Finding the Perfect Tutor
By: Lisa Leuck
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| "I'm so frustrated, I can't do this! I give up. Why do I have to go to school anyway?" If these are familiar phrases, then it may be time to see if tutoring can help your child find more success in school—and in life. | ||
Does Your Child Need a Tutor? The first sign that a child could use extra academic help is poor performance at school. Nadine Norland, center director for a Sylvan Learning Center in Madison, Wisconsin, says that anything a parent hears from school is good information, and sometimes a need can be seen earlier than school age. "The earlier you can catch the problem, the better. With preschoolers, look at skills such as identifying numbers, colors, letter sounds, etc., and if the retention of these is not there, then have them evaluated as soon as possible." | ||
| The amount of time it takes for a child to complete his or her homework can also be a cry for help. Beverly Collins, executive director of educational development with Huntington Learning Centers, says, "Kids who take a lot of time to do homework, where there is crying and so forth going on, this is a sign that they're incapable of doing the work. Parents often fall into the trap that they think the child should just try harder. In fact, if this goes on for two or more marking periods, this is a sign to seek help." | ||
| Many parents want to help their children with homework, but this doesn't work in all families. Marilea David, owner of Club Z Tutoring in Des Moines, Iowa, says that you and your child's frustration level are signs you need may need help. "When the child will not accept help from the parent and the dynamics between parent and child are not working, this is then the time to consider tutoring." | ||
| Peggy Krentz, an elementary teacher who sought tutoring for her own son, agrees. "The tutor can get him to do more specific work that he knows he's not good at," says Krentz. "That's when he balks about work at home, when it's difficult. He doesn't do that for the tutor." | ||
| "It takes a person removed from the situation. My daughter gets tense and worried with me when we do homework," says Angie Boehm, a kindergarten teacher and mother whose second grade daughter goes to a private tutor. "It seems like you have so little time with your kids in the evening that it feels bad to have that time be tense." | ||
| A lack of self-confidence may also be a clue that your child may need the extra help a tutor can give. Is she overly anxious the night before a test? Does she often say she's "stupid" or "doesn't get it?" Collins says, "Many kids we see think they're the only one having these difficulties. They're embarrassed. We want them to have a sense of success and build confidence." | ||
Types of Tutors There are many types of tutors and tutoring services. Parents in rural or isolated areas may be limited to teachers from the school system, retired teachers, individuals with expertise in a certain area from the community, or high school and college students. | ||
| However, students teaching students can be a less than ideal situation. Collins says, "Many times student-to-student tutoring doesn't work because kids are embarrassed to say they don't know something. The students teaching also don't have the experience to explain things." | ||
| More urban areas are likely to have programs offering tutoring services. These range from learning centers that teach their own curriculum such as Huntington, Sylvan Learning Centers, and Kumon, to services like Club Z that will find an in-home tutor to fit your needs. | ||
If you don't want to hire a service or there aren't any in your area, try these tips to find potential tutors:
In all cases, make sure to interview the tutor and ask for references, which you should check out to understand the tutor's style and personality, as well as his or her experience and qualifications and how they will fit with your child's needs. | ||
Finding the Right Fit Experts agree that the most important thing to consider when hiring a tutor is your child's individual needs. Here is a checklist to help when deciding which tutor to hire: | ||
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Always consider that learning is usually based on a building block approach. If a child hasn't mastered one level or block of knowledge, then he will struggle with the next step. Dr. Pastorok says, "You want a center that offers more than a quick fix, one that will help to fill fundamental skills gaps, which may take time. But this will help them in the future." "When there are skill gaps like that," says Collins, "a private in-home tutor will probably be just a Band-Aid on the big open wound, so to speak. We test to find out exactly what the problem is." Initial diagnostic testing is another thing to ask your tutor or center about. Some require it and charge a fee, others will do their own independent testing, and some may be willing to go with testing results from school. | ||
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"I think working with the school would be helpful. That way the tutor knows exactly what's going on in order to focus on specific needs," adds Krentz. | ||
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Making the Grade It may take time, but the overall goal for anyone seeking a tutor is the same: to see success at school and at home. Experts agree that early intervention is the key to that success. "We have to start heading off problems in kindergarten," says Krentz. | ||
| "The earlier you catch the problems, the greater the chance it can be remediated," says Dr. Pastorok. "If a child is not reading on grade level by third grade, then there's real danger." | ||
| The third grade was when Krentz noticed that her son needed help, and she is pleased with his progress. "I've seen much more confidence in (my son) now, and his skills are gaining. I'm amazed at how well he's done." | ||
| "We want to see them get to grade level and as far beyond as we can," says Norland. "But there are more than academic issues. These kids may have experienced a lot of failure, and that's what we want to overcome." | ||
| Boehm agrees that building confidence along with skills is key, and she's seen this in her own daughter. "It was so nice to see her energy, excitement, and confidence in herself [after tutoring]. It will make a big difference in the future." | ||
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