On Friday 2nd July 2021, British tutor Lucy Alexandra Spencer, is embarking on an ambitious global tutoring challenge. One of the key goals of the 24-hour ‘tutor-thon’ is to demonstrate the flexibility tutors have to support learners worldwide. 

Lucy says: 

I recall chatting to some of my team after being approached ahead of the first World Tutors’ Day. We had to do something impactful that would leave an impression on people and help create true change of thought in this industry. 

A key focus for the 2021 World Tutors’ Day is ‘breaking boundaries’ after a year of incredible change for tutors and learners that has been a catalyst for innovation and working in a way that seemed decades away just a few years ago. After speaking with Julia Silva, Director of Qualified Tutor, I struck upon the idea of a ‘tutor-thon’. Despite spending my teenage years competing as an athlete, my first passion, I never ran a marathon. What better way to raise money and awareness about my career and passion for tutoring by embarking on a marathon-esque tutoring challenge, doing what I love for 24 hours. I must stress this is not intended to glamourise overworking- it’s about both testing myself and supporting a charity that helps children in Africa beat poverty through education. Pushing my own boundaries for such a fantastic cause felt perfect. 

With the initial idea agreed, my network helped refine it and create a schedule. Even the most eager learners may not be available at 3am! However, with links to clients in countries across the world it’s always five o’clock somewhere. It’s important to say that I won’t be charging for the sessions across the day and night- just as a runner won’t know how to get over ‘the wall’ until being faced with it, I’m unsure how close to my best I can be as the hours tick by. My clients, however, were all incredibly enthusiastic about being part of the event. 

The next decision was over which tools to use and types of tutoring to utilise over the 24 hours. A blended approach is ideal to show off the various forms of tuition at our fingertips and to engage myself in different ways throughout the day. From one-to-one sessions to working with large group webinars to live tutor coaching via Facebook, the scope of tuition is far broader than even many educators may realise. If anyone would like send a coffee my way after eighteen hours or so that would be delightful but, failing that, I’ll be sure to make use of my newly-acquired coffee subscription with Prêt. 

Lucy’s ‘tutor-thon’ in numbers: 

· Raise £2,400 for Creating Better Futures 

· Teach across 6 continents (Antarctica proving tricky!) 

· Over 200 online learners over the 24 hours 

· 24 different lesson styles and format