2. Due to the increasing importance of education, many
parents and schools choose to hire tutors. Parents
hire freelancer tutors and work with private
tutoring services. Parents hire instructors for tasks
such as math tutoring, and SAT prep. However,
many parents do not exactly understand what
makes a good tutor.
Tutors often think that they are well qualified
because they possess adequate understanding of
the subject matter. Many people say that one
possesses adequate knowledge of a subject when
he can lecture in the subject. However, there are
many other aspects to being a good tutor and
having adequate knowledge in the subject will not
necessarily make the tutor a good tutor.
3. Of course, understanding the subject matter is
critical to being a good tutor. No tutor is able to
adequately explain material to a struggling student
if he does not understand it well enough himself.
That does not mean that the tutor has to have
every single minor aspect of the subject memorize.
But the tutor should be able to understand the
subject matter after a short review before the
session.
Simple knowledge of a subject is generally
insufficient to be a good tutor. A tutor has to have
true understanding of a subject. For example, an
inexperienced math tutor may know the Quadratic
formula but a great tutor can also derive it. A
decent Literature tutor understands the plot and
themes of To Kill a Mockingbird. But a great tutor
also understands the history behind the novel.
4. A good tutor should be an experienced tutor. The
more experienced the tutor is, the more likely he
will address the student's issues. Inexperienced
tutors should first consider volunteering and
tutoring family and friends before charging for
their services.
Another important aspect of tutoring is having good
communication skills. A tutor has to not only know
the subject matter but also be able to adequately
explain it. Someone may be able to solve any math
problem but he will not necessarily make his
solution understandable to the student.
5. A good tutor is a good evaluator of the student's
performance. Often, students do not understand
exactly what their problems in a course are. They
often just know that they are struggling or that
they are getting bad grades. A good tutor can
understand what gaps and misunderstandings the
student has and can provide review of these
particular subject areas
6. Another characteristic of a good tutor is the ability to
understand the student's situation. Students who
work with tutors generally are frustrated and a
tutor should not never make the situation worse.
Also, students can often have learning disabilities
so a tutor may need to explain certain aspects
differently or use a slower tutoring pace. They
should also be forgiving of minor misbehavior by a
student as the misbehavior may be caused by
stress.
