Teacher Education

You may be struggling in school and feel like a failure. You may have big academic goals and feel like you need help in reaching them. Could a tutor help? Would it be worth the cost in time and money?
Since ancient times, skills and knowledge have been passed on through one-on-one instruction, and this kind of education is as effective today as it has always been. Much of what we learn best is learned from individual instruction, whether it be from parents, grandparents, mentors, friends, co-workers, or teachers. We each have unique needs and ways of learning, and tutoring taps into this effective method of teaching and learning. As a high school teacher and owner of a tutor referral service, I have seen it: the more individualized the instruction, the better.
Tutoring can always improve learning, but this does not mean every student should have a tutor. Hiring a tutor is an investment, and like any investment, the costs must be weighed against the benefits. There are at least three important questions to consider when deciding whether to get a tutor.
The first is obvious: How well you are currently performing in school? A tutor can make the difference between passing and failing, graduating and not graduating, and of course, tutoring is an important option in such cases. If you are already doing well, you may not need a tutor. But that depends on what level of performance is acceptable to you. A tutor can help make the difference between a B and an A, and this can also be a good reason to get a tutor.
The second consideration is your motivational level. Are you really trying? Are you willing to put real effort into learning? Is improvement really important to you? No matter what your reason for seeking a tutor, it is unlikely to help if you are not motivated or not really trying. Before you call for a tutor, look inside yourself and ask whether you really want to do better, and how badly you want it. If you are having trouble with motivation, a tutor may be able to help, but he or she will need to start by working on your motivation and goals, rather than math, English, or other subjects. Before you can improve your grades, you have to want to do so. Tutoring is not a magic pill. The tutor cannot upload the understandings and skills into your mind. He or she is there to help you acquire your own skills and understanding. That requires your action.
I believe that every person is a powerful individual with tremendous potential for personal fulfillment. But if you don’t believe that about yourself, or you don’t believe you can or should do anything about it, you will struggle with motivation. This is what psychologist Nathaniel Branden calls self-esteem, and it is a good place to start if you are struggling with motivation. You have the power and the right to improve your life.
But what if you have healthy self-esteem and yet remain unmotivated? This is possible, because the question of motivation is closely tied to the next one: What are your goals? If you are not motivated to perform in school, it may be because you simply value something else more highly. What are your goals and priorities in life? If you have never answered these questions, now is the time to start. You may find that answering this question solves the rest of the problems automatically.
The tutor cannot answer this for you. Only you know what you want out of life. For many people, fogginess about goals and priorities automatically leads to struggles with motivation. So, set some goals. Read Stephen Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People (or Sean Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective Teens), and do some real soul-searching. “Know thyself,” as Socrates put it. A tutor or mentor can help you sort it out.
Setting goals will help answer the question of how well you need to do in school. For many colleges and universities, C’s and B’s may not be acceptable, and straight A’s may help you stand out. If college is not in your plans, you will still want to do well in school, but you may want to balance schoolwork with other preparations: starting a business, learning a trade, or building your own vocation. And even if college is your goal, you may need to balance schoolwork with other important tasks like a job, family responsibilities or college scholarship applications. Tutoring takes time, and the more work you put into it, the more you will get out. You may need to reevaluate your priorities and reassess your whole schedule. A tutor or mentor can help you to sort out these issues, set goals and clear …

One of the most difficult decisions that a parent must make is whether or not to find a tutor to help their child when he is being challenged by his schoolwork. It is a delicate balance that has to be maintained between getting the child the help that he needs to be successful in school without stripping away what confidence he has left and making him believe that he is a failure. But there are a handful of things that a parent can look for in trying to determine if the time is right to find a tutor for their child. If your child seems like he learns differently, if he seems to read well but fails to understand what he read, if he isn’t keeping up with his class, or if you sit down and try to help him with his homework but you have no idea how to do the assignment either then it is probably time for you to find a tutor than can help your child.
If your child seems to learn differently then he may be having difficulty with the way that the material is being presented to him in the classroom. This does not necessarily mean that your child has any type of learning disability. Every person has their own way of learning that works best for them and allows them to best understand what is being taught. Some people learn by reading, some by listening, and some by watching. You need to find a tutor that will figure out which method works best for your child.
You have your child read his homework assignments out loud to you and he seems to be a very good reader. However when you ask him to explain to you the meaning of what he just read he has no idea. There are methods to aid in reading comprehension that can be taught to him by a tutor that will not only help him understand better what he is reading but also help him to retain that knowledge.
Getting left behind while all of his friends move ahead to the next grade is one of the most devastating things that can happen to a student. If you have any feelings that your child is falling behind to the point that he may be held back then it is vital that you find a tutor right away so that you give him every opportunity to catch up to his classmates and move on with them.
You enjoy sitting down with your child each evening and helping him with his homework but you have found yourself getting confused lately and are spending quite a bit of time figuring the assignment out for yourself before you are able to help him. No one can be an expert at everything and many of the subjects being taught in school have changed quite a bit in just a generation’s time. There is no reason not to admit to yourself and your child that his studies are just over your head and that it is best if you find him a tutor to help him with his homework. What is best for your child should be your guiding principle.…