Mentor: David Sadler
Role at Talent 100: Head of Mathematics, teaches Maths Ext I, Ext 2 in Epping and Hurstville and authors Talent 100’s notes, homework and exams.
Tell us a bit about yourself:
I hold a Bachelor of Science from the University of New South Wales (Double major in Pure Mathematics and Computer Science), Diploma of Education from the University of Sydney, Master of Arts in Pure Mathematics from the University of Sydney,
Professionally, I was the former Head of Mathematics at Sydney Grammar School where I taught Maths to thousands of students over a 25+ year teaching career. I am also a co-author of the Cambridge Maths Textbook used by many schools across the state, developing and updating that for the new syllabus adopted in NSW in 2019. I work part time at Talent 100 as Head of Maths, teaching Year 11 Extension and Year 12 Extension I and Extension II classes in Epping and Hurstville.
More importantly, I am a father of two adult daughters and grandfather (and babysitter) to a growing pack of youngsters, which takes away from my golfing time.
What is your number 1 tip for students?
There is no substitute for hard work. There are no shortcuts to success.
How would you describe your experience of teaching at Talent?
Talent-100 offers a great holistic learning environment, which enables students to achieve through a love for learning. The whole team is very professional and the genuine care we have for students shines through in the weekly classes.
We often use the word ‘support’ in our internal meetings, which is the ethos by which we stand. This support comes in the community we’ve built, the resources we provide and the extra tutorial help and feedback we offer to all students.
Our courses are professionally written by expert mathematicians and educators. They are designed to inspire students to appreciate the logical arguments and abstract structures that are unique to the discipline. They also demonstrate clearly the many applications of mathematics in the physical world.
What advice would you give to parents thinking of sending their kids to tutoring?
10 -15 years ago, tutoring was a relatively small niche extracurricular, reserved predominantly for the brightest and most driven students. In 2022, research shows that up to 30% of students now take some form of extra tuition outside of school, which makes it an arms race to compete.
There are many tutoring colleges operating today, so find the right fit for your child. Our program is designed to cater for different levels of student, with acceleration and A-Class options for selective and top students, and regular stream students. We have built the program so that it is slightly ahead of school topic schedules, and even though it is impossible to cater to every school program, parents can be assured that the material covered is consistent over the course of the year with the requirements of the NESA syllabi. Talent’s homework and exams help prepare students for internal exams and trials, with harder questions dedicated each week to challenge students. The 1-1 tutorial offers personalised help to fill gaps.
What does the future hold for you?
I love teaching at Talent and am looking forward to helping many more students this year and beyond. Retirement is a way off yet, that would mean more babysitting and less golf!
How would you describe your Talent experience in a few words?
Nurturing and Caring.
Sign up for a Obligation free trial lesson here
Watch David’s recent seminar titled ‘Breaking down the Year 12 HSC Maths syllabus’ with great tips about how to approach Year 12 Maths at school:
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