Whether your child requires extra help, would enjoy enrichment and practice, or needs to maintain current skills over a school break tutoring may be just what you are looking for, but finding the right tutor for your child is not always easy. Parents need to take into account the needs of the child, the expertise of the tutor, and the personalities of both. The process can become very overwhelming, especially for parents who already concerned about their child’s academic performance.
The first thing to do is get recommendations from your child’s teacher and school. They know your child’s specific needs and have experience in dealing with local tutors. Friends and neighbors can also give information about tutors that they have worked with and why or why not they felt the tutoring was successful. Then meet with the tutors and determine which one is the best fit for your child. Use the guide below to help make the process easier.
Tutoring Options
- Students who need remediation may qualify for free or inexpensive school-run reading and math programs.
- Private tutors, such as college students or local elementary school teachers, provide one-on-one personalized instruction for primary students. Check with your child’s school or local library for recommendations.
- Tutoring centers, such as Sylvan or Kumon, also provide customized lessons and usually have multiple locations and convenient hours.
Questions to Ask a Prospective Tutor
- What are your qualifications and relevant schooling?
- How long have you been tutoring? Can you provide me with references?
- How much do your charge? What happens if we have to cancel a session?
- How do you plan to assess my child’s strengths and needs?
- How will you measure progress and how often will I be updated?
- What happens if my child isn’t making sufficient progress?
Characteristics of a Strong Tutoring Program
- Student strengths and needs are assessed prior to instruction and periodically during instruction.
- The tutor seeks input from the parent and child and, if possible, the teacher.
- A plan is developed that includes realistic goals for instruction along with specific objectives regarding how the goal will be achieved.
- Instruction is personalized for the child, taking into account his strengths, needs and interests.
- There is constant communication between the tutor and the parents with regular progress updates.
Tutoring should be a positive experience for everyone involved; the student, parents, tutor, and classroom teacher should all be satisfied with the arrangement. If one of the parties is unhappy it is important to communicate and address concerns to ensure success for the child. Increasing student confidence is one of the most valuable benefits of tutoring and occurs when the child feels supported by all involved adults.
Megan Sheakoski - Megan Sheakoski is a teacher, mom and writer whose ideas have been featured in college text books, graduate courses, on websites and on ...
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