Ask Micki: Mom wants to get involved

© ilco

Question: Hi, Micki.  I have a rare sighting that I want to share with you today.  It's a sighting that I rarely see when tutoring kids of the 21st century...

A mom who wants to get involved without being a total helicopter parent about it! :)

All joking aside, it is pretty refreshing, but I am stuck.  How can I get her involved with my tutee's math tutoring (2nd grader working on fractions right now)?

Thanks a lot!
Becca from FL

Answer: Hi, Becca, thanks for the chuckle!  It's great to hear that you have a tutee whose parent is enthusiastic, and wants to bet involved without helicopter parenting the lessons and tutoring. 

There are a definitely a few things that you can do to get Mom in on the math tutoring so that she can help your student throughout the week, between tutoring sessions.

1. Playtime
Have Mom play some fraction type games with her son.  I know, they sound boring, but trust me when I say that they can be made fun.  Paper crafted pizzas, cakes, and pies can easily be turned into a restaurant game - tons of fun!  Mom can order different combinations of foods, and have her son put the order together before delivering it to her.  She can even "tip" her waiter according to how correct her order was!

These paper fraction foods can also be used in a bakery or grocery store games, and Mom can place orders for various food combinations, just like with the restaurant game.  

2. Interim Tutoring
Have Mom supervise, and support, during her son's homework.  Something tells me this Mom already does this, but just in case she doesn't, get her involved.  Make sure she knows how important it is for her to check over her son's homework, and make sure that she feels comfortable stepping in as an interim tutor if he is having trouble with fractions between tutoring sessions. 

3. Question and Answer
Have Mom ask questions that get her son talking about his studies (in this instance, fractions).  Have you ever noticed that when you talk to someone else about concepts, they tend to stick in your brain?  By getting her son to talk about fractions, Mom will be able to help her son understand and verbalize his new subject matter.

4. Learning Everywhere
Make every day, and every event, a learning opportunity.  If the family heads out to a pizza parlor (yes, I love pizza!), Mom can have her son talk about the fractions involved for each whole pie.  If they go to a store, a baseball game, an arcade...wherever they go, have Mom keeping an eye out for fraction lessons that can be casually worked in to the event.

Good luck, and enjoy the great tutoring environment you have there.  Say thanks to his Mom for me, too - she sounds like a good parent!

*****
Photo Credit: © sxc.hu/ilco
http://www.sxc.hu/profile/ilco

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: Too young to tutor?

Question: Hi, Micki.  This may seem like an easy question, but I am pretty new to the tutoring business, and I need some help on this.  I had a dad contact me a few days ago about tutoring his daughter in English & writing.  The thing is, his daughter is only 4 years old. 

This seems exceptionally young to start putting pressure on the child, and I am not sure I should take the job.  I want to help her, but I know what it is like to have too much academic pressure put on you at a young age - it stinks.  Help!

Signed,
Laurie in Syracuse

Answer:  Hi, Laurie - thanks for your question!  First of all, I agree with you.  I think that a lot of parents are putting way too much pressure on kids these days.  Kids need to be kids, and childhood is short enough without all of the adult pressures to succeed at everything under the sun. 

That being said, I would absolutely take the job!

Think of it this way: who would be better for the tutoring job?  A hardcore tutor who pushes a 4 year old too hard in the name of success?  Or you, a tutor who will be understanding and compassionate enough to patiently help the tutee brush up on reading without making her stressed about her progress?

It seems to me that with your outlook of the situation, you will be cautious not to push her too hard, but will be willing to put the time in, and help her learn to enjoy reading and writing.

Technically, if tutoring is done correctly, and the tutor pays attention to the tutee's learning style, it is never too young to begin tutoring.  If you think about it, babies are tutored every day as they learn to walk, talk, etc.  As long as the tutoring is done in a low key, kid friendly way, tutoring can actually be a fun part of a young child's week.

