Tutoring In 2016 - Why Do It?

When I was a student at secondary school, there was a real stigma around the concept of private tutoring. For some reason, the students that had someone to improve their academic potential, were seen as `try-hards` and `suck-ups`. This concept has greatly changed with the increase in people holding degrees, and exam boards raising grade boundaries. I thought it might be of interest, especially if you are someone who is unsure if tutoring is right for you or your child, to put down the reasons I have come across for why parents are electing to `hone at home` when it comes to their child`s education.

• The classroom isn`t right for my child: This is something I hear a lot from parents I communicate with, and even more so from students. It is fair to say that the majority of people find it harder to concentrate when they are surrounded by their peers. I do believe that this is a skill that, unfortunately for those students, they will have to develop, as it is very rare that in adult life, they will have a job that allows them to work in isolation and on their own terms. Tutoring allows these students time to focus, and work one-on-one with someone that is hopefully geared up to help them understand their subject, and spark an enthusiasm that they may have struggled to grasp in a large classroom environment. It also allows the pupil to lead a session, and ask the questions that they couldn`t ask in class, or were afraid might be `stupid`. It is every tutors hope that they can establish a positive and productive working relationship with their students, no matter the age, and work on making them bring out the best in themselves, especially when examinations start looming.

• The teacher doesn`t work well with my child: In my years working with young people, I have seen that it takes a certain level of intelligence for a young person to admit that the reason they might not be succeeding in a subject is due to a lack of relationship with the person teaching them. I have yet to meet a teacher that doesn`t care about their students, and a lot of the time, a clash early on, or a lack of understanding can sometimes build barriers that seem hard to repair. Teachers are not beings of infinite time, and they are human too, so can be forgiven for not always seeing the best in a pupil 100% of the time, especially if that student repeatedly seems disengaged. Sometimes it takes an outside influence to come in and try and pick up the pieces of that relationship and rebuild it, giving the pupil a chance to pick up a subject they may not feel valued in, and show their teacher that they are able and do care. Parents also have to remember that not all teachers are as personable as each other. I have always been lucky in being quite outgoing, I feel that given time I will always do my best to find a way to connect with a pupil and get them to bring out the best in themselves, some people don`t have that desire. Academia doesn`t always make you as likeable and entertaining as Stephen Fry.

• I want the best for my child: This one is the most common and easiest to understand. Working on something, practising something and taking on professional advice will always make you better at a task. If you want to learn to ride a bike, you have to fall off a few times first and listen to what you did wrong. When you drive a car, you will make a few mistakes, your instructor will let you know what they are, and how to avoid them. Tuition is just another example of building on what you know, learning where you went wrong, and making sure you are improving on what you are doing.

• The class is moving too quick for my child/ They have missed some content: This is a much less used reason for people to look towards tutoring, but it does happen. It`s not fun playing catch-up by yourself, and often simply not doing it is the easiest option. We have all been there you miss a deadline at work/ you need to paint the garage/ the lawn needs mowing/ dinner needs to be cooked - we are build to find the easiest way out of problems, that why humans have developed so much, and invested in technology to make managing life easier, but sometimes there isn`t an app for that. As with looking to improve someone`s results, catching up, or explaining something in a different way is best handled in person with someone that is well-versed in repeating themselves in various ways a few times a lesson. Don`t overlook the importance of giving the same information in a different way, it can often mean that a hard subject can be broken apart and made much easier by changing the way it`s taught.

I have tried to establish the 4 main reasons I see people coming to private tutors in this article, and will hopefully have eased the preconceptions that you may have regarding tutoring. If I have missed anything, or you feel there are any amendments or recommendations that could be made, please feel free to contact me, and I will happily amend the article and console your worries.
I wish you the best of luck searching for your perfect tutor.