Tutoring problems

[Fakesmile]

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I'm going to be a private tutor for the first time (teaching writing and some science subjects). I don't have any previous experience so I don't know what to expect. For those of you with experience, what were some student issues or situations (if any) you found difficult? How can I deal with them?

 

[sindadel]

At what level will you be tutoring?

You'll develop your own tutoring personality over time. I always try to focus on teaching some basic tools and encouraging the student to the work him/herself.

e.g. writing an essay - talk about basic essay structure. intro including thesis and 3-5 main points you will make. 1 to 2 paragraphs per point including references. conclusions restating thesis and main points. Then make them brainstorm on a separate piece of paper for each point.

I'm sure you have your own tips and tricks for setting up papers and doing problems. Be flexible and respond to feedback. Try new techniques if what you try at first is not working for them.

 

[oneandonlylo]

Be aware that you can only do so much. If the person you are tutoring is willing to work hard and desires results, the process can be very pleasant. Some students are pushed into tutoring by their parents however, and are not as willing to cooperate. In addition, some are doing it on their own volition, but think that simply sitting with a tutor for x hours a week will fix the problem. Your authority as a tutor (to assign hw, for example) is limited. Thus, you have to figure out a way to motivate the student to put in their portion of the effort. It's rare to find yourself in this situation, but you asked for potential problems, so...

 

[Fakesmile]

Thanks for the inputs.

At what level will you be tutoring?

I'll be tutoring at a college level.

Some students are pushed into tutoring by their parents however, and are not as willing to cooperate. In addition, some are doing it on their own volition, but think that simply sitting with a tutor for x hours a week will fix the problem. Your authority as a tutor (to assign hw, for example) is limited. Thus, you have to figure out a way to motivate the student to put in their portion of the effort. It's rare to find yourself in this situation, but you asked for potential problems, so...

I don't think I should worry about that. Your suggestion will most likely be the case for younger students (elementary-middle school). I'm going to be tutoring students of my age (1~3 year college students) who are usually more mature so I doubt that would really be a problem. I appreciate your opinion though.

 

[mcgyver]

Agree with all of the above. I've been tutoring quite some time from elementary school to college students. a point of advice: tutoring is a lot like training a puppy. you gotta let the student know who's boss. or they'll jump all over you. be confident and if you don't know something or make a mistake just say so and make sure you act like it's not a big deal (which it isn't). good luck.

 

[sindadel]

I think it's nice to tutorat the college level because fundamentally, they are there as adults and thus more motivated on average than younger students.

Keep the tone light and don't take the subject matter too seriously. They are just trying to get through the class, usually, and don't have any great love for it. At the same time, it's a great feeling when someone you're helping has an aha moment and you get to experience it alongside them.

 

[Fakesmile]

tutoring is a lot like training a puppy. you gotta let the student know who's boss. or they'll jump all over you.

👍
Very true for elementary school kids. (I know this from hearing about real experiences from someone else.)

 

[Mobius1985]

Expect a failure-to-show rate of about 30%, and bring along some reading matter, just in case.

 

[MassTransport]

Expect no-shows. Email reminders. Set up a policy that you'll still charge for the full session if they don't show up by the first x minutes. Be flexible about how your tutee learns and expect to have to adjust your teaching style accordingly. It's not a one-way street, a lot of the tutor-tutee relationship depends on motivation, so be flexible about how much you expect to be able to help him or her.

Be prepared to not know the answer to a question. Avoid the temptation to make something up just because you're in a teaching role.

Expect some flaky people who reschedule a lot.

 

[Lauren87]

A lot of people gave good answers. I tutor in math and sometimes in chemistry, right now I'm hired through my school but occasionally I'll tutor privately, I've been doing it for 2 years.

Like people said, expect flaky people. Personally, if you cancel within 4 hours of when I am going to tutor you, I will charge you anyway. I plan my schedule around you, so you give me the same courtesy. Also, expect people that seem to never have been to class in their life. OMG.

If you don't know the answer, just ask your student to wait while you look it up in the book (it's funny how ALL the answers are in the book, but your student can't be bothered to open it 80% of the time). If you can't find the answer in a reasonable time, just apologize and get them the answer next time, email it to them, or have them ask their teacher. Don't sweat it, unless it starts happening all of the time.

