Good grades, acceptance letters into college, and successful careers are the benefits your student will gain from tutoring. Here are 11 things to remember during this rewarding experience.
- Clear your schedule. Make sure to find a time of the week where you will always be free. You wouldn’t want to cancel a session before a big test.
- Find the areas of need. Speak to the student’s teacher or parents to find out exactly what your student needs help with.
- Refresh your memory. Make sure you understand the material. Nothing is more embarrassing and unhelpful than not knowing how to answer a question.
- Introduce yourself. Make sure to introduce and tell him or her about yourself. You want the environment to be comfortable and trusting.
- Give examples. If your student struggles or gets nervous, tell him or her some stories about when you had difficulty understanding a problem. Enforce that everyone makes mistakes.
- Be patient. Understand that your student is young and less-experienced. If he or she does not understand the problem after a few times make sure to be patient, not frustrated.
- Give positive feedback. When your student understands a problem, give positive feedback so that your student feels confident.
- Allow breaks. Learning something new can be draining. Make sure to give breaks to allow for the material to sink in.
- Do not argue. Talk to the parent or teacher in charge if your student does not listen or cooperate.
- Do not do the work. Your student will never understand the material if you do it. Ask the student to explain the problem and keep asking questions.
- Make the material interesting. Learn about your student’s interests and find a way to connect it to the material. You can have your student write about a hobby to work on grammar, or connect video game characters to those in a book.
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Sources: Csvinc, Tutoring- Expert
