Lori Greenspoon, a Toronto mother of two, first hired a tutor to help her son when he was in Grade 4.
“I sought out a private tutor to help him with homework completion and to give him an early model for how to do work well,” she recalls.
Her son wasn’t getting the one-on-one attention he needed to build self-confidence in the classroom, so Greenspoon enlisted the help of a qualified teacher on maternity leave.
Eight academic years later, her son is now in Grade 12 and in the process of applying to university. Greenspoon feels the once-a-week tutoring he received through elementary school and part of high school provided him with key strategies for problem solving and studying.
“The intention was never for his tutor to do his homework but rather analyze where he was getting stuck and provide tools needed to get through those tough spots,” Greenspoon says.
For many parents of both public and private school students, tutoring is used to supplement in-class learning.
“You can overdo it though,” Greenspoon warns. “We always kept my son’s tutoring sessions to once a week — the rest of the work he had to tackle on his own.”
This is a belief many educators share.
“One of the dangers of tutoring is that the sessions will become a crutch for learning,” says Sean Meggeson, principal teacher and tutor at Freemont Academy and Bayview Tutorial Institute. Meggeson adds that if such a scenario persists the tutoring will become ineffective because the child will fall behind the flow of his or her classroom.
“Most educators, if they’re good educators, know that just doing the work for the student won’t help anybody,” says Meggeson.
“A tutor’s primary goal should be to spark motivation and enrich the child’s learning process. The way they can do that properly is to come to the table with knowledge. Knowledge of the subject and the curriculum.”
According to Doug Moore, owner and principal of North Toronto Tutoring (part of North Toronto Academy), students are also best served if they come to their tutors prepared.
“Kids should try the work at home, keep track of the questions they have and present their needs to the tutor,” he recommends.
“It’s important for kids to think through their work themselves before seeking assistance, in order to build self-esteem and independence.”
Moore adds that a good tutor is able to provide some coaching to the student as well, offering practical tools for time management and organization skills as well as aiding with subject material.
“I often spent time talking with my son’s tutor, allowing me to pick up where she left off,” says Greenspoon.
A respectful relationship between the tutor and the student is also essential.
“It is often challenging for a parent to tutor his or her own children, especially adolescents, explains Steve Udvari, co-owner of the Study Spot, a Leaside-based academic coaching program for students in Grades 7 through university. “I’m a parent, too, and I notice that it’s much easier to get the same messages across to the students here than it is to get them across to my own children.”
Udvari adds that in order for a student to truly benefit from tutoring or coaching he or she must be willing to accept and benefit from the help.
“We’ve had to tell some parents that their child isn’t ready yet,” says Udvari. “We work with kids to help make them better students, but in order to succeed, they have to be held accountable.”
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the tutor-child relationship should come to an end. Educators agree that the best tutors will fundamentally improve the child’s approach to learning and then leave them to go out into the world.
“I look at it like this: after students work with us for a while, we become the voice in their heads,” says Udvari.
“We provide tools that allow them to be the best they can be, and offer tips for dealing with unfamiliar situations.”