Are tutors necessary? Who looks for tutors?
1) Parents who want their child to excel
- Students and parents have success with tutoring if both are realistic about student’s interest, patience and abilities and limitations- not everyone can, or wants to be, an A student.
- Getting a child into an elite college, after intensive tutoring, may not be a good outcome if they struggle once they are there. Realistic expectations are important in general.
2) Students with organizational difficulties
- These students usually respond well to tutoring, as individualized tutoring can help them figure out a style that works for them – color- coded notebooks/ planner/ phone reminders-- that are tailored to the way they think and work best.
3) Students with learning differences
- Students with ADD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, etc. require totally individualized plans, developed after meeting with students and parents. Cookie – cutter classroom tactics are frustrating to them, and don’t work well in a tutoring atmosphere, either.
- Study areas should be designed with this in mind containing sound masking (white noise) machines, buoy chairs for students who cannot sit still, and a well-lit environment.
- Tutors can also help students learn different study skills to help them retain information better based on their learning style (mind mapping, note taking, memorization techniques, etc.)
4) Students Preparing for Tests (ACT/ SAT prep)
- Prep classes can help those who are anxious about test- taking, so they feel better prepared for the actual test.
- These classes may not be as helpful to those who already do well on tests, and are trying to boost scores a few digits, unless there is a specific area or two where they don’t do as well and need to better understand the content.
What to look for in a tutor
1) Tutor must have the ability to observe and communicate with the student, to see what traits are helping or hindering them at school.
2) Tutor must be able to build trust with the student, which is easier when they are not a parent or teacher. They are free of being graded by the tutor.
3) The tutor should teach the student specific habits and help develop skills that work for them, and let them become more independent learners.
4) Tutor has mastered the topic in his/her own academic record – in other words, they know the material inside out
Expectations
1) Improved grades may be an effect, but shouldn’t be the immediate goal. More important is having a better grasp of the concepts and material so they strengthen their foundation from which future classes will be built upon
2) Student feels more successful, decreasing stress over homework and school performance. Building confidence
3) Tutoring does not have to be forever- when the student feels confident in their abilities to work without a tutor, they should move on.
Tips compiled by College Nannies + Tutors –Frisco.
College Nannies + Tutors is opening the first Dallas /Fort Worth location, in Frisco. Owners Amisha and Sanjiv Sinha, of Allen, Texas, will help local families find quality nannies, baby sitters and tutors. They have been operational since July, providing both nanny and tutoring services to families in Frisco, McKinney, Allen, and Plano, and will open their tutoring center located at 4350 W. Main Street, Frisco, on February 6, with an open house from 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. Purvi Ajmera, dean of Yorktown Education, will speak at 4:00 on “Roadmap to Student Driven Learning”. Attendees will have the opportunity to meet some of the nannies and tutors, enter a raffle to win babysitting, or tutoring sessions, and can sign up for a student to take a complimentary practice SAT test.