A retired teacher has dug out her old textbooks to offer free tutoring to youngsters while schools are closed.
Worried that pupils may fall behind after a year of upheaval, former maths teacher Mo Brodie has been giving lessons to 10 youngsters and is hoping other people may follow suit.
The former deputy head retired 12 years ago and was given an MBE for services to education shortly afterwards.
But instead of putting her feet up, the 73-year-old used her free time to tutor youngsters who had missed school because they had been ill.
When schools closed in March, the Broughty Ferry resident began offering online lessons and now teaches five days per week.
Mo said: “It’s terribly hard times for young people.
“Even when the schools were open they were having to take time off for isolation and were falling behind.
“It’s so stressful, especially for those in upper school who are hoping to go to university.
“I don’t think I’m doing anything remarkable at all.
“Sometimes the best thing I can give them is to get a smile or a laugh out of them and that cheers me up too.
“Anything that can lighten the burden on these young people is so important. I just worry about the long term effects this could have on them.”
The former Webster’s High and St Saviour’s teacher now teaches 10 pupils per week and is encouraging other former teachers to consider tutoring.
“I’ve never charged anyone and word of mouth got round,” she said.
“The pupils tell me what they want to go over and I set up a lesson.
“There are lots of stresses and worries on young people at the moment. I feel everyone should be doing what they can to ease the burden.
“There must be other subject specialists who have time on their hands. They could contact the school they taught in and hopefully they can help too.”
But Mo is worried technology is still a barrier to home learning, after The Courier reported parents saying working online is “unsustainable” for their youngsters due to poor broadband in rural areas.
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“Some of them don’t have tablets or laptops and are working on their phones which can make it difficult to see,” Mo said.
“I feel so sorry for people living in rural areas and don’t have good internet, that must make it so much harder.”
