Why a Tutor
Who should get a tutor and why is it important to get a tutor?
Good question! At some point, any of us (child or adult) might benefit from a tutoring session! If we cannot learn a specific subject on our own (or in the case of students, if the parents are busy), a tutor can come to the rescue and provide self-confidence and help in reaching your goals!
Take for example:
• Elementary students: tutoring can help build a solid foundation and the child will enjoy school more… “6 Signs your Child Needs a Tutor” .
My personal tutoring experience is with junior and high school students as well as college students, professionals (including travelers and retirees) as they study and learn Spanish as a new second (or third) language. I will share my thoughts on what I have observed and learned with these different student groups:
This is a partial general list why a tutor may be needed:
- Student wants to maintain good/excellent grades
- Different learning style
- Struggling in understanding a specific subject on their own
- Guidance with homework – e.g. organizing their time with big projects, preparing for a presentation
- Moving from one school to another
- Focus on college admission
- Personal reasons – student travels, gets ill, needs that one-on-one attention
- You want to learn a new language!
Junior high school students (7th-9th): usually are going through a big change. In some cases, they are moving from their elementary school and are now adjusting not only to a new and bigger building such as a “Junior High School,” but also have to deal with new subjects and a different teacher for each class. In this case, my suggestion to parents is to ask the following questions:
- Is the student having difficulty organizing all the notes and homework?
- How is the student doing with time management? Is he/she using a planner?
- Is the student taking the time to study, but still feels stuck and frustrated with a specific subject and is not turning in homework…are grades going down? Time for parents to help or call a tutor!
Then, of course, there are students that with the parent’s encouragement and support want to maintain their good grades and are open to getting the one-on-one attention. In the case of a foreign language class, it may simply be that once they start learning about the language and culture, the student is actually enjoying learning more and having the opportunity to practice speaking the language they are studying.
High school students: most of these students and their parents are aware that one of the priorities at this time is college admission. Their schedules are usually tight because they still want to enjoy their extra curricular activities, socialize and they may also be involved in community volunteer work. For those students planning to go to a 4-year university, they realize that they need to stay academically focused to make sure they are working on all the requirements to get into the college they want. If the student is struggling with a specific subject and the grades are not high enough to meet the requirements, parents might want to suggest and encourage them to consider working with a private tutor.
College students: These students are busy with their academic studies and work schedule. They are usually aware of the specific help they need and start early or in other cases their professor suggests that they get tutoring help.
Professionals: Usually adults who want to learn have a specific goal in a certain area of business. For those interested and planning to work in a place where a second language is needed or perhaps to work with people from another country, their goal is to learn the new language with an emphasis on their field of interest. In most cases they have experimented learning on their own through books, online and other ways, but they realize that it is not enough!
- These students also appreciate the cultural aspect of their country of choice. Understanding the culture when doing business can help with their business communication. Best way to accomplish this is to get one-on-one special language sessions to address their specific language and cultural needs.
Travelers and personal interests: Adults that enjoy traveling to other countries and want to experience the culture and make the most of this experience may want to consider getting a tutor and/or private language sessions focused on their travel in preparation for their trip.
Retirees: This group may not need a tutor, but may want tutoring or private language sessions so they can continue learning a language or just to maintain what they know. (Retirees that are still interested in that language that they studied in the past may want to consider picking-up on that language!)