them in an endless cycle of reliance.
Building Confidence That Lasts
Our goal is simple: to equip students with the mindset, knowledge, and independence they need to succeed - not just for the next test, but for the long term.
Through Achievement Coaching, students gain:
✨ Deep academic understanding
✨ Practical learning strategies
✨ Confidence in their abilities
✨ Positive learning habits
✨ The belief that they can handle new challenges
In a world where many students stay stuck in a cycle of math anxiety, low confidence, and constant tutoring, we believe every child deserves a clear pathway to independence, and the choice to stretch further, if they want to.
If you’re ready for a different approach - one that prioritises long-term success, not endless tutoring - explore our coaching programs here and book in for your complimentary consultation with us.
When Learning Comes Alive
Recently, somebody asked me: Why did you choose the name One Story Classroom for your educational resources?
Here's why.
Discovering the World - One Story at a Time
If you're reading this, it's likely that, like me, you're passionate about education. And you know that education isn't just about acquiring the ability to balance chemical equations and conjugate verbs in dead languages.
A holistic approach to education demands that creativity, innovation and a deep connectedness to one's natural and human environments are learning outcomes that should be valued as much as the mastery of academic skills. Awe and wonder are understood as being key to any intellectual undertaking. Curiosity and a hunger for discovery are seen as the hallmarks of an educated mind. This vision of education sees learning as a process capable of unleashing the powers of the human mind and awakening the soul.
To me, the best educators - whether they are teachers, parents, mentors, coaches or caregivers - are those who know how to tell a good story. They know that children are not just empty receptacles into which to pour information. These educators see children as as their audience - each with their own knowledge, beliefs and questions. And they know their job is not just to convey information, but also to convince their young listeners that this information is meaningful and to open their listeners' minds to new possibilities.
In other words, they are storytellers.
Like any good storyteller, these educators know that their job is to paint a picture with words, transport their listener into a world beyond their immediate surroundings, and to leave the listener - at the end of the story - wondering: What happens next? What could happen next?
These educators - these storytellers - have mastered the art of looking at the world through the eyes of a child. A child who is looking at everything for the first time, wanting to know the story behind every single thing they see. A child who remembers that there always is a story behind every single thing - if only you stop to ask. A child who is never complacent in their quest for knowledge, and never feels like they already know enough.
These educators know that education is not - and cannot afford to be - simply about accumulating facts and regurgitating them solely for the sake of higher test scores, university admissions and high-paying jobs.
These educators share a vision for education as a quest for discovery and learning for its own sake. Because to learn is to live, to breathe.
These are the educators who are determined to bring the world - all of its beauty, wonder and diversity - to young people. One story at a time.
Making Learning Come Alive Through the Art of Storytelling
Here's where One Story Classroom comes in.
We want to join these educators in their quest to bring this type of learning - the kind that inspires curiosity and captivates the imagination - to children all over the world. It's a huge undertaking but we want to start talking to parents, teachers, coaches, aunts and uncles - anyone who has a young person in their life.
We've got a lot planned and we'd love to hear from you. We're currently working on developing our materials for use around the world, as well as developing partnerships with individuals, communities and organisations in different countries through our Storytelling Communities project.
Sign up to our mailing list to receive updates as well as free samples when they become available.
Don't forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to find out more, or get in touch with us via email to tell us about your ideas for education! :)