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Whether your child is lost in a haze of elementary grammar rules, sinking fast in a jumble of Newton’s laws in middle school, or lost in the details of an AP biology class, you need help quickly, before your child falls way behind the class and never recovers. So, what exactly can you do….now?

Many frustrated parents solve this problem by hiring a tutor. However, each family has unique needs, and tutors have many degrees of know-how and caring. So it is important to know what you want, then thoroughly investigate the skill, experience, commitment and personality of the tutor.

1. Know your goals

Ask yourself or your child’s teacher:

1. What level of help do we need? Does my child need homework help, intensive remediation, or something in between?
2. What areas do we want to see the tutor improve: better scores in one subject (chemistry, geometry); improved general skills (math, reading, science); study skills; motivation?
3. What do I know about my child’s learning style? Does he learn best by reading, listening, moving, touching? Does he do better with men or women? Does he need lots of nurturing or a firm hand? What motivates and interests him?
4. How much time and money can you devote to tutoring? Don’t skimp, but be honest with yourself before you start.

2. Know your options

1. Call your child’s school counselor or teacher and share your concern. Good counselors will have met with your child and should have files on her progress throughout her school career, her scores on standardized tests, and notes on possible personality problems. Most schools have a list of registered tutors on file in the counseling office. Often it’s in the form of resumes or fliers. Many times these are posted in a book for parents to look over before making a choice. Or schools may post them on a bulletin board for parents and students.
2. Check out the local paper. Many good tutors list their credentials there.
3. Ask friends and neighbors for ideas. Retired or “stay-at-home-parent” teachers may be willing to help out. Make sure they know the subject matter you need.
4. Call your local branch of a learning center like Sylvan or Kumon. Ask if your child fits their profile. Usually they work with general problems like reading comprehension, rather than specific subjects like biology or literature.

Dollars and Sense

Unfortunately, price is often the determining factor in choosing a tutor. However, it’s more important to look at value. A more expensive tutor may be a better fit for your child and may be more effective in meeting her needs. Don’t rule him out because of his fees.

Beyond cost itself, ask:

1. What are your payment policies?
   Find out in advance what forms of payment your tutor accepts, and when it is expected. Some tutors accept only cash and require payment at each session. Some will allow you to prepay a month at a time. Others may bill you for completed sessions.
2. What are your cancellation policies?
   While most tutors are rather flexible, some require 24-hour notice if you’re going to cancel. Learn this information up front to avoid charges down the line.

3. Test your options

1. Check credentials carefully. Ask questions to see how well their skills match your child’s needs:
   • What is your educational background? If the tutor will work on chemistry, she should have at least a college minor in chemistry. A different education is needed to teach first-grade reading.
   • What type of teaching experience do you have? Look for a tutor who has worked with students similar in age and ability to your child.
2. Meet with several candidates. Include your child and ask plenty of questions:
   • How do you evaluate each student’s needs? Find out whether the tutor will use standardized tests, school reports, or other forms of evaluation to discover your child’s strengths and weaknesses.
   • How long to you think you will need to prepare the lessons? Keep in mind that difficult subject matter will take longer to prepare, so expect to pay more for the extra preparation time.
   • What tutoring methods do you use? A skilled tutor will do more than just answer questions and do problems with students. He will assess your child’s strengths and weaknesses, prepare individualized materials and use “hands-on” materials wherever possible. He will work hand-in-hand with the classroom teacher, and most of all, give your child a “can-do” attitude and lots of positive reinforcement.
   • What do you expect from me? Good tutors need a family’s cooperation. They need parents to contact classroom teachers and ask for cooperation in making tutoring a success: a copy of the textbook they use; a syllabus of their class or subject; any extra worksheets they have that might facilitate the tutorial process.
   • How do you motivate your students? Think about what motivates your child, and seek a tutor who uses these methods.
   • What hours are you available? This question often makes or breaks a deal. You may have found the perfect tutor, but if she doesn’t fit your schedule you’re out of luck.
   • Where do you do your tutoring? Tutors usually choose a public place to tutor, like a library. However, if you have checked out the situation carefully, a home should be acceptable, especially if another person is at home during the session.
   • How long do you expect tutoring to last? A tutor can become a crutch, so it’s important to get an estimate of how long it will take to help your child develop the skills and confidence to succeed independently.
   • How much do you charge for your services? Cost varies greatly, depending on subject area, location, and the credentials of the tutor. Neighbors or friends may charge less, but remember, professional tutors charge professional rates.
   • What is the range of results you see? How much have other clients improved in the past?
   • Is there someone I can contact who knows your tutoring skills? You get references for electricians, doctors and dentists. Doesn’t it truly make sense to get a reference for the person who will be working very closely with your child?

4. Partner for results

1. Watch how your child relates to the tutor. Sit in on part of a session if possible. Your child must be comfortable, if you want to see success.
2. Monitor progress. Ask for feedback from your child, and see if your child’s grade gradually improves. If, after several sessions, you don’t see improvement or you feel a negative attitude in your child, move on to another tutor.

Finding — and keeping — a good tutor involves some work on your part. But then isn’t your child worth all the help you can give?

Originally published by partnershipforlearning.org, read original article written by Carole McGraw here

Tutoring helps students in boosting their confidence, strengthening their subject comprehension, and building their learning skills. The reason why many parents choose their children to be tutored varies; some may find their children struggling at school, while others might feel they need extra help with their homework.

