As a parent you only want the best for your child, and that includes giving him the best education possible. You communicate with teachers, help with homework, and try to make learning fun, but he doesn’t seem to be thriving. It can be hard to just sit and watch your child struggle to keep up with his school work, but it doesn’t mean that you have to stand idly by.
As owner and director of the San Antonio branch of Club Z! In-Home Tutoring Services, Farhan Hussain urges parents who have noticed that their child is having a hard time keeping up with schoolwork to call a local tutoring center. Still, parents and their children sometimes find that contacting a tutor brings with it a certain stigma. Having your child meet with a tutor doesn’t mean he isn’t smart, Hussain explains. It just means that the way in which your child is being taught needs to be altered to fit his specific learning needs.
Here, Hussain addresses some misconceptions about tutoring that he feels keeps children from reaching their full potential.
Myth: It’s too expensive.
Fact: Because most children attend public school, which is essentially free, some parents have a hard time paying for further education when they feel that it should not cost the nothing to have their child learn. There is also the misconception (thanks in part to the media) that tutoring is only for wealthy children who are striving to gain acceptance into Ivy League schools. Neither of these ideas measure up to the reality that tutoring is an affordable way to give your child the extra help he needs to succeed. Tutoring is basically a short-term investment in your child’s successful future.
Myth: It is unsafe.
Fact: Since tutors are typically someone you and your child have never met before, there is some apprehension about letting a “stranger” into your home. This person will have access to your home, your family and be left alone for periods of time with your son or daughter. But, this is why it is so important to hire a tutor from an established tutoring company, says Hussain. A reputable tutoring company, like Club Z!, conducts background checks on all its employees to ensure that they are in good legal standing and will not endanger perspective families.
Myth: Tutor is not qualified.
Fact: Hussain says he has heard some criticism that tutors are just second-rate teachers. This, he explains, couldn’t be farther from the truth. The tutors at Club Z! and any trustworthy tutoring center are highly educated in their fields. Hussain for example, who tutors students in data analysis and math, holds a master’s degree. It is important for you to check the education background of the tutor who you are letting into your home. And they should also have experience with children, and either a teaching certificate or a degree in the field they are tutoring your child in. And, a lot of times, adds Hussain, tutors are also full-time teachers who tutor after school and during the summer.
Myth: Child and tutor won’t get along.
Fact: While your child’s ideal afternoon probably doesn’t include coming home from a long day with a teacher at school and hitting the books with another adult, tutoring doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, it should be fun for your child. During the initial application process at Club Z!, Hussain explains that children are matched with tutors who can not only help with specific subject matters, but also who your child will get along with. A large part of being a tutor is establishing a relationship with the child. This means finding out his hobbies and goals and shaping the supplemental learning materials to be enjoyable.
If you feel that you’re child could use a little extra help with his schoolwork, but you are still hesitant about hiring a tutor, Hussain recommends contacting a tutoring center in your area. Ask them any questions you have about the experience and what steps they will take to ensure that your child benefits from the sessions. When you feel that you have found a tutoring center that you trust, take the extra step of setting up a consultation with either the center’s director or one of their tutors. Speak with them about the concerns you have about your child, as well as their own education background and qualifications until you are completely comfortable with your decision.
