Having taught English as a private tutor in Singapore for over two and a half years, before relocating back to England, I saw a clear difference between my clients and their expectations of tuition. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not here to say that either one party or the other has the correct idea of what tuition for a child should be, while the other party is incorrect, I’m simply here to share my opinions and advice based on my experience.
Some people may argue that after a long day at school, followed by extra-curricular activities, children need time to relax and enjoy their childhood, rather than being guided into tuition, yet I’m undecided. I fully understand that a child needs time to grow into a well-rounded person, and grow their personality, but I do think that children who are supported in tuition, can build their skills in areas they are lacking, excel in their classroom, and even grow in confidence which is a wonderful thing to see in a child you’ve taught.
Firstly, it is important to communicate with your child’s tutor. Make sure they understand the full picture, and don’t leave them to do guess work, for example, if your child isn’t sure of their homework, show the tutor what has been set – as your tutor won’t be able to help if they don’t have the full brief in mind. It is also important to tell them what has been said at parent/teacher conferences, and if the teacher wants your child to improve in any particular areas, so that your tutor can focus on this, in addition to the areas they feel your child needs improvement in.
Make sure you listen to what your child’s tutor has to say. Remember that they are experts in what they are doing, so if they give you suggestions of what you can be doing at home to support your child, listen to them. On occasion, I’ve seen teacher friends, who have suggested that children be tested for learning difficulties, with parents refusing to listen, and while we understand that it may be a heart-breaking suggestion, you also must remember that we will never say this unless we have serious concerns for the child. As a tutor, we want what’s best for your child, and there will have been serious deliberation, discussion and different methods tried before this suggestion has been made, so take their word. Hopefully, the testing will prove negative, but if it does show something, you’ll be grateful that a condition was diagnosed early, and your child can keep getting the correct support they need.
If you are considering tuition for your child, please do remember that tuition for one hour a week is not the solution to all of your child’s problems. If your child for example, has difficulty building their creative writing, or understanding their ABCs, a one hour lesson per week, will not fix those problems immediately without support from home. In my experience, parents are happy to provide support for their children in the form of a tutor, but as one teacher friend recently said to me, “tuition is like putting a band aid on a shot gun wound”, and I agree. As a parent, you have to remember that a child’s memory is short, and a lot of time is there in the space between one tuition class to the next, so it is important to help build the foundations which are made in that class, throughout the week in order for your child to gain the full potential from their lessons.