Well, it’s that time of the year. The summer is over! The kids are back in school. The neighborhood pool is drained (at least up at our latitude). And now…the first progress reports are coming home from school, and parent-teacher conferences are just around the corner.
For those of us in the private tutoring business, we know what that means: the inevitable pickup in calls for after school tutoring services. That’s OK, mom and dad, that’s why we’re here! But venturing out to find a tutor can of course be daunting. Do you hire the kid across the street? After all, she got an A in algebra! Or that nice boy around the corner? We hear he may go Ivy. Or that out of work engineer you met at the gym? She must be good at math, right? Right?
My view is that, when choosing an after school tutor, you need a combination of subject matter expertise, combined with real life teaching experience. In other words, somebody who doesn’t just know the subject matter, but who has also made the art of relating the material to children in a way that they can properly internalize the material their profession. Your child’s after school tutoring experience needs to be with an educator.
Here is what we believe you should look for in your after school tutoring provider:
- A certified teacher. Your after school tutor needs to be somebody who is skilled in the art of teaching. Don’t ever believe somebody who uses that old tired adage “Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.” My husband has an MBA from one of the top colleges in the U.S., so presumably he is one of “those who can.” But he will be the FIRST person to admit that he could not teach. Teachers have a unique and valuable skill set, and have seen all kinds of learners, all kinds of challenges, and have used all tactics of achieving learning breakthroughs with their students. Give them credit for these invaluable skills. Invite them to work as your child’s after school tutor. Pay them accordingly. Oh, and with so many schools having cut back on staffs due to budget shortfalls, you should be able to find a qualified educator who would be more than eager to work with you.
- A customized experience. We don’t want to knock those name-brand tutoring centers. They are ubiquitous, with brick and mortar locations across the nation. They must be doing something right. However, our view is that your child will be better suited with an after school tutoring experience which is fully customized for him or her. A thoughtful tutor who starts with a clean slate, does a professional assessment of your child’s needs, goals, and learning style, and then builds a course of action specifically around your child will deliver a far superior result to somebody who simply says ‘here, do these worksheets…everybody else did them…trust us, you will improve if you do these.’ Huh?
- An open-ended engagement. The after school tutoring experience should take place on your terms, preferably at your home (but ONLY when yourself or another responsible adult can be home at the same time…this is a saftety precaution for everybody involved), and under a financial arrangement which is completely flexible. If an after school tutoring provider asks you to prepay for a battery of assessment tests or a large block of sessions, or if they ask you to consider financing for the package, ask yourself who is really in control. Ask yourself if educating children is the primary motivation at play. Choose a provider who will allow you to purchase as many or as few sessions as you want (or can afford), and require them to let you pay-as-you-go. Life is dynamic. There is no reason to prepay for a boatload of sessions.
If you are considering an after school tutoring experience for a child, and if you can afford to invest in your child’s future, go ahead and pull the trigger. If the idea is already in your head, then trust your instincts…your child probably does need an after school tutor. Don’t be a cheapskate, but don’t get taken to the cleaners either. Look for an after school tutoring provider who can match you with a high quality tutor, with appropriate teaching experience and subject matter expertise, under a flexible financial arrangement.
Unlike many investments out there these days, this one will actually net you a positive and fulfilling return.
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Lori J. Skurka, M. Ed. is the Founder and CEO of EleMental Learning, LLC. EleMental Learning is an after school tutoring company founded in 2005. Since that time, the company and its tutors have provided thousands of private tutoring sessions to clients in California, Illinois, New York, and Connecticut. The company continues to expand into new territory, with the Washington D.C. metro area next in its sights. Lori can be reached at (312) 543-7562 or at questions@elemental-learning.com .
