10 Reasons Kids Need Summer Tutors-Reason #1

Copyright: dynamix

Summertime.  Beach parties, swimming, ice cream...it can also be the perfect time for tutoring.
No, I'm not kidding!

Hi all, Charlie here with 10 reasons that summer tutoring is a great idea.  "Why am I tackling this in August?" you may ask - a few reasons:

* It can be a great to let kids have a little bit of a breather in between the school year and summer classwork/tutoring.
* You may be able to get a child excited about the upcoming school year with some fun, summer tutoring.
* It is still early enough that kids remember what they learned during the last school year, and this will be a great way of giving them a jumpstart for the fall.
* Some children have year round school - summer is just another season of learning for these youngsters.
* You can improve confidence, self-esteem, and knowledge by tutoring a kid during the summer. 

Now, without further ado, here is the first reason kids may benefit from summer tutoring.

Reason #1: Sometimes Kids Need Motivation Boosters!
Maybe you know a child who is notorious for making up excuses for why things can't be done - excuses for everything from not completing projects, to unfinished homework, to not studying for upcoming tests.

Maybe, as a parent, you have tried everything under the sun to get him or her to focus on finishing tasks, improve study habits, and tackle school projects.  Now that you've tried begging, pleading, nagging, and bribery (kidding! Well...kind of kidding...), try tutoring.  


Tutoring will help a child get excited about learning and achieving as he or she sees positive progress, and gets feedback from his or her tutor.  Tutoring also makes kids more accountable for the work that they bring home, and they will be much more likely to complete academic tasks if they own the work and know that the tutor will be asking about progress.

Stay tuned for summer tutoring reason #2!
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Photo Credit: Dynamix ©
http://www.sxc.hu/profile/dynamix

Ask Micki: Homework Problems

Question: Hi, Micki, I have an issue with a tutee (I tutor her in trigonometry) who is constantly trying to sneak in her homework during the sessions.  In other words, she tells me that we are working on practice problems, but in reality, she is trying to get me to do her homework for her so that she can go hang out with her friends.

It's getting kind of annoying.  Any ideas for how to handle this?

Thanks!
Becky

Answer: Hi, Becky - I think you hit on a good topic here.  A lot of tutors have been where you are, and many of them have had to (at some point in time) deal with a dishonest tutee who would rather you were a homework completion service. 

It's a common misconception that tutors are, essentially, glorified homework services.  It doesn't help that there are a ton of places out there that use the name "tutor" for their business when, in reality, they are simply completing the student's homework. 

Although the students may love this service short term, in the long run it will be detrimental to their overall learning.  True "tutoring" takes place when tutors help students actively learn the *techniques* needed to solve problems, allowing the tutee to use the skills on his or her own - a gift that will last them a lifetime.

Okay - rant over :-)

Your ultimate goal during a tutoring session is to allow your tutee to take responsibility for his or her learning.  You are working together to create an independent learner who can master the techniques needed not only for homework, but for tests as well.

So how do you do that?

First, create an environment where your tutee is holding the pencil, working on the problems herself.  You simply sit back, and watch her work.  If you notice that your tutee is having trouble with a problem, jump in, and help her remember the techniques and steps in solving the problem.  Trust me, if you repeatedly remind her of the principles of trigonometry, and how they work in practice, eventually she'll be doing them on her own, and feeling great about her progress.

Second, let her know that you two can work on some of her homework, as long as she is doing the work and implementing the principles and math techniques that you two are going over during the session. 

No, you won't be doing her homework, but you will be arming her with the tools she needs to do her own homework.  She'll eventually be working out problems right in front of you. 

You see, the issue isn't the homework, per se, it is who is doing the homework.  If you two go over some trig. principles, and she is able to master them via her homework problems, then you've done your job!

Also, by letting her know that you are on to her homework-sneaking tricks, you can stop the issue in its tracks while still offering your help.  It is a win-win!

Good luck out there, and happy tutoring!

Message from Micki-Keep those questions coming!

Hi, all! 

With summer comes a break from all things academic (for some of the population, anyway), but don't let that stop you from writing in with your great questions for me!

It's your questions that make the ITA blog so helpful to so many of your fellow tutors.  No question is too small or too big - I am happy to tackle whatever you throw my way.  So keep 'em coming, folks, and thanks to all of you who have made this blog so great (and so useful) to the tutoring community.

Happy (summer) tutoring!

Ask Micki: Lacrosse tutoring job

Question: Hi, there, Micki. I have a question tutoring a non-academic subject.

I was recently contacted about tutoring a sport (Lacrosse), but I have never tutored anything other than academic subjects.   Feels more like coaching than tutoring. The Lacrosse player basically wants to brush up on skills with a goal of making the team this coming fall. 

Any advice would be appreciated.  Thanks!

Alexis, PA

Answer: Hi, Alexis - good question.  I tend to look at both tutoring and coaching in kind of the same way...In both circumstances, you're helping someone learn a set of skills.  In this case, instead of having a student who needs help with French, you have a player who needs help with Lacrosse techniques.  In other words, you are a Lacrosse tutor. 

You are also entering some exciting territory - we are seeing more and more tutors who are specializing, and using their tutoring skills to help people with non-academic tutoring needs.  Music, dance, sports...the number of tutors who specialize in non-academic tutoring is growing by leaps and bounds!

My advice would be to treat this very similarly to how you would treat any other tutoring session.  Stick to your typical rates, show up on time, be punctual, keep the tutoring session focused and professional, keep accurate billing records, communicate effectively, etc.

This is just like any of your other tutoring sessions, except instead of meeting behind a desk, you'll be meeting out on the field.

Good luck, and happy tutoring!

Ask Micki: ITA final project idea

Question: Hi Micki, I was thinking of doing a math maze for my final ITA project. Basically, it would be a maze that has a path of letters, and the end goal would be a final number (the sum of all of the numbers if you follow the correct path).

This math maze would be for grade school kids.  Good idea or not?

Thank you,
Marvin from NH

Answer: Hey, Marvin - way to make math fun! I think that the math maze would be not only a great project for your certification, but also a great tool to take with you during your math tutoring sessions.

A really good idea - can't wait to see it in the resource bank once you get it perfected. 
Happy tutoring!