« Who Is The Gifted Learner? :: Five Outstanding Traits of a Leader »Finding the right tutor for your child can be a trying process. What does one observe in the person who is the right tutor? What characteristics does the right tutor possess? What are the qualifications needed for being the right tutor? Creative Tutors is an excellent example of how employing the right tutor creates success for your child. What are the qualifications needed for a tutor? Ironically, no state requires a degree for one who wants to be a tutor. That leaves the choice to the interviewer. One thing is for certain, you aren’t just going to choose someone as your tutor that does not have some type of education. You must fit the education to the need. If reading is the subject, the tutor must have knowledge of reading skills. As a concerned parent, you know that someone trained in the field that your child needs is going to give the best results. The Creative Tutor’s teacher will have degrees in the field of expertise needed for the student.
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Many of these teachers will hold master degrees and are still seeking on-going education to help them better their knowledge of their subject area. Intelligence alone does not indicate a good tutor. There are certain characteristics that a good tutor needs to have. Here are four characteristics a good tutor should possess. The tutor needs to have a good workable knowledge of the subject in which they are working to help the students. The tutor will need to have a clear and concise knowledge of the material being taught. Thus, the tutor will fully understand the learning process used in teaching the subject. If the tutor doesn’t know the answers, he/she should be able to find the answer in a realistic time frame. No one person knows all the answers, but anyone can find the answer. A tutor should be professional. He/She should be aware that he/she is not the teacher, but rather the main support of the student. The tutor will not will be available to help the student perform their homework. He/She helps the student accept responsibility for his own learning. It is not the job of the tutor to lecture but to show the student the steps, proper methods, and procedures needed to complete the assignment. The tutor may furnish examples of study skills and educational technology. A successful tutor will view himself/herself as an equal to the student, and maintain a positive attitude with the student. He/She will feel comfortable praising the student for accomplishments and be gracious. The tutor will be responsive to the needs and wants of the student. It is important that the tutor is able to know when the student is nervous or uncomfortable in the learning situation and be responsive to the student. A tutor will always show genuine concern for the needs of the student and be supportive of them. Above all, the tutor must be a good listener. By listening, the tutor will discover the weaknesses of the student and learn the areas that the student is struggling to master and work with them to reach a viable solution. It is imperative that the tutor gives feedback to the student that is based on listening to the student’s thoughts given verbally. A tutor should feel comfortable exchanging information with the student that may be personal but relates to the background of the student thereby establishing commonalities that puts the student at ease. When interviewing a prospective tutor, look for the signs that he/she is capable of fulfilling the above requirements. Be aware of the person’s demeanor, knowledge, and trust. Choosing the right tutor to fill the position offered is a huge decision. A tutor who is not capable of helping the student in a positive way can and will cause a great deal of damage to your student and thus a lost opportunity to make it a great school year. Be alert. Take time to know the person before making a commitment. Chose a person who can laugh with a student; can cry with a student; and truly loves the job that he/she has been hired to do. Take time to visit with the tutors at Creative Tutors. You will find that they meet and extend the criteria listed in this article.No Comments for this post yet...
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In 1999, Jan Van Blarcum, Ph.D. founded Creative Tutors. As an educator, Dr. Van Blarcum understood the importance of personalized attention in a child's educational growth. Her passion for learning grew into a business endeavor that provides customized, one-on-one, in-home tutoring to children with a variety of learning needs. Every child receives personalized attention from certified/degreed educators. Jan has acquired invaluable experience through living abroad, teaching in many educational environments and has acquired business development experience. These unique experiences, coupled with her fervent desire to provide all children with the tools needed to achieve their potential in today's educational environment, led her to establish Creative Tutors and their sister organization Creative Learning 4 Kids, Inc. a 501(c)(3) company.
"The great thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B. King