I would definitely suggest making the sessions as entertaining as possible while still helping your tutee pick up the basic concepts.  Write a few stories together, have her read her favorite books as practice materials, check out the resources for some cool reading/writing games.

Whatever you can do to make the tutoring more fun will undoubtedly make the tutoring session more enjoyable and much more effective.

Good luck, and as always, happy tutoring!

Ask Micki: 10 year old tutee hates science

Question:  Hi, Micki.  I am hoping you can help me come up with some ways of making tutoring more entertaining.  I work with a bright, friendly 10 year old who is really, really bored with the botany part of her science class.  She works really hard, and her grades are good, but I feel bad that she is so bored during tutoring.  Any ideas for how to make botany more thrilling to a 10 year old? 

Thanks!
Science Tutor in IN

Answer:  Hi there, Science Tutor - the short answer to your question is ABSOLUTELY!  Sorry, I know I'm a bit too excited, but science is one of the few subjects for tutoring that automatically lends itself to fun, hands-on activities.

First, if you are an ITA tutor, check out the resources once you login to your account.  There are a ton of cool science experiments for kids, exercises, and activities that will jazz up any tutoring session.  Besides botany, there are also experiments and activities for biology, chemistry, astronomy, and a host of other subjects!

Second, look over the lesson plans and homework for the next few weeks (if it is available), and talk to your tutee about what she is currently studying, what she is going to be studying, etc.  Then, come up with a few simple experiments that will highlight the botany principles she is studying.

For example, if she is learning about chlorophyll, check out an experiment like this:
http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/leaves.html

Is she studying up on plants and watering?  Check out this experiment:
http://www.helium.com/items/1608049-plant-science-experiments-for-kids

Is your tutee learning about different plant and flowergroups?  Try putting together a plant field guide or a flower press: http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/2009/06/make-a-portable-flower-press.html

Is your tutee learning about fungi or growth patterns of other plants?  Try putting together a simple herbarium!

The possibilities are endless, so have fun with them - Your tutee will be grateful, and your tutoring will be even more effective!

And, as always, happy tutoring!

Ask Micki: Tutoring a Family Member

Question: Hi, Micki. I have been tutoring for about 9 years, and was just recently asked if I could tutor my 10 year old niece. I know that mixing business and personal life can be disastrous, and I am wondering if saying "yes" to this tutoring gig is a bad idea? Should I avoid working with family?

Thanks for your help!
~ Uncertain Aunt, WI.

Answer: Hi, Uncertain Aunt, thanks for your question! Traditionally, a lot of people say that mixing family and business is a recipe for disaster. I disagree.

I think that tutoring family members can be fun, rewarding, and helpful for the tutee - all of the elements that any of your tutoring sessions have.

Think about all of the older brothers and sisters who help their younger siblings with homework, or parents who successfully homeschool their children. These are both methods of tutoring or teaching that work well.

I had a lot of help from relatives when it came to my homework, and remember turning to my aunt for help with biology, my dad for math, my grandfather for some practical garage skills, etc...all tutoring in their own way. It was fantastic! I learned a lot during the "tutoring," had fun, and was able to spend some time getting to know them better.

The trick to making it work? Laying down a few ground rules and keeping the lines of communication open between you and your tutee.

Let your niece/tutee (and her parents) know that you are excited about working together, that you know that tutoring will be beneficial for her, and that you think it would be a great idea to set up some times for tutoring sessions. Approach the scheduling as a way to fit quality tutoring time in to everyone's busy schedule.

Let your sister know, in a nice, polite way, that you need to keep track of the tutoring appointments (via time sheet) for record keeping purposes.

This will also help avoid any billing pitfalls in the future if you are being paid for your tutoring. If all else fails, tell her that it is a requirement for your business budget and taxes that you account for income and time scheduled.

Yes, they are family, but treating your tutoring business like a business is an easy way to keep the tension out of the scenario.

Being too casual with your tutoring schedule or record keeping could lead to problems, so treat your niece/sister like any other client when it comes to paperwork. Trust me on this, I found out the hard way!

