Selecting a Tutor
By Michele Blandino
Many parents will turn to private tutors to help their children overcome a particular academic difficulty or, in some cases, to provide enrichment in one or more subject areas.
As you might expect, all tutors are not the same. Just as doctors specialize in certain areas of medicine, most tutors will have areas of specialty. As a result, you will need to put time and effort into your tutor search to find the right match for your child.
Identifying the Need
The first step in locating the right tutor is to identify why the tutor is needed. This can be accomplished by meeting with your child's teacher. During the meeting, you should ask for specific examples of your child's performance; test scores, term papers, and homework can all highlight areas of academic performance that need to be addressed.
Starting the Search
Once the need for a tutor has been identified, your search can begin. Your child's teacher is the obvious first place to obtain referrals; in some cases, the teacher may offer to provide the needed services. You can also seek the advice of friends or the parents of your child's classmates. Other referral sources can be found in the school's guidance office, your child's physician and local libraries.
Like other services, having a referral is very important when selecting a tutor. That said, you should resist the urge to contact tutors who advertise their services in grocery stores, gyms and others community areas.
After you have identified several candidates, you should conduct interviews. Remember, the tutor you select will be helping your child overcome a difficulty; their success - or failure - may have a lasting effect on your child's future academic accomplishments.
Asking the Right Questions
Your interviews will help you assess whether the candidates you have identified will be able to adequately help your child. To help in making this assessment, you should ask questions to help determine the tutor's qualifications, as well as their experience both as a tutor and a teacher.
Once you have assessed the candidate's general qualifications, you should ask questions relating to your child's specific need. For example, if your child is having trouble in a specific area of math, you will want to know what the tutor's experience is in that area. If your child's needs are more pronounced, such as a specific learning disability or speech delay, you will want to be assured that the tutor you select has experience in these areas.
Your child's age is also a consideration - some tutors may be experienced only in the primary grades while others specialize in middle or high school age students. To illustrate the importance of factoring age into your decision, imagine what would happen if you were to select a tutor whose only experienced is with kindergarten aged children, to tutor your high school student in Geometry.
After assessing the candidates' qualifications, you should next ask about the tutor's teaching methods. Ask how long each session will last and how often they will be held. Be sure to find out how you will be kept apprised of your child's progress - will you have periodic conferences or will there be written progress reports?
Getting Started
Before making a commitment with a tutor, you should arrange for an evaluation. This no-obligation session should provide the tutor with the opportunity to conduct their own assessment of your child's needs and formulate a plan for addressing these needs. This meeting will also provide the opportunity for you to determine whether your child and the tutor will work well together.
It may take a few tries before you find a tutor who can help your child, but by following these steps, you will increase your chances of selecting the right tutor for your child.