Qualities in a Good Tutor

So, you are looking for a professional New York high school entrance tutor. The actual subject area(s) really don't matter. Nor does the fact that your child won't listen to you and your explanations. You need someone that can mesh with your child's personality, understand their difficulties and guide them through various techniques and knowledge building. This is true even if there are learning disabilities, social and family situations or other factors that may be causing the learning shortfalls.

If the difficulty is focused in a particular subject area or related areas, then you need a specialist, one who understands and can teach the topic(s). While trained teachers often have the knowledge, skills and abilities to pull this off, some don't. Some teachers may be great in a larger class setting, but be unable to connect individually. And when it comes to tutoring, you will most likely want your child to receive individualized attention.

The New York math tutor you select must be able to bond with your child. This includes gaining your child's confidence through understanding and interaction. It also means that the tutor has to demonstrate mastery of subject matter, be able to explain it in terms the child can comprehend and exude confidence in his/her teaching of it. One of the easiest and best ways to befriend a student is to key on something they are wearing or using (e.g., a cell phone with a certain ring tone), something about their school and/or something that they do (e.g., sports).

Good tutors also don't stop at the end of the hour and ask students to put their things away. They might ask instead, "What are planning to do this weekend?" or "How are things going in track?" (if they know the student is on the track team).

These small things, above and beyond the actual tutoring, will make your child want to come back because they see that someone cares about them.

The tutor must also be able to dissect any topic to show the student how manageable smaller pieces can be. For example, reading comprehension means more than just reading. But with a focus on finding key paragraphs or key words, it is easier to hone in on a comprehension question. Equations and interactions can be quite complex in chemistry. But, if the tutor can show these reactions using everyday compounds, the science becomes much easier to understand. We all know that history tends to repeat itself. What could be more meaningful to a student than to be able to see how an event of today has historical context? And in math, any problem can be broken up into smaller pieces.

Games are a big part of understanding math and language at any age. The games do not have to be formally linked to the subject being taught. In fact, if they aren't, the understanding sneaks in when the child least expects it. "Fun" takes the place of "learning."

You may still want to check tutor credentials, reviews and recommendations. But, remember that your child is unique. What worked or didn't work last year may not have any bearing on your child's situation.

You'll know if your child is paired with a good tutor pretty quickly. If you have a good tutor, keep him / her. Once the connectivity is made, the learning often follows fairly quickly and steadily.