Wednesday, April 18, 2012

What to Check When Getting a Home or Private Tuition

Tutoring is one of the fastest growing jobs out there today. But with the truckload of options available, it is extremely important that you choose a tutor that will meet your needs and will be dedicated enough to put in the tedious hours needed to make you achieve your true potential and reach new heights of academic success.
One of the most important questions that you must ask is the amount of money that you will have to pay your tutor. Those that are relatively less experienced and new to the tutoring profession usually charge less. However, it is important that you not only look at the charges, but also choose one that you will be able to work best with.
Attention:
Tutors that look good on paper and charge loads of money are not necessarily the best teachers. You should look for someone who can relate to and understand your child's needs. The duration and time spent between you and the tutor is also a very important consideration that needs to be taken into account.
Engagement:
It is usually seen that those tutors that meet their students at least two-three times a week are the ones that can provide the most effective means of help. Those with short attention spans should definitely be met more frequently. If the only time set to meet is once a week, then students will not be able to give substantial feedback. The tutoring session will also just be useless with money just being thrown away aimlessly without achieving any concrete results.
Experience and Mode of Teaching:
Experience is also very important especially when a private tutor is being judged. Usually, tutoring companies hire those teachers that have considerable experience and are able to understand all issues that children face especially when it comes to their academics.
People teaching through home tuition also have more than one year of experience, so they are able to take out all of the kinks out of their tutoring systems to guarantee maximum success. New tutors may also be exceptionally good teachers and should not be ruled out based on their lack of experience. Usually tutors that excel at certain subjects have the ability to teach them really well through different angles. The old tutors in comparison may be set in their previous ways and may not be willing to change their system even if a particular student may not understand their current teaching methodology.
Other Factors To Consider:
Other important factors that must be taken into consideration include the kind of subjects that a tutor can teach best and if they have the patience and the ability to teach students with certain disorders like dyslexia. Apart from these, there is also an age bracket that they feel most comfortable teaching.
These are just some of the things and factors you need to check when getting a home of private tuition. By taking them into consideration, you will be able to guide your child on how to excel academically.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Home Tuition - Is Grass Always Greener On The Other Side Of The Fence?

We always think that the effort our children are putting in their academics is below the required level. We would always condemn their television hours and hardly appreciate the time that they give towards their studies. Getting an A grade is not as much appreciated as getting a C grade is criticized.
Because of such a culture being instilled in our minds, we look for other ways to improve their academic performance. Unfortunately, the other ways are not as 'greener' as the morning school timings, but here is a quick flash about what they are.
You can get your child enrolled in a private tuition center, which might be owned, by one of the ex-principals or retired teachers. The private coaching school list of your local area may be obtained by the area head office, so you can choose which school fits the requirements of your child better. Usually, private tuition centers are the places where you can minimally monitor the activities of your child. The control of the tutor is also great, so you might want to rule this option out. Nobody will guarantee improvement in the grades of your kids, so you must invest some hours after school and help them complete their homework in time.
If you are well versed in the subjects that your child is studying at school, you might not even need to look at the 'greener' other side of the fence. You can tutor your child in the best possible way. This is because you, as a mother or father, know the capacity of your child.
Does Your Child Really Need Extra Tuition?
If you are still determined to improve the grades of your children and to guarantee a higher level of success, home tuition is the second best option. Getting your child an extra tuition for it will improve his performance in school. However, to secure that the money you will spend for the tuition is worth it, you should find a teacher who can easily develop a close relationship with your child. Make sure that you assess not just his or her skills and experience, but his or her attitude as well. As a parent, you always want your child to be in good hands, right?
Role of Internet in Providing Home Tuition:
If you are planning to choose online home tuition provided by online tutors, you need to be more careful. There are some who might play a fraud on you too, so you should be on guard. However, before this exercise, you should know that paying a tuition will not always improve the academic performance of your children. Extra coaching sessions can mark the progress of a child because the element of competition is absent in the evening schools, whereby the motivation mainly lies in lucrative business of getting higher fees from students.
Make a proper survey and ask from people in your locality who have been sending their children to coaching schools, before you change your mind to find the right coaching center for your child. You should think that progress comes with some opportunity cost.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

