Finding the perfect tutor for your child is not an easy thing. Your child will be spending a lot of time working with this person, so you need to examine more than just their education and qualifications. It’s also crucial to feel confident that they’re patient and excellent with children.
Whether you’re looking at elementary, middle school, or high school tutors, consider the following points before making a decision:
1. Know Your Goals
You first need to determine the degree of assistance your child needs. Do they simply want to excel? Does schoolwork drive them crazy? Or is it something in between?
From here, you need to sit down with your child to determine your shared goals. It could be higher scores in one area (such as chemistry or geometry), improvements in general abilities (such as mathematics, reading, or science), improved study skills, or increased motivation.
2. Familiarize Yourself with the Available Options
Make an appointment with your child’s guidance counselor or teacher, and discuss your
concerns. A great counselor will have interacted with your kid and will have files covering their results on standardized exams and comments regarding potential learning challenges. They will also have notes detailing your child’s overall academic performance.
The counseling office may also have a list of registered tutors you can contact. If not, check out a copy of the neighborhood newspaper, as qualified tutors often display their availability there. You might also get advice from family, friends, and neighbors.
Once you’ve made a shortlist of tutors, inquire as to whether or not your kid matches their profile. Some will focus on broader issues, such as reading comprehension, while others will cover specialized topics, such as biology or literature.
3. Test Your Alternatives
Verify each certificate with care. Ask questions about their educational background and experiences to see how well their talents align with your requirements.
While you want the tutor to have experience working with pupils around your child’s age, it’s more important to find a match for your child’s skill level. So, when talking to potential applicants, include your child in the process and allow them to ask questions.
4. Expertise in the Relevant Fields
Subject matter experience is obviously vital. However, the details are, once again, more important. A mathematician with training from MIT certainly has the intelligence needed, but they might not be the best choice for a child struggling with third grade. So, keep your child’s needs in mind here, not just the tutor’s qualifications.
5. Partner for Results
Tutoring brings a new adult relationship into your child’s life, and this comes with a lot of potential for positive growth. Does your child need to be organized and accountable? Perhaps they need help finding joy in learning. They can achieve such things with support from the right tutor.
Keep an eye on how your kid gets along with the tutor. Attend a portion of the session if it’s at all practical. This will allow you to monitor the growing relationship and see what kind of influence the tutor has on your child.
Closing Words
After finding a tutor, remember to keep an eye on how things are going, get your child’s opinion on things, and monitor their grades to see if they improve over time.
Change tutors if, after many sessions, you don’t observe any improvements in your child’s performance or you sense that your youngster is developing a pessimistic attitude.
