Here's a story for you. A parent at my last school met up with me and asked if I'd tutor her son. I was really reluctant, because it's not really my thing. You spend half your time second-guessing reports, behavior etc, and most of my friends who do tutor, say they battle both the children's behavior and attention.

Anyway, she begged me and I caved in. I asked that she pay me at the end of the term, and we agreed on $40 (I KNOW!).

So that was ten weeks, and on at least three occasions I was half-way to her house (my car, my petrol money, my preparation time) and I'd get a call that Charles wasn't feeling like a lesson that day.

Anyway, on the last lesson he also bailed out on and so on the Saturday, his mother met me at a designated place with s small bunch of flowers and an envelope.

She then proceeded to tell me about how Charles managed to borrow a neighbor's machine to dig a trench for a different neighbor. For two hour's work he got $250.

When I got home I opened the envelope to find $200.

I have no idea what sense of fairness she had, but that was the last time I ever tutored.

Actually that's not entirely true. I have since tutored migrants. That was a choice.

Stick to your guns, Roz.