When personalities mesh well, it is easy for a tutor and a student to accomplish great things.
“Students should look for someone who communicates with them well. If a student really likes their tutor, they will do their best to succeed,” Jan Griffin, a former peer tutor, said.
Tutors face many challenges, not only to help struggling students, but also studying and doing well in their own classes. It becomes hard to juggle a full load of classes, work part time and tutor. There is no room for error on such a tight schedule.
Another challenge for a tutor is finding tools and study strategies that work for each individual student. Tools for each student vary depending on whether that particular student is an audio learner or a visual learner. Griffin said she had a student who was more visual, and Griffin did not use any special tutoring tools. She added there was a lot of reading and writing and re-writing of work for this particular student.
“I originally got into tutoring for extra money; It did not take long for me to get invested and attached to the students I tutored. Even though I don’t tutor now, I still take calls and help students I tutored in the past,” she said.
However, some students and tutors don’t mesh together and this is not beneficial to the student or the tutor. In that case, students need to take the initiative and speak up. Students can politely suggest using another method or find a different tutor.
To become a tutor, a student would have to have successfully completed core classes with an “A” or tested out of those courses. Tutors are trained in specific learning styles to help meet specific needs for students.
Students interested in either finding a tutor or becoming a tutor, contact the Learning Loft at (903) 510-2041.