When the time comes for your first tutoring session, sit down with your niece and let her know what you'll be going over, what you expect her to do, what she can expect of you as a tutor, etc. Use kid friendly terms, but lay out the rules and the groundwork for a successful tutoring relationship.

Last of all - have fun, and enjoy the one-on-one "aunt time" you get to spend with your niece!

Good luck, and happy tutoring!

Tips from Charlie: Learning Tools

I used to think that tutoring was all about using my own knowledge and my tutee's textbook.

Then I started tutoring younger kids and it changed the way I tutored forever.

Kids can be great to work with.  They are enthusiastic (most of the time), are honest about what they do and don't know, and have a very different way of learning...they also, like myself, have shorter attention spans than most grown adults!

I started realizing that my tutoring sessions with kids were just not as exciting and full of zest as they could be.  So, I sat down and did some thinking.  What did I respond to at a younger age? What bored me?  What got me enthusiastic about learning?

The answer, as it turns out, was using learning tools during our tutoring sessions.

Learning tools can turn a drab tutoring session into an exciting learning opportunity!

I used simple experiments to tutor the concepts of electricity and chemistry.  I brought games and activities that showcased the exciting world of math.  I dug out my old microscope and brought simple slides to go over biology concepts and make them more interesting.

In other words, any tutoring tool I could get my hands on (that related to the subjects I tutored), I brought with me to tutoring sessions.

The results were amazing, and I noticed that not only was I getting more excited learners, but I was getting happier parents.  One mom told me that I was the only person who had managed to get her son excited about science.  He had hated the subject before our tutoring had started.

An unexpected benefit to this new technique were the referrals I was getting from other parents.  I was known as the fun tutor who could actually get kids to learn boring subjects.  I was honored, and thrilled to have the "title."

So, if you are looking for a way to spice up your sessions, thrill parents, and garner referrals, look no further than tutoring and learning tools!

~ Charlie

Ask Micki: What to do about a lazy tutee?

This question was sent in by an anonymous tutor who is having problems motivating his tutee to learn.

Question: Hi, Micki. I have been tutoring for about 3 years now (mostly high school math), and have had nothing but great experiences. That is, until 2 weeks ago.

Two weeks ago I encountered, perhaps, one of the laziest tutees on earth! I started tutoring a 16 year old boy in basic statistics, and he really needs the help. His parents have already expressed their concern, and have given me the task of raising his grade from a D- to an A...in the next 4 weeks...yeah...Since it is a summer school course, and time was of the essence, we scheduled appointments for two days each week.

First, I talked to his parents and let them know, realistically, what could be done with his grade in only 4 weeks of tutoring. They understood, and were still happy for the tutoring help - they really just want him to pass the course with a decent grade. No problem, there!

But as soon as my tutee and I had our first tutoring session together, I knew it would be challenging (to say the least). He frequently gets up to "grab a sports drink," zones out while I'm talking, switches on the television, and even had the nerve to answer a phone call from his friend right in the middle of our tutoring session.

He is just not interested in learning or tutoring. What do I do with him? He's driving me crazy!
(from Anonymous)

Answer: Hi, Anonymous! You have a great question for me, and one that-I'm sure-has been asked by many frustrated tutors over the years. In fact, I remember asking myself this question a decade ago when I tutored a challenging tutee.

First of all, you did the right thing by talking to your tutee's parents about the situation, and I'm pretty sure that they know that the problem with their son's grades lies in his lazy attitude towards schoolwork.

As for your tutee: it sounds like it is important to start over with him. Lay out the tutoring rules again, and get him into a more learning friendly environment.

Try the following tips - I am sure they will help your tutoring sessions immensely.

1. Have a quick talk with your tutee about how important it is to minimize distractions so that he can get the most out of each tutoring session. Try to avoid coming across as a disciplinarian. Just be really upfront about the fact that he needs to learn this stuff to pass the class. If he knows how important the tutoring is, he may perform better.

