The 12 Days of Tutoring

Why Tutoring is Important

Tutoring Makes a Difference. Tutors can help your children beyond helping them understand a topic or completing their homework. For example, hiring a tutor can help make learning fun and build self confidence. Furthermore it can improve academic success throughout their entire education.

So in the spirit of Christmas, here are the 12 days of tutoring, or 12 reasons why tutoring can make all the difference in your children’s education.

Tutoring Makes a Difference

Because You’re Busy

It’s the simple things that often have the most impact. For example, between work, personal schedules and after school activities, parents can get worn out! By the time you get home you may not always have the mental space or energy for homework. However, with a private tutor, you will have someone who shows up at your home refreshed. Therefore, a tutor will be ready to dig into your child’s task list with no delays or distractions.  Additionally, while working with your child, you can finish a load of laundry, run an errand or assist another child. All in all, your life is a little less hectic.

Tutoring makes a Difference – Helps Establish an Early Foundation

Children in the early elementary school grades have a lot of work to do. To clarify, they are learning mathematical building blocks and acquiring reading comprehension. When kids struggle to master these early skills they can have difficulty grasping more challenging concepts. However, the school system cannot always offer added support. Consequently, “These gaps become greater as children get older, but tutoring can support their ability to acquire comprehension skills and decipher concepts before the situation becomes too stressful,” says Charlene Andersson, an educator for eighteen years who tutors grade-school students in Valencia, Calif.

Why tutoring is important – Supports One-on-One Learning

Overcrowded classrooms are another issue which often affects a child’s ability to learn. In other words, a class of thirty or more students by definition, limits a teacher’s ability to give kids one-on-one time. As a result, there is less time to explain concepts fully or to answer every child’s question. Children may also become embarrassed to keep asking questions if they are struggling. So, tutoring gives your child the opportunity to take as much time as they need to understand the work in front of them.

Builds Confidence and Self-Esteem

Kids are so eager to please their parents that sometimes they don’t communicate their struggles. A good tutor will take time to get to know your child, creating a safe space for them to discuss issues affecting learning. Consequently, this can enhance their feelings of self-worth and bolster their skills at school.”Role playing can be especially beneficial for children who are experiencing upsets at school,” says Andersson. “This can help with social paralysis as well as learning paralysis.”

Tutoring makes a Difference – Offers Strength-Based Training

Julia Simens, author of “Emotional Resilience and the Expat Child,” believes that tutoring a child in their strong subjects as well as their weaker ones is important. Thus helping to build confidence that will support their across-the-board learning in all subjects.”When parents only get tutoring for the weak areas, a child may feel defeated or think that they are a loser. Tutors can spend, for example, 25 minutes working on a weaker skill like math and after a break, 15 minutes on a strength-based subject, such as reading skills or even music or sports. Then you can finish up with 15 minutes of intense work on the weaker subject.”

Why tutoring is important – Helps with Common Core Standards

In 2014, the national Common Core Standards will be implemented nationwide. “Every state will have the same standard for learning and the focus will be on short answers and essays, not on multiple choice,” says Andersson. “This will require a lot of mental application, so tutors will be needed to help with the transition.”

Gives Your Child Permission to Struggle

Author and mother to two teenagers, Karen Mishra, Ph.D. has seen first-hand how tutoring makes a difference. “Working with a tutor, my kids got individualized attention from someone who let them know they actually could understand the material. They were not dumb and just needed to take the time to figure things out. Having the extra time and attention gave them permission to struggle without shame. Going on to succeed away from the eyes of peers who might make fun of them, or teachers whose expectations might not be realistic.”

Helps Them Develop A Positive view of Their Own Learning

Sadly some students, when they struggle with something at school, start to believe that they can’t learn. Perhaps believing that there is something wrong with them. In fact they have just needed a bit more time or one more explanation. Having a tutor can prevent this belief and while it is an investment it is one that is very worthwhile. They can develop a positive mind set about their own learning which then has an impact on their self-esteem.

Helps Maintain Acquired Skills During Summer

Tutoring can be beneficial to children during the summer months. For example, if you have concerns that they will lose some of the ground they gained over the past year.”Tutoring at this time should not be used to push a child who is already doing well,” cautions Anderrson, who believes that summer tutoring should be used to help transition to the next grade but should not be aggressive.

Helps Children Ace Standardized Tests

“Education is high stakes now and kids are increasingly needing to score well on tests, such as SAT’s or the ISEE for acceptance to private middle school,” says pediatric neuropsychologist, Rita Eichenstein, Ph.D. “Having a private tutor who is trained in these subjects can really help a child perform up to his best,” she adds.

Eliminates the Parent-Child Homework Wars

Eichenstein believes that the most stressful part of the elementary child-parent relationship is homework! “By the time it’s homework time, most parents are pooped. Whether they work full time or are busy shuffling their kids around, making dinner and supervising bath and bed time routines, parents are not the ideal homework monitor, particularly given how much work children have,” she says. Tutors can take the pressure off and add to the family’s quality of life while teaching kids to be responsible for their own work.

Demonstrates Your Commitment to Education

This is an important message for your child. You value their learning so highly that you are prepared to invest money, time and energy to make sure they are supported. Parents often ask if they should let the school know their child has a tutor and I would always suggest they do as it demonstrates how seriously you take your child’s education.

When speaking with parents about your tutoring services, don’t hesitate to focus on some of these great reasons. The extra care and support you supply will give parents the assurance they need to hire you.

Referenced from Corey Kagan Whelan, 10 Reasons you need to Hire a Tutor.

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