Sarah Carman, Sponge Education
Sponge Education is a growing in-home, one-on-one tutoring service. Founder Sarah Carman and her team of tutors at Sponge currently work with students of all ages, right across Sydney.
Sponge helps students to understand difficult subjects, enjoy learning, ace exams, and maintain balance. In addition to one-on-one tutoring, Sponge also runs workshops for students through schools, to help them with various aspects of high school life. We focus on study strategies, stress management, subject-specific learning and post-HSC life. Sponge runs seminars for parents of high school students too. Sponge is big on STEM subjects and is all about encouraging students to challenge themselves academically.
The ultimate goal of Sponge is to empower students to feel good when they learn, and to seek out learning opportunities whenever they can!
What made you decide to start Sponge Education?
I began tutoring students in 2008 after I finished the HSC. I continued to tutor throughout my Science degree at Sydney University, developing strategies to increase student engagement and excitement. Through my tutoring work and science presenter role at CSIRO Education, I became extremely passionate about teaching and wanted to make a difference within the education space. When the demand for tutoring wasn’t able to be met by just one person, I decided to translate my tutoring experience into a training program for other tutors. I now drive a fantastic team of motivational tutors who are able to engage, encourage and excite students about their learning. We absolutely love what we do. (And our students do too!)
What's the most valuable piece of business advice you've ever received?
“Build something awesome, and don’t settle.” In a tutoring business, there are plenty of ways to cut corners: prepare less for sessions, lower the email contact with students in-between sessions, build fewer resources, skimp on tutor training... but at Sponge we don’t cut corners. I have always wanted Sponge tutoring to be the best tutoring in Sydney, so that our students have an awesome experience. That’s part of our culture and always will be.
What is required to succeed in your line of business?
To provide a great tutoring service you need to have great tutors! Our standards are high, which often makes it tough from a recruitment point of view, but taking the time to find and train great tutors is SO worth it.
What's the best feedback you've ever received?
I gave a talk for parents once, and received an email the next day about it: "You are so much on our 'page' which is SO refreshing when we are the 'oldies'!!! You really are fabulous, and we applaud how wonderful you have made Sponge to be!” That feedback made my week!
Which community events have you recently been involved in?
Sponge presented a science show at the North Epping Public School fair recently. We made ice-cream using liquid nitrogen, and the kids were in awe that you could actually eat it!
What did you do before you started Sponge Education?
I actually worked as a marketing assistant at a medical device company before starting Sponge Education. It was a great experience - I learnt so much about business and definitely became more confident in my abilities. However, I did find that I wasn’t excited about the work in the same way I was really driven to prepare and deliver great sessions for students, so after a while it became pretty clear that I needed to change up. I haven’t looked back - starting Sponge has been fantastic fun and we’ve already made such a huge difference in the lives of students.
Complete this sentence, "I find that an effective way to beat procrastination is...'
...to tell someone else about it. So many people struggle with procrastination and feel trapped by it on a daily basis, without feeling like they can reach out and “own” it. Whenever I’m in procrastination mode, I talk to someone in my family about it. I also change my environment, to break the cycle and feel refreshed. In doing those things I find I’m more honest about the situation, and more able to move beyond it. Just talking to someone about a problem can help me to get past it and do what needs to be done!
What do you do to wind down?
Most of my family are overseas, so I really enjoy Skyping with them or writing letters to them in my spare time.
How would your high school teacher describe you in three words?
"So many questions!!!”
What's the one thing that most people don't know about you?
I play the drum kit.
What is the one thing on your bucket list that you must fulfill in this lifetime?
I would love to go skiing in Austria. Visiting a cat cafe in Japan would be a close second.
What would you attempt to do if you knew you couldn't fail?
Win the lotto. (Who wouldn’t?)
What do kids enjoy most about Sponge Education?
Kids love Sponge because we are fun, engaging, and we help them to improve! Kids know that they can ask their tutor anything and get an answer - no question is a “silly” question.
What differentiates Sponge Education from your competitors?
Sponge tutors are trained to prepare tailored lessons for students, and to pinpoint specific areas that students are struggling with. Every tutor is handpicked and matched to their students, so the relationships formed through Sponge are strong ones. We are so passionate about what we do, and our students know that we care about their learning and can’t wait to help them reach their goals.
Find out more about Sponge Education...
- Little Red Compass Directory - Sponge Education
- Website - www.spongeeducation.com
- Facebook - www.facebook.com/spongeeducation
- Instagram - www.instagram.com/spongeeducation
- Twitter - www.twitter.com/SpongeEducation
- Tumblr - www.spongeeducation.tumblr.com
- YouTube - www.youtube.com/channel/SpongeTV
- LinkIn - www.linkedin.com/company/sponge-education
