Hi, everyone. Charlie here with my last peer tutoring tip (and hopefully one that you will never even need).
Tip #8) Don't be afraid to ask for help.
Sometimes, no matter how great of a tutor you are, or how motivated your tutee is, a situation may arise in which you need assistance. Sometimes a tutor and tutee are just not compatible, maybe there is some unresolved awkward tension that won't go away, or maybe there is some other issue that has arisen during tutoring.
Maybe it is a tutee completely refusing to listen to his/her tutor, or exhibiting really inappropriate behavior.
Whatever the case, you may not have to solve the problem yourself. If you have a counselor, teacher, or other administrative professional in charge of the peer tutoring, bring the issue(s) up to him/her and get some advice. Chances are that your supervisor will be able to help get things back on track and find a workable solution to the problem(s) using some different strategies.
If your supervisor isn't able to get the tutoring sessions back on track, he/she may decide that (due to compatibility issues, or any other reason), you and your tutee may not be able to effectively work together. Don't take this personally - some tutors and tutees just do not mesh well.
Whatever happens, stay positive and committed to helping students and peers who need the assistance. Chances are, you won't encounter this type of problem as a peer tutor, but it is always a good idea to be prepared!
2 comments:
Charlie,
As a private tutor, I don't have a supervisor to consult. But I do have a problem with a junior high student who doesn't do any of the work I ask him to do between our sessions. Any ideas?
Hi Anonymous,
This can be a tricky situation. Some private tutors like to talk with their tutor friends and try to figure things out (new techniques, learning tools that may help, etc.), but many tutors prefer to work things out on their own.
Since your tutee is junior high, I'm guessing that his parents are probably paying to have him tutored. Try talking to his parents.
Let them know that it is important that their son do the exercises between sessions or the tutoring will not be effective.
Chances are, having the parents' assistance between tutoring sessions will be a huge help to you both.
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