Tutoring Is Not Teaching It’s Mentoring
Teaching is a unique skill. Not everyone can explain complex topics in a way that a student understands. Our teachers in Australia deserve more kudos! But tutoring is not teaching, it is very different. Tutoring requires a different skill set. Effective tutoring is rare. Very rare…
The Ideal Academic Mentor Makes The Ideal Teacher
I say this with incredible conviction: a tutor is a mentor, not a teacher. There can be many reasons a parent is seeking a tutor, but how can one find a good mentor?
Here is what I have learned in my own tutoring journey.
Tutors who have a sense of academic purpose and who inspire their students to value academic excellence are invaluable. This is the most important trait we look for in our tutors. Teaching a student algebra is easy; inspiring a student to try harder in algebra is a much more remarkable feat.
How does one inspire a student? This is a great question. It is not easy, but my experience with thousands of students and countless tutors has led me to conclude that the beauty of tutoring is in the relationship established between student and tutor. If a child doesn’t respect you, they will not learn from you.
At ShieldTuition, we have seen precisely that! Our young tutors who have built great relationships with their students have achieved far better student outcomes, often shaping and moulding the students for the rest of their lives. Everyone remembers their favourite teacher! But no one forgets a genuinely fantastic tutor!
That is why I place so much importance on strong relationships between students and tutors. The student can look forward to learning rather than dreading it. It is this change in thinking that is our ultimate goal at ShieldTuition! If students like their tutors, their interactions are, by default, more positive. Positivity masks the tedious nature of completing algebra and other subjects. We have seen this happen countless times. Students who despise schoolwork end up falling in love with it — all with the help of a tutor who used their relationship as the foundation of learning.
Here is why our tutors are mentors:
Young and relatable
Academically inspired in their own endeavours
Focussed on establishing a positive tutor-student relationship
Give a student a fish, you feed them for a day, teach them how to fish, and you feed them for a lifetime! That is what we do.
