Parents are constantly faced with choices for their children with regards to food, health, and safety. Besides choosing a school, parents have not had to make many choices regarding their child’s education. Now, things have changed. With the spread of large tutoring companies and independent tutors, choosing the right tutoring services that would fit the needs and abilities of their children is becoming a difficult task for some parents.
There are numerous tutoring chains, certified teachers, and university grads who are offering tutoring services. Based on the increasing demand and pressure that students experience in school such as a more rigorous curriculum and larger class size, parents feel the need for supplemental education. Due to other responsibilities, parents find it difficult to find the time to help tutor their own children at home.
As a parent, you want to make sure that your child receives high quality tutoring sessions. How do you know how to find or choose the best tutoring service out there for our child?
Here are some tips you might want to consider.
Experience
Make sure that the tutor you hire has classroom and tutoring experience. A teacher, who also has experience tutoring, will understand the dynamics and intricacies of properly imparting information to your child. That is, a good teacher knows how to teach different children, with different needs, in different situations. You should consider that a certified teacher spends 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, and 10 months a year teaching children. This is his or her job. You might pay for the experience, but in the long run, it is worth it.
Certification
If you are going to pay for tutoring, you should make sure that the tutor is a certified teacher. It is not to say that a non-teacher isn’t a good tutor. It is important to consider that a certified teacher has the training and experience you should be looking for when hiring someone to teach your child. Furthermore, most states and provinces require a police background check in order for certification. This should give you peace of mind.
Communication
A good tutor will be sure to effectively communicate your child’s ongoing progress. You should be aware of your child’s progress on a regular basis. Furthermore, a good tutor should offer to communicate with your child’s teacher in order to focus on your child’s academic needs in school
Location
Some children learn better at home while others learn better in a different environment. Most children though, feel more comfortable in their own home and prefer to learn there. An in-home tutor can conveniently come to your home and work with your child. In this situation, your child may feel more relaxed and be more receptive to learning. Furthermore, some children might find it difficult to adjust to learning in a tutoring center. It may take them several or many sessions before they would become comfortable with the location and with the other students there.
Whether you are deciding on hiring a tutor because your child needs extra help has a learning disability, or you want your child to get ahead, it is important to consider such factors as: experience, certification, communication, and the location of a tutor.