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Choosing a Tutor
By Ned Johnson and Emily Warner
When you go to choose a tutor for your child, it’s crucial
that you know what you’re looking for first. It’s pretty
clear you want someone who knows Latin to help your daughter
with that tricky Latin course, or someone who actually plays
the tuba to give your son a little extra band practice.
After that critical criterion has been met, however, it’s
sometimes difficult to know your next move in finding that
tutor who is really going to help your child succeed.
Spend a little bit of time clarifying your goals. Are you
looking for some supplementary physics help, or are you
prepping for a major exam? How intense should the
preparation be, and how high of a priority is this in your
child’s life? You’ll want to choose a tutor whose level of
intensity, schedule, and hourly rate match up with your
schedule and priorities. Also, don’t forget to ask for your
child’s input. He’ll be much more likely to make good use of
the extra help if he’s had a hand in making it happen.
Once you think you’ve found a great tutor, don’t jump right
into setting appointments and plunking down checks. Taking
care of a few crucial questions can make an enormous
difference in your child’s tutoring experience. Some of
these questions can be answered through simply talking with
the prospective tutor; others may require calling up a few
of his references.
Ask around. Good tutors will have solid reputations in your
school, your church, and your neighborhood. Educational
consultants and other tutors also know who else is good in
the business. Ask people what they specifically liked about
a certain tutor. The attributes that they appreciated may be
the wrong ones for your child.
Find a tutor who knows his stuff, and can convey that
confidence to your child. My student just this morning told
me that she was one of those people with an incredibly
uptight attitude towards the SAT, but that my calmness
helped her set a better tone in her test preparation. She
was then able to take that same confidence into the test. An
intense tutor may be able to teach your child a whole new
set of skills, but may also increase the likelihood that
your child will be too stressed to make use of his new tools
when it counts. A tutor who can share his confidence with
your child will make it more likely that your child will
have the confidence to shine on test day.
A good tutor will ask lots of questions to assess your needs
before presenting himself as the solution. I’ve heard
parents complain that their former tutors just wouldn’t
listen to their assessments of their child’s problems and
were, understandably, unsuccessful in solving those
problems. A good tutor is like a good physician. He has a
good bedside manner and recognizes that the patient and his
family can provide invaluable information. It’s not that the
information won’t be discovered eventually by the tutor
himself—it just makes a whole lot of sense to have that
knowledge at the beginning rather than spend time bumbling
around without it. Your tutor should ask not only about past
test scores and grades, but about your child’s learning
personality, extracurricular pressures, and academic goals.
After all, how can he help to meet your child’s goals if
he’s never listened to what they are?
A good tutor is responsive to the needs of his student.
That, after all, is why you’re looking for a tutor instead
of a large classroom situation. Ask your potential tutor how
she plans to adapt her curriculum or style to the specific
pedagogical needs of your child. A tutor who is unable to
explain this is probably not the best tutor for your child.
Personality is incredibly important. Especially for a sullen
or withdrawn child, it can take weeks to break through that
surface resistance to get the child to a point in which she
can actually listen to and learn from a tutor. An impatient,
dictatorial, or supercilious tutor will never be able to do
that. We all fantasize that it is only ourselves whom our
children tend to ignore, and that they sit rapt with
attention in class. In fact, kids only really listen to
people they like and respect. People like people who like
them. A good tutor is a bit of a chameleon. She can show
interest in the arts, music, or sports of her students, even
if she doesn’t do those things herself. Students respond to
tutors and teachers who care about not just their academic
success, but about their lives as well.
Finally, don’t be afraid to change horses midstream. If your
child is reluctant to complete tutoring assignments or to
attend tutoring sessions, if he returns from those sessions
unengaged, unexcited, and discouraged, you may need to look
for a tutor who is a better fit for your child. Be sure,
however, to ask your child and tutor specifically why things
aren’t going well and what they’d like more or less of. If,
on the other hand, your child returns from a tutoring
session energized and confident, then your tutor is doing
just the job you’re paying him for: helping your child be
successful.
By Ned Johnson and Emily Warner, who tutor for various
standardized tests at PrepMatters, Inc. in
Bethesda, MD.
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