Whatever the reason might be, tutoring can be quite helpful for your child, as a tutor gives undivided attention to you their student unlike crowded classroom situations, they help students who are struggling at school face those challenges, and they help students staying on track during their school breaks.

The goal of tutoring is to help students establish the skills required at school and make them independent learners. But coaching is not just about being better at schoolwork, it has so many other benefits like improving study and work habits, improving social and behavioral skills, and boosting attitude and confidence.

Students who take tuition’s also perform well on tests and have better academic skills. To help you understand better, here are 10 ways a qualified tutor enhances a child’s capacity.

Benefits of Tutoring

1. Improves Academic Performance

When you hire a qualified tutor for your child, he or she uses their skills and knowledge in building and improving their academic skills. A tutor gives their attention to a student and addresses their problematic areas; which helps the child in performing better at exams, tests, and assignments.

Once your child has worked on their problem areas and has a better understanding of the subjects, their grades will significantly improve. With enhanced study skills and work, a student will be able to reach their highest possible level.

2. Improves Study Habits

When a child experiences an educational environment outside their school, it teaches them a lot about study habits. It may include classroom ethics, work conventionalities, and other useful things that your child can use in a classroom, and beyond that.

A tutor teaches their student study habits, which they can use in their long run of a successful life.

3. Improves Self-Esteem

A tutor helps your child in performing better at school, which ends up in them getting better grades. Better grades result in high self-esteem and boosted confidence, something that helps a child a lot in their academic and social life.

Through tutoring, your child’s level of motivation and their attitude, both are improved. It helps them in reaching their highest academic potential and prepares them for a successful life ahead. A survey in Toronto, Canada showed that more than 60 percent of students have private tutors.

4. Helps Develop Critical Thinking

Did you know that students who take are tutored are better at critical thinking, as compared to those students who don’t? The reason for this is because a tutor teaches and promotes their students to think critically about the problems and find their solutions accordingly.

When children learn to look at academic issues by using critical thinking methods, it makes them better at facing challenges in the classroom.

5. Providing Academic Challenges

Many believe that tutoring is only for those students who need more attention or those who are weak in school. In reality, even the most gifted and smart students can benefit from a qualified tutor. The reason for this is because a tutor motivates and challenges a child, which can be helpful for anyone who wants to improve their skills.

You could hire a tutor, for one specific subject of interest, like art, literature, or to even learn a language. For instance, Latin as a foreign language is considered a very challenging language, but many schools don’t offer it as a language course.

So, hiring a tutor for your child to learn Latin can help them excel in something challenging; it is also an excellent choice for students who plan to major in a foreign language or law. There are several places like 11 plus tutors, to find such qualified tutors for your children.

6. Basic Homework Help

Many students perform great at school, but face difficulties and require help when it comes to homework. It could be related to working on assignments, solving math problems, or writing papers. Many children prefer considering tutors rather than their parents because they provide them guidance without any judgment.

A tutor helps your child with their assignments, homework, and also lifts the burden of any emotional baggage. Tuitions can also be a great help to those students who want to get into college, as they help students in developing study habits and homework strategies that can be useful in their higher education.

7. Tutors Provide Reinforcement

One of the most powerful methods of learning is reinforcement. It is the reason why teachers assign home-works, but because some homework can be tough and the student might not understand the concept, it has proven to not a helpful method of reinforcement.

The idea behind this concept is repetition for better understanding, but what to do if your child does not understand the problem given in the first place? Tutors are a great help in this matter, as they make sure their students understand entirely and grasp each concept.

Once they have understood the idea, it becomes easy for them to do their assignments.

8. The Experience is Individual

Every student is different, and it is not necessary if they are in the same class, they will have the same level of understanding. Students learn at their different paces and process information differently. It is a great challenge for teachers in a classroom, as they have to teach and move according to the curricular, and cannot gear-up at the speed that suits every individual.

Because of this, many students lack an understanding of basic concepts in class, which affects their academic performance negatively. Whereas, studying from a tutor gives your child an individual one-on-one experience.

The tutor has the advantage of moving the speed up and down according to the needs of the child, and they also have the leverage to try different methods and approaches until they can successfully make the child understand the concepts.

Even when studying in an individual environment, students are not inclined to compare themselves with others, helping them focus more on learning.

9. Tutors Help Maintain Skills

Most students do not attend summer school, which gives an extended break to their brain, and they get out of academic practices. A student’s memory of most concepts fades away with the lack of preparation, and when they return to school after a long break, it is hard for them to perform well immediately.

Tutoring gives students a chance to stay in practice during their school break and helps them in keeping their academic skills sharp. It helps the students in getting back to school, after a gap, with learned concepts and skills.

Also taking tutoring during breaks, is a great idea, as it is easy to schedule your tuition timings, there is less stress because of no school, and the entire experience can be fun.

10. Tutors Develop Good Habits

Besides being good at studies, there are many different good habits that one gets to learn from a tutor.

A qualified tutor has always once been a great student with impressive study habits. It includes things like showing all the work while solving a math problem, drawing helpful diagrams, being organized with papers, taking notes, underlining essential ideas while reading, and many more.

When your child spends a reasonable amount of time with their tutor, they will also learn these good habits which will help them in their academic career.

Originally Posted on Inspiration Feed, written by: Igor