If you are thinking about engaging with a tutor, here are some helpful tips to mitigate the chance of hiring a tutor that simply does not click with your child, and what to do if that does happen.
If you have engaged with us for even a short period of time, you would know that while we value and hold a tutor’s knowledge and experience to a high standard, what we prioritise even more than that is their personality and ability to build rapport with their students.
It is no question that for a lesson to be effective and beneficial for your child, the tutor must be able to make the student feel comfortable, relaxed and enthusiastic about their lessons. It is absolutely essential that tutors are perceived as approachable by their students, in order to ensure they feel completely comfortable to ask questions and letting their tutor know when they don’t quite understand.
Why isn’t this always the case?
Most of the time, it is the parent seeking the tutor, not the student. Right away, this may mean that the student is not entirely enthusiastic about their upcoming tutoring sessions. This is all the more reason why the tutor must be the ‘right match’ for the student. The ‘right match’ encompasses a couple of areas, including experience, qualifications, but most of all, personality.
Whilst a tutoring session is focused around achieving particular learning goals, these goals cannot be achieved without positive tutor-student relations. Studies have shown that positive tutor-student bonds have strong positive correlations with gains in intellectual engagement. Students who are able to build strong rapport with their tutors have a greater motivation to perform well academically, receive and give feedback, and communicate effectively.
What is the disadvantage of having a tutor who just doesn’t click with your child?
The opposite, however, can even be harmful. A tutor whose personality is not one that positively influences the student can cause the student to dislike the subject or even rebel against the idea of tutoring. This can have a lasting negative impact on the student’s perspective on academic support outside of school.
What can you do to avoid hiring a tutor that does not have the right personality?
It is essential that, when engaging with a tutor, you are clear on the type of personality that your child has and the type of learning style that works well for them. At A² Tutors, we like to ask parents to think about a teacher that connected well with their child and got results, and to tell us about them and what they were like. Ensure that you are clear about the type of tutor you are after, whether it be someone who is more firm and clear with their expectations, or someone who has more warmth and patience. When this is done, you are most definitely able to be one step ahead of the game, and mitigate any negative attitudes that your child may have towards tutoring.
What do you do when the tutor hired simply does not suit your child?
At A² Tutors, open and honest communication is essential to ensuring we have established a tutor-student relationship that is positive and can be long lasting. Therefore, we don’t waste any time. Following the first tutoring session, we get in contact with the parents and ask one important question: How did your child feel after their lesson?
This simple question goes a long way, and allows us to understand whether the tutor assigned was able to provide and create the right learning environment for the student.
I have to be really clear here. Parents, you and your child know best. If it didn’t feel right, you must be honest and share that information in order to facilitate change. Although it is a rare occurrence due to our pre-engagement questions, if the tutor is not the right fit, we simply take that information on board and either:
Provide feedback and 1:1 training for the tutor to ensure improvement (where possible)
Cease lessons with the previous tutor and begin working on assigning someone new immediately.
So, there you have it. Be clear on what personality would work well for your child. Be honest following the first lesson to ensure any changes that need to be made, are made.
If you have had a negative experience with a tutor, or aren’t sure of what type of person would work best for your child, give us a call to get a professional opinion.
0481 180 222 | info@a2tutors.com.au
Happy learning!
Comments