CHOOSING A TUTOR
In today’s academic environment, teachers are responsible for instructing their classroom on a wide range of topic and concepts. While most students in this setting will thrive and be stimulated by the subject matter others may find difficulty. In these cases, finding a tutor to help bridge the gap will help to make the best of your child’s academic situation.
Students who need tutors generally fall into one of three categories: lack academic foundation, gifted/talented or college bound high schooler. Once you and the teacher have assessed the classification that best applies to your child, finding a tutor will be much easier. Here are a few steps to take when searching for a tutor.
Identify Your Child’s Needs
Every child has different, specific needs when it comes to academics. Communicate with your child’s teacher to pinpoint trouble areas in a certain subject. Be as specific as possible and establish tangible, reachable goals. Once you’ve decided areas that need work, make sure to thoroughly discuss these with any potential tutor.
Assess The Tutor’s Communication and Technical Skills
Not all tutors are best when working with school-aged children or on a specific subject. Before having a “try-out” session with the tutor, review their academic accreditation, college course work, specialty areas and ask for referrals. Then, take the opportunity to watch the tutor interact with your child. Do they communicate concepts well with your child? Does your child feel relaxed and comfortable in the setting? Afterwards, talk with your child to see how they felt about the session. If your child doesn’t like the tutor (for whatever reason) don’t ignore those sentiments. You want make sure that any tutor your chooses will make learning fun for your child.
Monitor Results
Your child should start to see results are about 2-3 months of working with a tutor. And within 6 months your child should definitely see better grades in the subject areas being worked on. Communicate often with the tutor as well as your child’s teacher to see how they are progressing. Improving academic achievement is difficult and will take time. If you don’t see results, this is definitely as sign that your child’s current tutor either doesn’t work well with your child or can’t explain the subject matter in a way that best fits them.
Once you’ve found the perfect tutor for your learner, discuss payment, cancelation policies and of course, run a background search on them. Understanding everything about the tutor’s background and center policies will help make the experience great for your child and you.
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