Common Mistakes Parents Make When Hiring A Tutor For their Child

  1. The smartest students do not necessarily make the best tutors.
    A parent should not assume that the smartest student makes the best tutor. While students who graduated at the top of their class can make excellent tutors, this is not the rule. Often times, the best tutors are those who had difficulty with certain concepts yet were able to solve problems after numerous failures. Since they may have encountered similar difficulties to those of their students, these tutors can relate to a student’s troubles. This relationship is crucial to the tutoring process.
  2. Telling your child he or she needs a tutor
    The term “tutor” often carries a negative connotation when heard through the ears of a child. A child may feel he or she is not as smart as their peers, leading to a lack of confidence. Having a tutor should be viewed as a privilege, not an obligation. A child does not need a tutor. A child is fortunate to have a tutor.
  3. Signing a long-term tutoring contract immediately
    While an assessment test will determine which areas your child needs to improve upon, it won’t tell you if your child will be tutored effectively. ConfidentLearners, LLC does not lock you into a long-term contract right away. Rather than assuming your child will benefit from 4-6 months of tutoring, we will work with your child for 1-2 months to ensure that our tutoring sessions are helping your child learn. Once we knoew that Confident Learners is having a positive impact on your child, we will plan for the longer term.
  4. Assuming all your child’s academic problems will be solved by a tutor
    Every parent wants their child to be successful in the classroom. However, if a child is having problems with school, a tutor is not always the best solution. On occasion, factors outside of the classroom can hinder your child’s performance, factors that would best be served by someone other than a tutor. Confident Learners will help you determine the best course of action for your child.
  5. Assuming a ‘Learning Center’ is the most effective tutoring method
    Traveling to an unfamiliar setting surrounded by other students can cause angst and embarrassment for a struggling student. While learning centers have proved effective in many cases, they are not a conducive learning environment for all students. In addition, a Learning Center often places your child in a 3:1 student/teacher ratio, giving your child 1/3 of the personal attention he or she would receive during a private, one-on-one session. The convenience of in-home tutoring, coupled with the comfort of learning in a familiar and comfortable setting, can be a dramatic benefit to a student.
  6. Failing to check references
    Confident Learners has made a dramatic difference for many students. We welcome the opportunity to provide you with references to parents like you, whose children needed help. We stand by our past performance and we are proud of the success that our students enjoy.