At Naproud Academy, we believe in teaching students to think for themselves.
We believe in instilling a true, in-depth understanding of concepts.
We believe in learning with passion and enjoyment.
We believe in you.
We believe in you.
About our founder
Naproud Cherchawankul is a teacher, author and motivational speaker. Naproud graduated from her Natural Sciences bachelors’ degree from the University of Cambridge with a 1st Class Honours, and was awarded the Valedictorian Prize from Harrow International School. In the year 2023, she started Naproud Academy because of her passion to support students to achieve their academic goals, and instill true understanding of the subject.
“My hopes for Naproud Academy is to continue to grow its reach and capabilities. With all of our students, however, I hope that they can learn how to learn and think for themselves. This is a skill not just for exams, but for life.”
–Naproud Cherchawankul
1 year later: An interview with the founder
Q: You started Naproud Academy back in January 2023 with the slogan, “We believe in you”. What inspired this?
I think the most important thing is the vision we set for ourselves – who we believe we can become. For a tutor to support a student and help them grow, we need to first believe in their potential. That’s why I chose the phrase, “We believe in you.” I think it holds a lot of power, and I get reminded of our purpose every time I see it.
Q: In your opinion, what is the role of tutoring in education?
I think there are two parts to tutoring: the information and the inspiration.
At times, students may not have learned the content under less than ideal conditions and need us to re-teach it to them. Some students will take longer to understand than others. Other students may understand things faster than their peers, and may want to be stretched, and are looking for a place to discuss, argue and ask questions. We are able to personalize our teaching to all types of students.
However, aside from the content, I believe an equally important role we have is to provide inspiration. This is through spreading their passion ad enjoyment of the subject, sharing past experiences, productivity tips and so on. Somewhere in between a classmate and a teacher, a tutor’s role is also to provide guidance, advice and mentorship.
Q: What advice would you have for any students pursuing their high school education, and applying for university?
Try to focus on yourself and enjoy learning the actual content, for the sake of learning. Take things one small step at a time. Don’t worry too much about trying to do something to get somewhere, for example, trying to get an A* so you can get into Oxbridge. And don’t worry about what your friends are doing too much. It’s also very difficult to figure out what you want to do in the future, so it’s okay that you might not 100% know. You can always change your mind later.
Q: What makes Naproud Academy different from other tutoring institutions?
Our tutors are all extremely academically qualified and have experienced the exam process ourselves. We totally understand how important results can be and how they can change a student’s life. From attending one university to another university, from getting one job to getting another job. Every single minute and every single mark adds up and changes your future. We will treat your time with us with value.
However, students already experience a lot of pressure – not just from external sources, but also from themselves. Consequently, I don’t believe in putting more pressure on students or pushing them to believe or become anything in particular. Everyone has different strengths and goals in life.
Our aim is to help you to become the best possible version of yourself, in the subject we teach you. We believe in YOU and your goals, and will support you to help you get there.
Q: What distinguishes the Naproud Academy teaching style?
Our teaching is student-centric. We encourage all of our tutors to get to know students personally; the subjects they take, their dreams, their academic and personal goals, their hobbies and more. All of this allows us to adjust our teaching to suit students and their needs and learning style. In my own teaching, I have never taught two students in the same way, because everyone is different. We have to meet the student at where they are, then bring them a step up from that – then another, and then another.
Q: You once said that you don’t encourage students to get tutoring, unless it’s necessary. Could you elaborate on this?
I don’t want students to get tutoring if they do not feel like they need tutoring. This is because it’s much better, long-term, for someone to be able to arrive at answers by themselves, and to be able to motivate themselves. It teaches you to be an independent thinker.
I never received tutoring myself. I think that struggling before arriving at the answer helps it stay with you longer. With everything I teach, I remember exactly what I didn’t understand in the beginning and what made it difficult for me to learn it, and that helps me to better communicate it to students who don’t understand it yet.
Q: How do you think your educational background has shaped Naproud Academy?
I graduated from the University of Cambridge with a degree in History and Philosophy of Science. A Cambridge education in science was what laid down the foundation for our teaching here to also be understanding-based, rather than, for example, memory-based.
As a child, I also attended a variety of international schools as a child in different countries, and thus experienced different teaching styles and syllabi. It also opened my eyes to a variety of occupations and life directions. I would say that although we’re quite specialized as an institution, we’re simultaneously inclusive.
NAPROUD ACADEMY 