One to One Tuition
I have been thinking recently about what really makes me excited and also riles me up, you know the kind of topic that you could go on and on about. One of them for me is education - and specifically learning to become an independent learner. Sitting on the other side of that is teaching, which can be the catalyst to a life-long love of learning. We all know the impact a beloved teacher can make. Think Dead Poets Society and To Sir, with Love.
One aspect of my teaching has been tutoring primary aged children. It has been there quietly in the background since the start of my career. I have worked with children aged seven to sixteen (GCSE English was a bit out of my comfort zone, and were taken on under the weight of obligation mainly).
I have just embarked on teaching a new student, after four years with the same child, who has now gone to secondary school.🌟
Why the Reluctance?
Even though I have been tutoring for years, quite often I didn’t really want to do it. It takes up time and the hourly rate rate does not reflect my expertise, and yet, I enjoy it. I love the one to one relationship with a child and the way they start to blossom with confidence over time. Almost all of them have been girls, where as my young therapy clients have been a balance of boys and girls.
In Praise of Tutoring
At the start there are lots of conversations with the parents, who are concerned about their child’s understanding or progress (of lack of), but over time this transforms into words of surprise, praise and gratitude. They are grateful to have the support and their child begins to thrive with the attention and conversation around what they are learning.
Sometimes it comes down to just having a different person - who knows them in one context, who can prepare resources especially for them. Each session is completely bespoke and tailored specifically to what they need.
The Freedom to Teach
As a teacher who tutors, there is so much freedom, that is makes it a pleasure to do the preparation. Simply selecting the right materials for that child, at that stage, looking at their next steps and scaffolding the path for them - is a joy. It’s exciting when I sit down with the child and present them with the new text or activity I have brought along to the session for them. Over time they begin to understand and remember what to do first, how to interrogate the text (I teach English mostly) and how to understand what the question is asking of them. I love the opportunity to introduce a breadth of reading materials, widening their repertoire.
As I always say, writers are readers first!
I encourage all children to read as much as they can and always have a book on the go.
Entrance Exams
On the other side of this freedom is the flip side - when tutors are hired to help a child pass the 11+ or an entrance exam for a specific school. This can both give more shape and a time frame to the work, but also applies pressure to the student, which I try my best to mitigate. The longer I have to prepare the student the better, but there is also a sweet spot which really depends on an individual basis.
On occasion I have worked with a child for several years. My last student was the longest - from Year 2 to Year 6. We formed a great relationship and it was so satisfying to support this child who had fallen behind during the Covid Lockdown. She was completely ready for secondary school in September, which was brilliant.
Teaching Your Own Child
The funny thing is, despite all of the experience, it is not always easy to teach one’s one child. I find that the rapport that is built up with a tutor is completely different to that with a class teacher, or even a family member. I think a child feels more able to show what they don’t know with a tutor. If they have a good relationship, they should feel safe to show up where they are and a skilled tutor will be able to find the gaps and create a programme of support to fill them.
They can also stretch the child beyond what might be possible in the classroom (to keep a fair pace for the whole class) and can also provide texts which appeal to the child’s interests. This can spark a newly found love of reading, which can remain for a lifetime.
Tutoring Agencies
My very first tutee was a child I taught back in 1996 when I was a student. That child must be a woman of 39 now! A teacher at my placement school put me in touch with her mother and so began my first foray into tutoring. All of the children I have tutored have come through word-of-mouth. Until now!
I have used the services of Additions Tutoring for my own child and now I am one of their tutors myself. I would highly recommend using an agency because they have a host of tutors on their books and can help match your child to the right tutor.
If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy A Class(room) of One's Own
Feel free to leave me a comment or drop a 💗
Zeenat 🌟