Many home school parents find that at some point they may want to consider a tutor to help their child in certain subjects. Although tutors can be a valuable asset when it comes to giving your child a well-rounded home school education, choosing the right tutor for your child should be done taking many factors into consideration. The first thing you want to find out about a potential tutor is how he or she feels about home school education. If a tutor feels that they are somehow "saving" your child from the negative aspects of home school, then they are not who you want teaching and influencing your home school student. It is important to find a tutor who has positive feelings about home school and is willing to teach in the manner that you and your home school student find comfortable. There is nothing wrong with trying out potential tutors by letting them have one or two sessions with your child to see how well they work together. What you want to look for is someone who can incorporate your home school methods into the tutoring, while enhancing your home school student's learning with his or her expertise.
Especially for home school, a tutor needs to be willing to find out how your home school student learns best, without bringing any preconceived notions of teaching and learning into the picture. Watch to see if the tutor communicates effectively with your home school student, and whether or not he or she listens as well as instructs. Do not be afraid to dismiss a tutor if you think that he or she and your home school student will not be able to work together in a way that complements the method of learning that you and your child have developed. Even if you are just acting on intuition, you are probably making the right decision on whether or not to keep using a particular tutor's services. And of course, don't be afraid to ask your child how he or she feels. Your home school student, after all, is the focus of this addition to your regular home school routine.
The right tutor will work closely with you and your home school student to provide the type of learning and instruction that blends seamlessly into your home school routine and curriculum. This may not happen overnight, but the willingness of the tutor to reach this goal should be considered a positive sign.
Contacting your local home school support group or Internet home school message board should help you find a tutor that fits best with your needs. Positive references from other home school families can help tremendously when you are choosing the right tutor for your home school student.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Mimi Rothschild is a homeschooling parent, author, children's rights advocate, and Founder and C.E.O. of Learning by Grace, Inc. She and her husband of almost 3 decades reside with their 8 children in suburban Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Rothschild co-founded Learning By Grace, Inc. because "our current system of education has broken its promise..." Learning By Grace, Inc. delivers Internet-based multimedia education to PreK-12 children in the United States and throughout the world.
Rothschild has authored a number of books about education published by McGraw Hill and others. Her Home Education News Blog contains feature stories on alternatives in education.
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