One of the reasons why we started our tutoring program was that in many families in the United States, both parents work.  Often mom or dad will be gone until 6 or 7 p.m.  Instead of sitting around and watching television, it makes more sense to use the time constructively to work on homework.

We saw a really big need in communities nationwide for tutors to come in while parents were still at work and help students with their homework.  While we don’t require it, we usually recommend that at least one parent be present for the first 1-2 tutoring sessions to make sure they feel comfortable leaving their son or daughter alone with the tutor and that it is a good fit.  Another reason for a parent to be present is so that they can be more involved in goal setting and expectations for the student and tutor.

Summer is a great time for students to work on study skills, get caught up on subject material, and study for standardized tests.  Some students enroll in summer school classes and have ongoing homework assignments while others have spoken with their teachers at the end of the previous semester to get recommendations on what they can work on over the summer.

We have a lot of parents that contact us over the summer that want to work on specific skills like math or writing and we do our best to connect them with a tutor that can help them in their home.  Depending on when a customer contacts us, we can talk to the students’ teacher(s) and get recommendations on additional assignments and activities they can work on over the summer.  If we are not able to reach the students’ teacher, then our tutors can usually come up with other materials to use.

Aside from improving on subject material from the previous school year, a lot of parents want to keep their child’s brains from turning to mush over the summer. Signing up for a class or contacting a tutoring service can be a good way to keep things fresh so that they come better prepared for the upcoming school year. It also helps to build a relationship with a tutor early on so that the tutor can catch problems early once the school year starts again.

There are good tutors and there are great tutors. What sets them apart is their love for learning, their devotion to each and every student, and their continuing interest to hone their skills. Aside from the money and the flexible hours, which draws most tutors to the profession, there is an underlying need to “teach” other people.

While some tutors work independently, others work for a tutoring service which allows them to spend less time on advertising and billing and more time helping students learn study skills, improve their grades, and pass tests.

People become tutors for different reasons, some for the extra money and others to gain valuable experience which they can use when applying for full-time teaching jobs or deciding if they want to start a student teaching program. There are a select few; however, that go above and beyond this.

A “great” tutor of which we have many working for us truly loves what they do. They will usually do research before each tutoring session and spend time at the end of each session assigning homework, setting goals, and speaking with the student and parents about the progress (or lack of) that they are seeing.

Some (but not all) people have had a “great” tutor at one point in their lives that left a lasting impression on them either because they personally benefited from their experiences or their son or daughter did. Aside from helping a student master a specific subject, a “great” tutor can help teach study skills and build self-confidence which follows them throughout their lives.