2. Get rid of the distractions. I once had a tutee that was so distracted by the phone ringing, that it was almost as if he couldn't help himself from jumping up and answering it at least 10 times every time I tutored him.

So, we removed our tutoring session from the distraction. He and I began tutoring at the local library and, on occasion, the high school classroom. His concentration, and grades, skyrocketed! (usually by the time you have completed this step, you have a brand new, studious tutee on your hands)

3. Offer small tutoring session rewards. Maybe if the two of you get through a set number of math problems, or concepts, you can offer up a small gift card at the end of the month. This also works if you leave him with extra problems to try in between your sessions - if he finishes your worksheet, he gets some sort of "prize"!

4. Talk to the parents. Let them know that their son is having difficulty concentrating during the tutoring, and that it could impact his grades. They most likely have a good idea of what would motivate, and distract, their son, and may be able to offer you some great insight and suggestions for your future tutoring sessions. At the very least, this makes them aware of the problem and lets them know that it is not the tutor's fault that the tutee isn't performing.

5. Speak with the teacher. Is he not paying attention in class because he is goofing off, or is he genuinely having difficulty with the material. Let the teacher know that you are his tutor, and that you are concerned with his progress. It may even be necessary for him to be in lower level class at this point in time.

Whatever happens, good luck and happy tutoring!

Guest Post: Problems with Parents

This is a great guest post sent to us by a tutor who wishes to remain anonymous. It is all about dealing with the difficult parents of a tutee.
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Hi readers,

I've decided to submit this post anonymously for obvious reasons (I don't want to get involved in the parents reading this, etc.). It is a post that deals with the reality of tutoring high school mathematics, and the pitfalls that come with a teens difficult parents.

My tale starts out like any normal tutoring session. I showed up at my tutee's home, a nice suburban brick house, on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

I rang the bell and a tired looking 16 year old girl, I'll call her June (name obviously changed), answered the door. After making my way inside, we sat down and went through the usual introductions. I found out that she played volleyball, which she enjoyed, and that she was very worried about her algebra grade.

Unfortunately, during this 10 minute conversation, June's parents interrupted about 5 times. Not to introduce themselves, or offer some insight into their daughter's difficulties with her math class, but to remind her to "study fast - you have practice in 2 hours."

I was shocked and knew that there was a definite problem.

Throughout our hour long session, we were interrupted repeatedly, at least a dozen times, by June's parents.

June's mom stopped the session twice to ask about volleyball equipment, her dad interrupted us to talk about the upcoming game in 3 weeks, and there were other interruptions that ranged from carpool questions to discussions about "gearing up for the scouts that might be at the game next month."

By the end of the tutoring session June looked as frustrated as I felt and it was clear that nothing had been accomplished during the session.

I knew that we had 9 more tutoring sessions planned, but I also knew that they would be useless if the tutoring session conditions stayed the same. So I started thinking about what to do next.

Should I talk to the parents and risk confrontation? Should I suggest we meet elsewhere? I didn't want to create any tension or uneasiness, I just wanted to give June a chance to learn.

So, after a few minutes of though, I mustered up the courage to talk to her mom and dad. I let them know that June definitely needed help with her algebra, but that she was a bright young woman who seemed very capable of quickly learning the concepts.

I also asked if it would be all right to move our future tutoring sessions to the local library so that we would have access to all of the math books we could possibly need and a quiet place to study.

To my relief, June's parents said that library tutoring sessions would be fine with them, provided that they could be scheduled around practice and games. I was thrilled - I knew that we would have a much better chance of math class success if June was given an opportunity to concentrate.

So, for the next session June and I met after school at her local public library. The session went great, June picked up all of the concepts we went over, and by the end of the semester she had improved by an entire letter grade!

Now that she will be entering her Junior year of high school, we have planned regular tutoring sessions at the library. June is still a star volleyball player, but now she is a star math student as well!