Every month the Tutor Spotlight will feature a Sunshine Method tutor who has been shining their star brightly and who has gone above and beyond to engage with and inspire students so that they may achieve life-long academic success.

Meet Ginnie!

Ginnie has been with The Sunshine Method for more than a year, and has homeschooled her own children for over 15 years! During this time, Ginnie developed her own curriculum for her kids, and decided to use her extra time to tutor and help other children who could benefit. 

We had the opportunity to catch up with Ginnie while she described how she works with her students and sets them up for success and confidence later in life.

Join the conversation below:

How has education changed your life?

I didn’t like history when I was growing up, and now I have devoured history! I don’t know another way of saying that; I love US history. I love how it represented itself. Even the colonial time period and Revolutionary War history I love, and I understand what happened when it happened. Even if you go along with the world history, a lot was going on, and you can personally imagine yourself being there and understand why changes had to be made and why everything happened. I didn’t understand it when I was young, and I didn’t care, but now I do. 

I ordered textbooks online when I was teaching my daughter, and I was flipping through them and realizing that they were missing so many parts. When I teach history and science, I go beyond the grade level and go in so much depth that they understand what is what and how it gets there. I think that’s where it switched for me, and I realized education’s value.

What motivates you to tutor/mentor children in your community.

I saw how the public schools were treating their kids, and I didn’t agree with what was taught. So, I took it upon myself to teach every child in my house something new every day. It just came naturally to me; I didn’t have to look anything up. So then I thought if I can do this with a whole bunch of kids here, then I can do it with one.

Describe the best session you have had with a student. What do you believe made it so successful?

I’ve had a couple of them, so I can’t really pick one. I had a student that really couldn’t understand what she was reading, and then all of a sudden we read an article and the lightbulb went off and she said “I understand! I get this!” I also have one student that couldn’t really spell or write, and I took my time and showed them exactly what I expected them to do, and they did it, and again that lightbulb turned on. Every student has an “Aha” moment, and that potential of really working on something and seeing where it goes.

What advice would you give to a student that is struggling with a subject?

I just encourage them. I’ve had many students that struggle with who they are and what they’re going through. If they don’t understand a concept, I move on and show them another way to get the concept and slow it down for them. You don’t know once you leave them what their home life is like. So I just encourage them to take it slow and let them know that they are going to use the information later in life.

What kind of long-term progress have you seen your children make?

I would say a lot of reading and writing improvement. A lot of the children I tutor have a block, or get stuck with a particular paragraph or essay, and if I help them through it and guide them with critical thinking questions, then they can understand where they are going.

What is your favorite thing about the Sunshine Method?

I love that there are different kids at different levels. I love that I can spend one hour with one child, and then the next hour will be completely different.

What are your hopes for your students in the future?

I hope they have a better life! I hope they learn something through The Sunshine Method that will stick with them, and that they can rise above what they are going through.

Thank you for reading, and thank you, Ginnie, for your contributions and impact on the next generation!