Sometimes going to school can be hard for a child, especially if they attend one that has a lot of students there. In that kind of setting, it can be challenging to keep up with the class sessions, the teachers are oftentimes spread too thin and if you have a child who is naturally shy or tends to be uncomfortable when it comes to asking for help, before long, your son or daughter may fall behind when it comes to their reading comprehension and math skills. When that happens, it might be time to get them a tutor.
If you’re not familiar with how to go about finding a reading or math tutor for your child, that’s OK. We’ve done some of the “leg work” on how to find a good tutor and we’ve provided five tips, just for you below:
Speak with your child’s teacher. Knowing that your child isn’t doing well in a particular subject is one thing.
However, having clarity on what specifically is causing the problems is something else. Therefore, it’s wise to speak with your child’s instructor on what exactly they are struggling with so that when you do start interviewing tutors, you can specifically mention those things.
Be open to all kinds of routes. There are a lot of ways that you can go about finding a tutor for your son or daughter. You can get referrals from their school. You can look for afterschool programs within your community (Craigslist and churches are two great places to start). You can also look on the internet. There are plenty of websites that will connect you to tutors within your city including Tutor.com, TutorSpree.com and TutorsTeach.com.
Think about the kind of tutor you want. By this, we mean that you could hire a professional tutor who works for a tutoring agency, a private tutor who will come to your home, or if your child is a bit older, you might even want to consider going the online tutoring route. In factoring in what would be best for you and your child, think about how much you can afford to pay (professional private tutors tend to be more expensive than an online tutor or even going with a college student) and what kind of learning format would be most conducive for your child. For instance, if they are already in a classroom setting, you might want to get someone who can work one-on-one with them inside of your home so that your child will feel more comfortable.
Interview several. Finding the right tutor can be a lot like finding the right babysitter. There are simply several things to take into account. When you’re in the midst of conducting interviews, ask them how long they have been tutoring and what referrals they can provide. Also mention to them what the teacher(s) said your child needs work on and ask them what their approach is to those areas and the skills that they are prepared to apply. Once you are confident that they have the knowledge and expertise to tutor your child, have them then spend some time with your child (with you close by) to see if your child is at ease with them. Tutoring will only work if they are.
Draw up some kind of an agreement. Once you have hired someone, you might want to draw up some kind of an agreement just for “quality control” purposes. Customarily, you should start to see improvement in your child’s reading or math skills within a couple of weeks, but if you don’t, by having the tutor know beforehand what your expectations are (in written form), it can cut down on a lot of potential confusion due to miscommunication. The best of luck to you.
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