There’s a beautiful
saying that any parents would find hit them right in the heart: When my children
surpass me, that’s when I win. And of course, it’s
true. Parents we really want their children to have more of everything that they have. Healthier and happier, definitely. More successful too.
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But parents can’t
just wish and hope their children will be able to somehow achieve them on their
own. Parent’s support is essential, in many forms, from love, affection,
understanding, to material support.
One of the material
support that will really help your children and create an impact is probably
tutoring. School is children’s main responsibility, but not all children have
the same talent and ability to keep up with what their curriculum expects.
Preply tutoring helps children to gain more understanding of a subject they can’t focus on the class. It makes them setting time aside to actually study.
But, not any tutor
will do that for you. Finding the right tutor for your children can be somewhat
confusing. Sometimes you manage to find someone with the right credentials and
the skills you approve, but your children just don’t seem to like him. Sometimes
your children specifically know who they want to teach, but when you actually
meet that tutor, you have this nagging feeling that this person could be a bad
influence.
So, how can you
find the best tutor for your kid? Here are several tips.
1. Know your children’s
strength and weakness
Before you even
start finding tutor, it’s important to know this. Not all children are created
equal. Some will show excellent understanding in numerical problem, while
others are probably more talented with words and shapes and colors.
Understanding which one is your children’s strength and which one is their
weakness is important to make a decision for their tutoring.
What is it that
your kid needs the most? Do they have problem recognizing the bigger picture of
the problem presented in their textbook? Maybe they have problem recognizing
the problem they have to solve? Or maybe, they just need extra practice
answering problems? Recognizing what your children need helps you decide what
kind of tutor will match your kid’s learning style later. Science tuition is one of the most sought-after services nowadays, this may be a result of the very complex nature of subjects like biology, chemistry, and physics.
2. Security is Priority
You don’t want
someone without any clear identity tutoring your kid privately. That’s why
background check is always a necessity. Short interview session is always a
good idea, especially if you get a tutor that works on his on her own. Ask for
their ID, and get some idea of who they are.
But of course, don’t be too nosy
that can make your future interaction awkward. Tutors from tutoring agency are
usually already get their background checked, so if you want to cut this one
step, you may opt to call an agency and
ask them to send their tutor instead of conducting the interview on your own.
3. Check their Credentials
After you are sure
of who your tutor is, it’s time to check if he or she really has the capability
to tutor. Are they well-versed in the subject they are teaching and have the
right documents or license to prove it? Do they have experience, and if yes,
how long?
Usually, the most
sought after tutors are the professional teachers.
They definitely know their
subject, and know how to handle students as well. The drawback is, of course,
they can be quite expensive, and maybe even overqualified. Student tutors are
widely available, usually have flexible tutoring time, and have lower rate.
4. Set a goal
Before starting the
tutoring session, it will help both your children and their tutor if they have
goal that they have to achieve together. However, the goal shouldn’t be too
technical and numerical, because it can turn into burden real quick. Don’t go
tell your tutor that you expect your children’s mark to be A after the
semester, that’s one way to make your tutor feel pressured, and it may cause
him or her to be stricter during tutoring, which make it less fun for your
children.
Instead, the goal
should have always been about better understanding on the subject. You don’t
expect your children to bring home A, but you expect them to at least able to
explain their answer to you when you quiz them.
5. Communicate,
communicate
Even if you’ll
mostly leave your tutor and your children alone during tutoring, it doesn’t
mean that you should stop talking to him or her. Don’t just engage him or her
in small talk during the brief time you meet, but actually ask about the
tutoring progress. Is your children following the lesson well? What does he or
she find as challenge when tutoring your children?
The communication
should go both ways. Encourage the tutor to ask you if he or she needs any
understanding about your kid’s personality, interest, or learning style –
basically anything that can help them find a way to tutor your kids better.
6. Don’t be afraid to cut
It will take a
while before you or your children can see whether the tutoring helps or not.
Sometimes it does, but sometimes it doesn’t. If it doesn’t, you’ll have to find
the problem why. Could it be that the tutor and your kid don’t like each other,
or just don’t match together?
If the problem is
not something you can fix, then don’t be afraid to cut the tutoring session,
even if it’s not the end of the tutoring period you’ve agreed together. You may
be reluctant to do it because then you’ll have to find new tutor and process
will start all over again. But, there’s no reason to continue an unproductive
tutoring unless you want to waste your money.
If you find your
tutor from reputable agency, however, you don’t have to worry. You can talk to
the agency and tell them your reason and your concern, and they will arrange
new tutor for you.
Do you have any
experience in finding the right tutor for your children? What kind of tutor
click and match your children’s learning style and personality? Share your
story with us below.
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