Many parents have recently been asking me about tutoring for their child. The most often asked question is: “Does my child need tutoring?” My answer is always: “Yes!” All students can benefit from tutors, not just those students who are low in their grades. In my opinion, students who excel in scholastics need tutors more than students who do not. The average A+ students can quickly become bored with school. Often, teachers unwillingly neglect the students who cruise through class with a high grade because the teacher’s attention is needed by the students who struggle. The A+ students become unchallenged and lose interest in his or her studies. A good tutor helps to keep the student focused and challenged.
A good tutor will connect with the student and teach within the student’s style of learning. No two students learn exactly the same way. A good tutor can quickly assess the students and know how to present the material properly. Many tutors become more of a homework helper rather than a subject tutor. I prefer the single subject tutor. The average tutoring is between 30-40 minutes. Fitting 4-6 subjects in such a small amount of time is not only pointless to the learning process, but also frustrating to both the tutor and the student.
Understanding where your child’s weaknesses are will greatly save time and money on finding the right tutor for your child. Once you have your child’s struggling subject known, find a single subject tutor for the weak subject. I have tutored many children and found that once confidence is gained in their worst subject, the student’s other subjects increase as well.
Our valley has many resources for you to use. Most resources are already available at your child’s school, some at no extra charge. I highly recommend that you call your child’s school and inquire about their tutoring programs. Other programs existing around our valley include the Academic Advantage and Sylvan Learning Center, who both have good reputations and guarantee their tutoring. My personal favorite as a mathematics teacher is Mathnasium, located in Palm Desert. With a K-12 tutoring availability, Mathinasium brings fun to math. All of these centers, and tutors for that matter, will have their own type of instructional techniques. When using these centers, make sure their instruction will suit your child, because no one knows your child better than you do.
Price is always the hardest to discuss, but never be afraid to haggle. The centers are very set in their price plans, but local tutors have more room to deal with. Expect prices to be a little high. Many tutors charge between $30-$60 per hour depending on subject, preference, and distance. Be careful in you selection and remember to suit your child’s needs. If you are going to hire an in-home tutor, I suggest looking up wyzant.com. They have listings for local tutors, and you can order background checks on them.
Tutoring is a highly important necessity for any successful student. If pricing is out of your reach, many places, such as the Academic Advantage, can help by finding government programs. Do your research, be active in your child’s learning, and get all the help they need now. By the way, Colleges love tutors on applications.
