Supporting your child's success: Finding the right tutor

Written by: Stacie Gaetz

It can be difficult to watch your child struggle at school. Begging not to go in the morning, crying when they get home, and constantly fighting about homework can be draining on everyone in the family.

Children who have trouble with school work can suffer from decreased self-esteem, problems with peers, and disruptions in sleeping and eating habits. You may even notice that your child loses interest in activities they previously enjoyed and excel in.

It is important that you get to the bottom of the challenges your child is facing. Have an open conversation with them (but not in the heat of a homework meltdown). Ask them what specific elements of the work they find difficult to understand and what they think might be helpful.

Consult their teacher so they can share any concerns or suggestions. If everyone agrees that the challenges your child is facing are related to their skills and knowledge in a specific subject area, you can seek help in the form of a tutor or learning coach. 

But how do you find the right coach or facility for your child’s needs? What qualifications should they have? What method of learning is best?

Here are some tips to help you on your way to finding the best solution to your child’s educational struggles.

Do your homework

A good place to start when looking for a tutor is your child’s school. Ask their teacher if they have any suggestions or coaches within the school. Some education institutions have programs where older students teach younger ones before or after class.

Try asking around at a local library or community centre. If your child’s academic struggles are related to a developmental issue, it may be beneficial to reach out to their pediatrician or primary care physician.

Once you have been put in touch with a local independent tutor or organization that may be able to help, it’s time to ask some questions and advocate on behalf of your child.

Some important questions to consider are:

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• What are your qualifications?
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• Is your program individualized? Do you appeal to individual learning styles?
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• What criteria will you use to assess my child’s needs?
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• Is your program in line with the Alberta curriculum?
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• Have you previously worked with kids who have trouble with the same skills as my child?
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• What kind of results can we expect to see? How do you measure progress?
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• What can I do to support the process?
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• Do you have any references I could speak to?
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Individualized approach

Possibly the most important question you can ask a tutor is how they will assess what kind of help your child needs.

“It is easy to come to us and say that your child needs help with math, but we want to see exactly where the gaps are,” says Shaimoor Daredia, centre owner and director of Oxford Learning Calgary Acadia.

“We want to understand why they are having trouble. Is it that they are not comprehending the written math problem? Is it the numbers themselves that they struggle with?”

Oxford Learning provides a comprehensive individualized assessment that includes the evaluation of the child’s visual, cognitive, auditory, processing, problem-solving, reading, comprehension, memory, spelling, and math capacities. 

“We want to understand where the gaps are and provide help that fits with their learning style,” says Rahim Daredia, director of marketing and co-owner of Oxford Learning Calgary Acadia.

“We are essentially teaching them how to learn and solving the problem from the ground up. We are successful when the child doesn’t need us anymore.”

Transferable skills

Coaching can be incredibly valuable, but it is also important to consider how the work the tutor is doing will set your child up for future success.

The tutor is only present for a short amount of time, and if your child becomes too reliant on them, a pattern of dependence may occur.

If your child is in a one-to-one tutoring situation, ask the coach how they will help the child gain skills that they can use when they are back in a 30-to-one situation in the classroom.

“As a coach, we are trying to foster independence,” says Rahim.

“At the end of the day, yes, we need to teach the skills the child is lacking, but they are ultimately responsible for their own learning in a classroom environment, so how can we help them with that?”

He adds that the benefits of a coach go far beyond helping a child learn arithmetic or how to read.

“It is incredibly powerful to have someone on your team,” he says.

“We all need a coach sometimes. Someone who has been there before and is helping you down that path. They understand the child’s learning style and are creating a curriculum just for them. 

“We get to be a part of a child’s development and success not only in school but in life.”

Make sure you are in your child’s corner too. Don’t just assume the tutor has a handle on it. Regularly check in and ask your child if they like their instructor, if they are understanding the concepts, and if there is anything they wish the coach would do differently.

Don’t forget to praise the good stuff. Tell them how proud you are of the effort they are putting in. Ask 

them to teach you what they have learned and model learning behavior by telling them about a new skill you developed at work.

It can be frustrating when your child needs help at school, but it can go a long way for them to know that you are there to help them find someone who can steer them on the path to understanding.

Stacie is the associate editor of Calgary’s Child Magazine.

See our related articles:

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• Is It Time for a Tutor?
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• Just Bored? Or Is It More? Four Great Tips From a Tutor
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• Smart Study Strategies
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