After you tutor for a while you will be able to gauge if people are smart but just lazy, smart but need confidence/a little extra help, or if they really are, err, slow. The main thing is motivating people, which usually happens on it's own after they see a rise in grades. However, some people just lack motivation and just don't care. lol. I sound blunt but that's the way it is. Some people I find myself pushing, especially if they are really behind. You will come across some people who, in your case, don't have a proper grasp of the English language, not know what a noun or verb is and be bewildered that they made it to college. To those people I try to nicely but firmly convey that they are behind for their age, really need to learn these skills and may find it hindering their ability to find a job and social skills if they do not learn these things. I try to give them a wake-up call without being too harsh. But I have seen a tutor make someone cry....lol.

Tutoring is fun, sometimes it can be trying, but I really enjoy it. If you know their parents or teacher give them progress reports (verbal) b/c it will motivate your student. It's a great job and pays well too!

 

[Food]

I'm tutoring a student right now, for Kaplan MCAT.

Your ability to tutor will depend immensely on the motivation of the student. Your job is to try and motivate him as much as possible. Sometimes it's doable, other times it's not. Either way, your goal is to make the student happy or at least feel that the time is being used constructively.

The guy I am tutoring right now is not motivated enough and not conceptually strong enough to do as well as he should be doing on MCAT. But I still do my best to get him there. It can be frustrating at times, especially when you are trying to explain something and the guy knows absolutely nothing. My best advice is to give the tutoring only as much of your effort and time as the student is willing to put in. You are not there to babysit.

 

[Asystole]

Usually having a sit-down conversation before diving into the text helps, you can discuss where the student is in the class and what kind of teaching approaches have worked for them in the past. That way you can go into the session having a better understanding of how you might present some of the more difficult concepts, e.g. does the person like to see you go through a problem of similar nature and then try a few on their own or do they want to try the problem and have you correct it/give them feedback or shortcuts afterwards? I tutored for 3 years in a variety of subjects during undergrad (employed by my university's learning center)... it was fun & it helped me refresh on material that I hadn't looked at in awhile. Even though they're college students and *hopefully* more motivated, don't be surprised if some of them expect you to lead them by the hand or do the work for them. If they need it, just remind them what you're there for and what they're there for.

 

[Lauren87]

Some students are pushed into tutoring by their parents however, and are not as willing to cooperate. In addition, some are doing it on their own volition, but think that simply sitting with a tutor for x hours a week will fix the problem. Your authority as a tutor (to assign hw, for example) is limited. Thus, you have to figure out a way to motivate the student to put in their portion of the effort. It's rare to find yourself in this situation, but you asked for potential problems, so...

I don't think I should worry about that. Your suggestion will most likely be the case for younger students (elementary-middle school). I'm going to be tutoring students of my age (1~3 year college students) who are usually more mature so I doubt that would really be a problem. I appreciate your opinion though.

Don't expect more because the student is in college!!! Unfortunately, oneandonlylo is right. Even some college students will think tutoring is all they need to pass a class. They will come to tutoring sessions but not do any work when not in class or being tutored and, as a result, still do bad in the class.

I really love tutoring and don't let all the negatives get to you but it is just amazing how some people are basically trying to fail a class. I put my all into my tutoring sessions but at the end of the day, the student's got to want it for himself. I mean some people try really hard, they still fail and it's rather sad. But other students....well, they couldn't be bothered to ever even think about studying. You'll already know if they're going to fail the class when you tutor them. I try to warn them nicely but they don't listen . 🙄 thus, I've tutored people twice for the same class. most of these people came late to me the first time, but some started fairly early, then only called me before test days, stopped calling, called before the final, failed. no surprise.

oh, be an enjoyable and friendly tutor. Not only does it make tutoring more enjoyable for you, but it makes your students more likely to come back next semester and recommend friends. Some people will hang around even when they don't need you anymore, I tell them they've "graduated" but if they want to continue to pay me, that's cool!

 

[gonj]

biggest issues i had were when they expected me to pull miracles out my bass. eg, when they were seeing the material for the first time and the test was the next day or when they want me to do all the thinking for them (however that works).