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Choosing a Tutor

By: Raichel Ronayne
Submitted: 2007-01-17 16:27:00
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When your child struggles with homework night after night and you read school reports about falling grades, you may consider hiring a tutor. Before you make a choice, you should ask questions so you can make an informed decision.

Does your child really need a tutor?

Falling grades and homework struggles are usually signs that your child needs a tutor, right? Not always. There can be several reasons that affect your child’s performance at school and finding the cause and solution may take a little investigation.

If your family has just moved to a new area, your child may feel insecure about being “the new kid” in school, or if your child has advanced to middle or high school, he/she may feel unsure about performing well in new subjects. These kinds of insecurities should pass with time and experience.

There may also be other reasons your child is having problems with his schoolwork: There may be a personality conflict with a teacher, encounters with schoolyard bullies or your child may be feeling pressure to succeed because his/her friends seem to easily grasp new concepts.

Your child may be unable or unwilling to articulate the source(s) of problems in school. If so, talk to his/her teacher(s). Ask them if your child’s behavior in class has changed; is there reluctance to participate in class discussions? Has your child been disruptive in class? Or does he/she seem isolated on the playground?

Searching for a tutor

Finding the right tutor for your child is a time–consuming process. You can begin your search by asking your child’s school if they recommend individual tutors or commercial tutoring centers. In addition, ask other parents if they have experience in hiring tutors.

If you consider using a commercial tutoring program, ask about the credentials of the tutors they employ and how they conduct their tutoring sessions. Some centers may assign a different tutor for every session or children may spend most of their time working with tutoring software. If you’re going to make a financial commitment, make sure you’re getting your money’s worth. Below are some specific questions you should consider in your search:

  • Does your child require a tutor for every subject or just one or two? Ask potential tutors if they have expertise in every subject or do they specialize in specific subjects?

  • What are the tutor’s qualifications? A tutor should be a certified teacher with experience or at least a graduate student working towards a teaching degree.

  • Are the tutor’s teaching methods and curriculum in line with your state’s standards?

  • Are there any special considerations that a tutor should know about your child’s learning style or temperament?

    • Consider the financial commitment of hiring a tutor

    Before you make a decision to hire a tutor, consider your financial commitment. Find out if commercial tutoring centers offer package deals such as charging one price for a specific amount of sessions instead of charging per hour.

    Independent tutors usually charge by the hour and the average price varies by location. At the minimum, a good tutor charges $20 to $35 an hour depending on their education and experience. Expect to pay more for a tutor specially trained to teach children with learning disabilities.

    Finally, ask yourself how much time will your child need to improve his/her grades? A few weeks? A few months? Anticipate a longer rather than a shorter time to see improvement. For example, if you can only afford a tutor for a few weeks but your child needs more, you should consider alternative resources like math or writing software.

    If your child has learning disabilities, make sure that a potential tutor has been specially trained to teach your child. Many tutoring centers don’t employ tutors with special training, so you may have to seek out an independent tutor or consult with a center that specializes in learning disabilities.

    Choosing a tutor can be time consuming and difficult and there are many things to think about and questions to ask. Nevertheless, once you find the right tutor, the positive changes in your child’s performance and confidence are worth it.

    References

    Broatch, Linda (09/22/2003). Questions to Ask Tutors. SchwabLearning.org, Retrieved 08/07/2006, from http://schwablearning.org/articles.asp?r=80

    Hall, Susan (09/28/2001). Finding a Good Reading Tutor. SchwabLearning.org, Retrieved 08/07/2006, from http://schwablearning.org/articles.asp?r=362

    Are You Caught in Tutoring Craze? [Television series episode]. In The Early Show. New York: CBS News.

    10/04/2004). Hiring a Tutor for Your Child [Television series episode]. In The Early Show. New York: CBS News.

    RaiChel Ronayne is a writer/reviewer for http://toptenreviews.com/. TopTenREVIEWS features expert reviews for technology and entertainment products and services. The company has served over 60 million Internet visitors, has over 400,000 pages of original content and provides users with free access to in-depth product and service reviews with side-by-side comparisons and industry related news and articles.

    Article source: Expert Articles

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