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       As parents, we always want the best for our children thereby wanting them to excel in all their endeavors especially their academics. So the pain of seeing our children struggle with their academics can really be painful most especially when they begin to nurture fear, withdraw into their shell, or feel less confident about themselves, and doubt their capabilities. Another pain parents go through is when they have children with exceptional needs such as being dyslexic or having other syndromes etc.  

    One of the best ways to help a child regain his or her confidence and excel academically or in other areas you need them to improve is by getting the right tutor. The right tutor for your child boosts their moral, helps them to overcome fear and makes them see the beauty in their own abilities. Getting a right tutor most times is not easy. The following are secrets in getting the right tutor:

Understanding your needs or goals

The first step is being aware of your child’s needs. This will determine the kind of tutor to get. Understanding your child’s need would give a clear picture of the goals you intend to achieve upon getting a tutor. In knowing your child’s need, certain questions like:  

Do I know my child’s learning style? – is he the visual, need deep interpretation, touching or listening type. Which subject area do I want to see improvement? – In all subjects or in specific ones, What level of help does he need? – (brush over classes, intense ones) 

Do I know what inspires or stimulate him to study? –so I can use this tactic to encourage him.

Studying the tutor’s personality

Children are observant beings; they have the ability to sense a person’s aura and make conclusions. A tutor with the right personality in terms of how jovial, patient, understanding, success driven, high tolerance level, how approachable would go a long way in helping to boost a child’s academic abilities. For instance, a tutor with the mindset of seeing a child overcome his or her fears about a particular subject would patiently guide the child to fearlessness.

Getting recommendations

In the quest of searching for a tutor, involving an expert with teaching experience or one who works in the educational sector is a good step in getting recommendations about a tutor with the right qualification and ability needed. For instance, asking your child’s school principal, guidance counselor or class teacher would go a long way in aiding your search. Recommendations can also be gotten from friends on best online tutoring platforms.

Ability to teach the subject or area of need

There is a difference between having knowledge about a particular subject matter and having the ability to teach it. There are some tutors who are geniuses or experts on a subject but lack the ability to break the subject to the lowest level of understanding in a fun and attractive manner. For instance, a mathematics guru might lack the capacity to dissect an algebra topic to the lowest level, as Wyzant expert says, read more about wyzant here. In getting a tutor, inquire about his or her methods and style of teaching.

Including your child

It is advisable that when you are interviewing the tutor include your child, so you are able to gauge how well they connect if your child’s personality fits with that of the test prep or even a basketball tutor. In fact, you could leave for a while, so they get familiar with one another and afterward ask for a report from both your child and the tutor separately to know if they are compatible or if the chances of success are high.