Getting the Most from Your Child's Tutor
How Parents Can Foster a Successful Tutoring Relationship
Jun 4, 2009
When you hire a tutor for your child, you are also hiring a new employee. If you want to make sure that your child's tutoring is effective and that your child will ultimately be able to succeed independently, you will need to manage your tutor the way you would an employee: by communicating your expectations, by periodically checking progress, and by giving helpful feedback.
Find the Right Tutor for the Job
The first step in helping your child get the most out of tutoring is to find the right tutor. The three things to look for in a good tutor are: in-depth knowledge of the material, relevant teaching experience, and compatibility with your child. It is always a good idea to set up a trial session to test whether the tutor and the child “click” before you commit to a long-term tutoring relationship.
Establish Academic Expectations
Discuss expectations for the tutoring – first with your child, and then with the tutor. For example, you may want a tutor who acts as a “homework helper,” working with your child on a regular basis all year long. You may want a tutor who works with your child for only a few weeks, to get your child through a tough period. Or you may want a tutor who has no regular sessions but whom you can call as needed. Tell the tutor what long-term plan you have in mind. Many students are happy to rely on the tutor as a permanent crutch, but the tutor can usually help steer the student toward independence, if you state that goal from the outset.
You should also discuss goals for your child's achievement with the tutor. Keep in mind, however, that end results like grades are not totally under the tutor's control. The best goal is not an “A+” grade but an independent, confident student who can do the work on his own, as much as possible.
Encourage Time for “Skills and Drills”
One way to speed up your child's progress is to encourage the tutor and child to spend a portion of each session on basic skills. Students will almost always want to use a tutoring session to get their homework done or study for a test the next day, but this can mean that your student's underlying problems (such as bad spelling or poor organization skills) never get addressed. If the student is always in crisis mode, then the tutor may be put in the position of always “putting out fires” rather than working on long-term solutions. Ask the tutor and student to agree that some sessions, or a certain portion of each session, should be spent on long-term improvement, not just short-term assignments.
Making Special Requests from the Tutor
You should feel free to make special requests from the tutor that are specific to the needs of your child. It is reasonable to ask a tutor:
- to get in contact with your child's teachers or support staff to discuss your child's academic work, learning style or special needs
- to write or find practice materials to help your child with skills-building
- to have brief phone consultations with you and/or the student about assignments, or even to discuss whether a tutoring session is really necessary
Remember that whenever you ask the tutor to spend a lot of time working outside of regular tutoring sessions, you should pay them accordingly.
Check in With the Child and the Tutor
Periodically, ask your child how the tutoring is going, what would make it more effective, and whether it needs to continue. Do the same with the tutor. Keep in mind that tutors will be more frank about a child's progress when the child isn't present. Likewise, a child may be ready to end the tutoring or is dissatisfied with how sessions are going, but is shy about saying so in front of the tutor. You can help your child get the most out of tutoring sessions by facilitating communication.
End the Tutoring Relationship on a Good Note
Whenever you decide to end the tutoring, try to let the tutor know why you have stopped the tutoring. Give positive feedback, as well as mentioning things that the tutor can do better. You may end up needing the tutor again, or referring the tutor to a friend.
You can help your child to succeed academically by giving effective and helpful guidelines and feedback to the tutor who works with your child. By communicating your expectations, checking in, and “managing” your child's tutor in a positive way, you will help your child to achieve the best academic results.
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