Eight Tips On How To Do Good In School

Below the average, average people and super genius mega minds...nah, it's not about that, well yeah, a part of success is about that but, one still has a long way to go before having the time of his life. And everything starts at home...after that it's school so let's get down to business. Here are eight tips on how to do good in school.
1. Jot 'Em Down
This step is somewhat a must. However, if you consider yourself a super computer robot, you can skip number one and get down to number two...you're still reading so you don't think that you're a mega mind. That's good because it's never great to be too confident with yourself.
Number one is writing them all down. It never hurts to write all of the things you need to do. Write them in a small notebook, a tickler or something, or jot them down in a piece of paper and post it on your refrigerator door or on your own bulletin if you have one. And don't forget to write when you need to do or accomplish these things or in other words, your deadlines.
2. Prioritize
Imagine that you're a juggler. Now, you're juggling balls. These balls are made of various materials. Rubber, plastic, glass, and crystals. The balls that you're juggling got too many and you can't handle them all. Some balls MUST fall or the whole act will be a disaster. And that's when the word "prioritize" comes in. You have to let the rubber balls fall. Why? Because if you don't do this, say you refuse to let a ball or two fall, they'll all slip out of your hands. If you let the wrong ball fall, well, you're a wreck. That's why you have to set your priorities. Which in your to-do list is the most important and which things can be left out or can be given little attention.
3. Get To Work
Don't just get stuck with listing and prioritizing. Do them of course. Sometimes people tend to get discouraged when they look at the things they need to do and find that they're just so many! Well, nothing's gonna happen if you just sit around, stare at the things you got to do and think how much energy you need to exert to finish all those. Get on your feet. You'll be done without even knowing it.
4. Study Habits
I'm pretty sure this is not new to you. Nevertheless, it's still very important, maybe the most important, so you can't just set this aside. Study your lessons everyday for at least 30 minutes to 1 hour. This prevents cramming during exam weeks which you know isn't very helpful. And don't make your hectic schedule an excuse for not studying. Remember, if there's a will, there's a way.
5. Be A "Neat Freak"
I know this is hard but...you have to be organized. This may be the hardest part of being a student and at the same time of being a kid or a teenager. Because they're very restless and energetic and tend to just pile things up. But if you already did number one and number two, you're already started in being an organized person!
Give everything a proper place. Put your books and notebooks in one corner or a suitable place. Compile your test papers, certificates and other paper works from school. Place them in a folder, clear book, an envelope or a file case. You'll never know when you'll need them. Other materials which are reusable like envelopes, folders, colored papers and a lot more, keep them all together, may be in a case or a shoebox, it's up to you. Colors, pencils, paper clips and other materials of the same kind, separate them also, it's still up to you as long as it's organized. Educational materials, if you have, it's good to compile them too. Maybe you're asking, why do I need to do all these?
When your things and surroundings are organized, you tend to think clear. That's why organized people have organized minds. Lastly, the night before going to school, put everything you'll be needing for school inside your bag. Get your uniform or whatever it is that you're wearing for school ready. And don't forget to set your alarm clock.
6. Go For The Extra Mile
You don't just do things for compliance. You don't want to waste your efforts. Since you started to do things, give them your best shot. Do your best and that will be enough to go for the extra mile. You'll never know when an opportunity comes so always give it your all.
7. Be Humble
Now that you're a step ahead of your peers, don't be over confident, like the one stated at the first number. Don't be conceited because you didn't accomplish everything on your own. The higher you get, the harder you'll fall so always keep your feet on the ground. And being humble also gains you great friends.
8. Just Keep Going
You did it for the first time, you got to do it for the second, third, fourth, and so on...time. Be consistent for this will be the foundation of your success. Don't stop until you reach your goal. And when you reach your goal, reward yourself then look again for another goal. And when failure finds its way through your efforts, keep moving forward. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Just keep going.
Please remember that these are all just tips. It's up to you to take it or leave it. These could mostly apply to high school students, nevertheless, it never hurts for a kid to start setting his priorities. I hope that these handful of tips helps.