In this article, I will discuss how and when to decide your child needs a tutor, the different types of tutoring available and how to decide if online or in-person learning is better for your child.

When Should You Look For a Tutor?

If you clicked on this article, you probably are a parent and/or caregiver browsing your options for tutors. You’ve probably noticed your child falling behind in school or they just aren’t reaching the developmental milestones you know that they are capable of meeting. You’ve already spoken with their teachers, and tried helping them with their school work yourself and exhausted all of your options. Is it time to look for a tutor?

I’ve created a checklist below of the top 15 reasons that would qualify a child for tutoring.

• Your child has anxiety about school & their school work
• Your child often states “I don’t like school” and is not excited to attend
• Your child is not progressing in school nor meeting the developmental milestones of their same grade peers
• Your child has little to no confidence about their abilities & has low self-esteem about their work
• Your child is not getting enough 1 on 1 attention in the classroom
• Your child is excelling in school, but not receiving the kind of support that pushes them to the next level
• School is not offering any kind of supplemental education outside of the classroom
• Your child is not getting enough stimulation in the classroom and is often bored with school assignments
• Your child often complains of teacher not ‘choosing them’ to answer the questions in class/not enough teacher attention.
• You have noticed that your child’s grades and test scores have started to slip
• Your child spends several hours trying to complete a single assignment with little to no success
• You have very limited time to dedicate to your child to help them with schoolwork
• Your child hardly completes their schoolwork independently, unless you stand over them
• You have to coax and persuade your student to go to school and complete their homework
• Your child has a learning disability

If you said yes to more than 1 of these scenarios above, a tutor may be right for your child.

Is online or in-person tutoring better?

If you have already decided on moving forward with tutoring, you are probably in the midst of deciding if in-person or online learning best for your child and how often should they see the tutor. Continue reading to find out my best practices when choosing online or in-person tutoring for your child.

First note I’d like to make, is that you and your child will know what is most conducive to their learning. You know your child’s habits better than anybody, so first asses your child’s needs from what you already know about their personality and work habits and bring that information to a tutoring consultation.

I always recommend in-person learning to most of my learners, because I feel it is the best way to cultivate relationships and work intensively without internet disruptions.

In-person tutoring is best for: early childhood students (prek-2nd), children with learning disabilities, children who have trouble retaining information, elementary students learning math (all math learning needs to be concrete first), students who need & want hands-on learning,

Online tutoring is best for: upper elementary to high school students (students that have mastered some executive functions), students studying essay writing, students that need support with executive functions, students studying algebra or biology, students that need test taking support,

These lists are not exhaustive nor mutually exclusive. Some high school students may still prefer in-person tutoring, some elementary students perform well with distance learning. There are many variables to consider what is best for your family. Talking with a tutor can help you make an informed choice.

How Much Tutoring Does My Child Need?

There are many factors to consider when deciding on the best kind of tutoring to meet your child’s needs and frequency of tutoring that is best for your child. Read below for my rule of thumb deciding how much tutoring is best for your student.

For students who: need to learn a completely new skill (learning how to read, mastering multiplication tables), are young learners (prek-1st) , & students with disabilities, I would recommend meeting your tutor at least 2x a week. To ensure a student is able to understand a new skill, practice a skill and then master it, more than 1 session a week is necessary.

For students who need: homework help, mentoring, development of executive functions, minor weekly adjustments, supplemental education for more stimulation, reteaching of material taught in the classroom, I recommend meeting with your tutor a minimum of 1 time a week.

When in doubt, always consult a tutoring professional to help you develop an education plan.

Conclusions

When it comes to tutoring, the sooner you seek help, the better! Children deserve access to high quality education and at Ms.Medlock Teaches, we are committed to closing achievement gaps through the attainment of high quality learning experiences. Book your consultation today to find what learning plan best suits your child’s needs.

At Ms.Medlock Teaches, we make learning fun with cool prizes, exciting experiments and hands on STEM lessons!

This post will be updated with new games and tools to use as I learn and research more strategies.