| I am a public school teacher. My wife is a | | | | awkward if it is a friend or neighbor). |
| public school teacher. My peers are public | | | | |
| school teachers. It seems that there is a | | | | Those are the barriers to finding good |
| common frustration among all of us. So many | | | | tutors. A tutoring service can help but it's |
| times in our schools, we see teachers | | | | important to ask these key questions: |
| struggle to give the attention each student | | | | |
| needs in overcrowded classrooms. The child | | | | 1. How do I know if the tutors in your |
| who is falling behind is getting frustrated | | | | service are qualified? |
| because he needs someone, anyone, to help him | | | | |
| through this one topic but he can't get the | | | | 2. Do I have any choice in the tutor I can |
| attention he needs in a classroom of | | | | select? |
| thirty-plus students. That one topic of | | | | |
| frustration becomes two topics (because the | | | | 3. Will I be able to see profiles or |
| second topic builds off the first) and then | | | | backgrounds and qualifications of ALL your |
| two topics becomes three and so until the | | | | tutors so I can make the choice? |
| student is so frustrated, he or she gives up | | | | |
| entirely. Then there is the gifted student | | | | 4. How do I know which tutors service my |
| who finishes their work quickly but sits for | | | | area? |
| a majority of the class waiting for others to | | | | |
| catch up. The gifted student falls behind, | | | | 5. How do I know which tutors fit my |
| not on the grade book, but rather towards | | | | schedule? |
| fulfilling their potential. Then there is the | | | | |
| student with the learning disability or the | | | | 6. How much will this cost? Is the tutoring |
| attention disorder; you can imagine how they | | | | service upfront with pricing or do they make |
| feel. | | | | you call their number and set-up a |
| | | | consultation before you know the price? |
| So many wonderful teachers out there are | | | | |
| doing their best to meet these students needs | | | | 7. If I am not totally satisfied with the |
| but it is near impossible nowadays. Classes | | | | tutor, can I switch quickly? |
| are held in rooms that were previously | | | | |
| closets or in dilapidated trailers and class | | | | Â |
| sizes increase every year. The need for | | | | |
| supplemental education to support students | | | | When my wife and I created our tutoring |
| has become more important than ever. | | | | business, we decided to make sure that these |
| | | | answers were upfront on our website. We |
| Parents usually have a couple places they can | | | | carefully selected and pre-screened our |
| turn. They will ask a neighbor who might then | | | | tutors, including extensive interviews, |
| refer them to someone down the street they | | | | criminal background checks, and reference |
| heard was a teacher. Or they will ask the | | | | checks. We posted their qualifications, |
| guidance office at the school who will give | | | | philosophies, teaching styles, and schedule |
| them a list of twenty tutors or tutoring | | | | availability on the site. We posted pricing |
| services. They might ask the teacher as well, | | | | information clearly for the parent. We posted |
| but most schools will not allow teachers to | | | | our philosophy. We made it so parents could |
| tutor students from the same school for | | | | schedule tutors right on the website |
| compensation and the time the teacher gives | | | | immediately. It was our goal to make finding |
| after or before school just isn't enough. | | | | an effective tutor affordable and convenient. |
| | | | These are the gaps we found when we saw |
| The problem the parent runs into is the fact | | | | parents searching in vain for tutors. These |
| that, even if they find a tutor, they don't | | | | are the things you should be looking for when |
| know anything about the tutor. They don't | | | | you choose a tutoring service. |
| have a background on the tutor. They know | | | | |
| very little about their qualifications. They | | | | Remember, your time is valuable and having |
| don't if the tutor's schedule will fit | | | | the power to choose the educator who will be |
| theirs. And then there is that awkward | | | | spending so much time with your child is |
| conversation about price (made even more | | | | something you should not take lightly. |