Blog
I'm Dom, an online tutor for children aged 4–14, and someone who thinks a lot about education, learning, and the stuff schools don't teach. These are my thoughts. Dive in.
If anything you read resonates with you, come and find out how I work.
The Hypocrite Tutor
A student's failure is a teacher's paycheck.
As a private tutor, helping struggling children is my job. Every week I meet families who are stressed, frustrated and desperate for support. I genuinely want to help the, but the uncomfortable truth is that I only have that work because the education system keeps producing children who feel like they've failed.
This isn't an attack on teachers, schools or parents. It's a reflection on a system that rewards success, measures failure, and leaves too many children believing they simply aren't good enough.
As someone who has been both that child and the tutor who now earns a living helping them, I'm forced to confront an uncomfortable question:
Am I fixing the problem, or benefiting from it?
When reading becomes a Race
From reading ages and the 11-plus to SATs and AI, this article explores Britain's long relationship with measuring reading ability. Drawing on personal experience as a dyslexic learner, teacher, and tutor, Dom Payne questions whether our obsession with reading scores always serves the child. The article examines the history of reading assessment, the role of intervention, and why reading should be valued as more than just a number on a school report.
The Bike I Haven’t Bought: A Reflection on Money, Scarcity & Self-Trust
For years, I’ve had the money to buy a new bike, yet I haven’t. What started as a simple question led me to reflect on childhood experiences, family values, scarcity, and the beliefs we carry about money into adulthood. Through memories of boarding school, Hong Kong, immigrant parents, and a cycling journey across Europe, this essay explores the tension between saving and spending, security and joy, and asks a deeper question: when does financial responsibility become fear? Ultimately, it’s a reflection on self-trust, permission, and learning how to live in the present.
How Do We Teach Children About Financial Education?
How do we teaching children about finacial education. There is so much information out there that it can be overwhelming. Here I argue that there is a missing part of Finacial Education. The education.
ADHD Medications: Focus, Side Effects, and Maybe Some Sleepless Nights
Too much information or not enough information. Any parent that is making a choice to help their child either with or without medication needs to feel and be supported.
If AI Can Do the Homework, What Should Students Learn?
AI can write the essay. So what's the point of school? I look at what education should actually be for in an age where information is free.
Why Neurodivergent Kids Might Be Smarter Than the System That Fails Them
Does a neurodivergent child need to conform to the world or the world to them? Are they teaching society a lesson or are we teaching them a lesson?
Unintentional Consequences of the VAT on Independent Schools
Private education versus public education is an age-old debate that continues to evoke strong opinions. Is it genuinely fair that some individuals in society can afford a different and potentially better quality of education for their children? Additionally, is it perilous for a central authority to have control over various educational events and ideas? In this discussion, we will explore some of the effects and implications of adding VAT to private schools in the UK, examining how it might impact both parents and students alike.
Which country has the best education in the world?
Inspired from the BBC and there thoughts, I just had to write what I thought on the matter. I have lived and worked in many international schools, private and public so what do those expat families do for school. Do they go local or international?
A dyslexic without Microsoft Word
I wouldn’t have passed my Alevels, Degree and PGCE without word. Cheers Bill!
This tool helped me to pass and do so many things in my life. But where will we go with AI platforms, video calls and APPs. Let’s find out!
Choosing the Right Education for Your Child
Choosing the right school for your child can be exciting, nerve racking and full of uncertainties.
This article will give you a guide to how to look at different systems, schools and areas.
How can glue sticks teach children (and teachers) about Bitcoin?
Economics is what? Individual human behaviour, the collective behaviour, supply and demand or monetry policy.
Can observing what children do in the classroom teach us something about ecomomics? Learning about bitcoin.
Getting a dyslexic to read and write. Good luck! Ideas from a dyslexic teacher.
Parents always struggle to get their children to read and write, especially children with dyslexia. It is always a battle.
I personally hated writing when I was younger. Here is how I teach children now.
Dumbing us Down
What if everything you thought you knew about education was a lie? In this post, we dive into the profound and eye-opening insights of John Taylor Gatto, a celebrated teacher who pulled back the curtain on the modern schooling system. From the confusion of disjointed curriculums to the subtle conditioning of dependency and self-esteem tied to authority, Gatto's observations are both challenging and inspiring. If you’ve ever felt there’s something deeply off about conventional education—or if you’re searching for alternatives—this is a must-read journey into the heart of what schooling truly teaches.
ADHD: Introduction- Short, Sharp and Sweet Pt1
What do you know about ADHD? Here is a series of posts on the subject. We dive into what it is and question some of the so called 'experts.'
Challenging Modern Education: Steiner’s Radical Take on Consciousness, Energy, and Human Dignity
Last section on Steiner for a bit.
Steiner suggests that when you learn something you have to also improve your own character. The path to the higher worlds is not a selfish one and how you treat others on this journey is just as important.
School vs Family: Who Controls Your Child's Time?
Every year a story will come out saying that parents have been fined for taking their children out of school. Is this new? Do you think the state is in a position to tell parents what to do? Read this and you tell me!