There are various reasons why you would consider getting a tutor for your child. With that said, the choices of tutors available might be overwhelming. Don’t worry. We’re here to offer some insights about what you can look for when selecting a tutor.
When to Get a Tutor
But, before we give you tips on choosing a tutor, when is the right time to get a tutor?
Learning Differences
Some children have learning differences or display behavioral challenges that make it hard for them to keep up with the rest of their classmates. A child with ADHD might find it hard to concentrate in class for long periods of time. Similarly, a child with dyslexia needs more time in class to read and understand texts. However, because the teacher has limited time, a dyslexic child might experience more challenges with the pace of the class, not necessarily comprehending the texts.
Having a tutor can be a great outcome for these children. During their private tutoring classes, they spend time understanding the material. A professional tutor follows the pace of the student and is not compelled to rush instruction. It is the individual attention from the tutor toward specific needs that eventually helps students achieve better academic results.
Low Grades
At times, you may notice your child’s grades dropping. Another scenario may be that your child’s grades have always been low in a particular subject. Low grades often lead to feelings of incompetence, inadequacy, and a lack of motivation to study. It can even lower a child’s self-esteem when compared to other classmates. It is important to find out why your child’s grades are low and work on improving their results. An experienced tutor will have insight about which concepts a student finds hard to grasp and work on improving them. Sometimes a student just needs a little encouragement and reinforcement from a tutor to perform better.
Poor Time Management
After school, children can be involved in many extracurricular activities. They have music classes, practice for various sports, or chores waiting for them at home. Besides all these activities, they still need to find time to do their homework. This can be hard for those who have packed schedules or lack the discipline to devote enough time to their homework. Hiring a tutor is a good solution because there is someone to hold your child accountable for completing all school assignments.
Less Parental Support
As a parent or guardian, it can be hard to help your child with homework. After all, it may have been ages since you last had to solve a quadratic equation or differentiate between the various parts of speech. If you realize that you are not in a position to provide your child with the help needed, we advise you to consider getting a tutor. A tutor follows up on the child’s assignments and makes sure all tasks are completed on time and adequate attention is given to test prep. A tutor will relieve you and offer peace of mind so that you can fully enjoy spending quality time with your child.
Unchallenged
Some children are quick to understand things and don’t need much guidance. Unfortunately, if these students don’t get challenged enough in school, their grades might actually drop as a result of boredom. They don’t feel like spending time on something that is too simple for them. Further, they tend to neglect the subject and their assignments as a whole. A tutor is there to simulate the child and put the fun back into learning. If a certain topic is discussed in class, a tutor can challenge students to deepen their knowledge by doing independent research about the topic to find out more information. Also, your tutor can give students assignments that are a little bit more complex to encourage more investigative learning. In class, students will be more motivated to focus on what is being taught because they look forward to discussing the topics with their tutor.
All learners have different needs. It is a tutor’s individualized approach that will help students improve in school and master their subjects.
If you’ve come to the conclusion that you want to hire a tutor, what are some things to keep in mind when selecting one?
How to Choose a Tutor
Tutors come with their own experiences and teaching styles. What works for one student might not be the best solution for another. Tutors, therefore, have to be flexible when attending to students’ needs.
Qualifications
During the selection process of hiring a tutor, you can ask for qualifications. What is their educational background? Do they have any teaching certifications or classroom experience? When you are looking for a tutor for your special needs child, it is vital to find out if the candidate has training or experience working with children with learning differences.
Not all tutors are qualified to teach or provide academic support to students. If you meet someone with insufficient credentials, it does not necessarily make that person a bad tutor. However, it is best to hire a tutor with experience working with children or a proven track record of performing well on standardized exams your child will have to take in school.
Experience
Asking for your tutor’s qualifications is imperative. Also, keep in mind that tutors often teach children in varying grades. To get a better understanding, find out if your tutor candidate has worked with the specific grade your child is in. You could also ask for references and speak with other parents about their experience with the tutor.
Rapport Between Tutor and Student
It takes time for students and tutors to build a rapport. With this in mind, don’t base your decision on a tutor solely on the first encounter. Nonetheless, it is important that tutors and students get along with each other. In case students feel uncomfortable with the tutor, they might try to avoid classes. Instead of actually improving their grades in school, they start to dislike the subject even more. Pay attention to the way your child interacts with the tutor during a few lessons together. If there is no noticeable improvement, consider getting another tutor.
Tutoring Classes
Speak to your tutor about their plan for classes. How often will the classes take place and for how long? For middle and high school students, it is recommended to have at least three hours of tutoring weekly to see results. Having more classes per week will also allow you to see the impact of the tutor’s methods sooner rather than later. If you do not see an improvement in your child’s overall academic performance after a few months, you may wish to consider finding another tutor.
Additionally, talk to tutor candidates about specific materials they intend to use. Will the child receive homework from the resources in addition to their school work? Will you have to pay for these materials, or is the cost included in the tutoring fee?
Another point to consider should be whether classes will be done in person or online. Especially during this time of COVID-19, online classes are recommended. The options for online tutors are vast. You can even find a tutor on the other side of the world! If you prefer in-person tutoring, online sessions should still be an option.
Tutor-Teacher Dynamic
Ideally, your tutor should have the ability to contact and communicate with your child’s teacher regarding academic victories and challenges during the school year. Professional tutors will be able to modify their plans and instruction style to reinforce what is being done in the classroom and further assist the child. This relationship between tutor and teacher is easier to establish when tutoring is done in-person or when both professionals live in the same area.
A tutor might notice some of the student’s learning difficulties and point it out to the teacher or vice versa. At the same time, the teacher might come across common mistakes made during assignments and tests that require more attention during tutoring sessions. A tutor and teacher should never be seen as competitors. Instead, they should complement each other so that the student will gain the best results during the academic year.
Budget
There is no standard rate for tutoring because it varies from state to state. However, this might be part of your decision when selecting a tutor. If you are looking for a professional instructor with proven experience, you should expect to pay more than for someone who is new to the industry. Although cost is a huge factor, your budget should not be the final determiner regarding who to hire. First, focus on the goals you want to achieve and what kind of help you think you’ll need. After that, you can decide how much you are able to invest in this service. Ultimately, there is no price too high for the growth and positive change you will see in your child academically and socially while working with a professional tutor.
What You Can Do as Parent or Guardian
Now that you have decided to hire a tutor for your child, don’t leave it at that. As a parent or guardian, you can still play a part in your child’s learning process by ensuring your child has a daily routine that includes set times for tutoring, extracurricular activities, breaks, dinner, and bedtime. It is crucial for children to have a schedule that allows them to have enough rest. While some children need more sleep than others, a child younger than 12 years old should sleep about 10-12 hours a night.
As a parent or guardian, you want the best for your child; this includes good results in school. However, try not to push your child too hard. If your expectations are too high, they can actually become a burden to your child and a source of stress. Converse with the tutor regularly about the progress made and reward your child for accomplishments big and small along the way. Celebrating mini-milestones motivates children to continue studying.
Takeaway
There are various reasons that may prompt you to get a tutor. Learning differences, low grades, or wishing to challenge your child more academically through tutoring classes can be some of those reasons. When choosing a tutor, you can prepare yourself by having some questions listed to ask during the first meeting. You can choose to have interviews with a few tutors or work with one and see how it goes. It is important that, next to their tutoring skills, the personalities of the tutor and your child match. Your job as parents is not over once you have hired a tutor. You can keep on stimulating the learning process by creating a daily schedule and celebrating any progress made.
We, at Speak Write Play, would love to help your child gain better results in school! Find out if we are a match here.
