If you are considering getting tuition for a young child, read this first.
How to get the best out of tuition for the under 10's.
Tuition for a young child : by Clive West
Tuition for a young child is a delicate and serious matter to decide upon. Fortunately most tutors are good people and can and will help - this guide is intended to get you started on the right path.
The decision to book lessons
Obviously this is going to be largely a parental one - maybe based on discussions with the school - but there does need to be some impetus from the child. Recognise a cry for help and let them see that the person you are going to get for them is one whose sole purpose is to help them. The tutor will not laugh at their mistakes, discuss them with anyone else (other than you, of course) and will be someone they can confide all their educational problems in. Make sure the child is clearly aware that everyone needs help at sometime in their life and that this is not a punishment of any sort.
Before the lesson
Young children naturally don't have the stamina of older students therefore the tuition for a young child presents a particular problem since lessons need to take place relatively soon after school finishes. They may come home cranky, hyperactive or tired from playing sports or drama and the parent's job is to get the student calm and ready for the tutor. A light snack (nothing too sugary) and a decaffeinated hot drink or natural fruit juice is ideal. If there is time enough for the child to play an active game in the garden, then make sure that it is over at least 20 minutes before the lesson is due to start.
Make sure that the television is off (or at least not audible), that the room is cleared of distractions, and that pen, paper, school books etc are ready. The child should be fed, watered, calm and focussed - treat those 4 elements as a mental checklist when preparing.
When the tutor arrives, do not let the child rush to greet them - let the tutor go to them (you are perceived as making the introduction and reinforcing the fact that this is your wish). Make sure you formally and cheerfully welcome the tutor so as to instil a sense of respect in the child and thus keep the relationship on its proper footing.
Specific role of the tutor
The tutor's job here is to ascertain the child's needs, and empathise with their position in such a way that explanations are a natural part of the lesson. The tutor should act as the voice by which the child asks for help at least until he or she has the confidence to do so. The tutor should not look to the child to lead them.
The tutor should particularly strive to make the lessons 'fun' and to bear in mind the limited attention span of the age group. The policy of 'keep it light, keep it moving' should be adhered to. The tutor should try to get to the occasional Car Boot sale and pick up the odd educational game and bring it out on those occasions when 'all else is failing'.
Specific role of the parent
When tutoring young children it is important that they perceive the tutor as a 'friendly stranger'. That means someone who is deemed 'friendly enough' so that they can openly discuss their school problems with and with whom they feel safe and can trust. However the role of the tutor is still a formal one and it should be emphasised that respect is very important.
It is essential that parents communicate that some types of stranger are OK for their children to talk to provided that they (the parent) have approved the stranger first. This relationship of trust is one that a good tutor will encourage and build on and parents must allow it to develop. Parental fears are understandable but given that you will be close at hand (no decent tutor would expect you to be otherwise) and can hear what is going on, you do not need to sit next to them both to know all is well. Over-protection will undermine the trust relationship, create nervousness (why is Mummy so worried?) in the child and thus negate the beneficial effects of the lessons. Although a tutor will not wish to be left entirely alone with a minor, they will need to have some exclusive contact with them.
Simple order of the day - let them both know you will 'be around', go in during the lesson with a cup of tea or coffee for the tutor but let them get on with the work (don't keep interrupting). Ideally, station yourself in an adjacent room, leave the door open, find a good book or magazine, grab a cup of hot chocolate and make the most of a quiet moment if you can!
Learning through games and other 'non-classroom' methods is ideally suited to the tuition of this age group and parents should be more concerned with progress rather than a strict adherence to 'what is happening at school'. Children do not all learn the same way and it may be that a different and more relevant approach can achieve the same goal. Tests based on the National Curriculum (eg SATS) are only concerned with testing the ability to get the answer correct, there is no penalty for 'not doing it the way the teacher in class said to do it'.
Reinforcing the lesson
Most parents will opt for an hour a week or, if having online tuition, may choose two thirty-minute sessions a week (a better option). Whichever you choose, you will need to reinforce the lesson in-between. There are a number of key ways in which this can be done.
Have the correct money ready before the end of the lesson (or a cheque pre-written so all you have to do is sign it). Go in 5 minutes before the end of the lesson and ask the tutor what they have been working on (and, perhaps, why), how it is going and what needs to be done between lessons. The child will probably take this opportunity to wander off at this point - but this is your moment alone with the tutor so take it.
Make it a ritual that as soon after the end of the lesson as you can, you ask the child what they did in the lesson. If you leave it too long most children will just say 'not much' and lose interest. It is important that a) you know exactly what they did and b) you reinforce in their minds that they covered some important ground.
Keeping the tutor in the loop
The tutor's job is to help your child for the duration of the time they are with them. They are not full-time members of your household and should not be assigned other functions (like babysitting, providing a taxi-service or acting as a school-parent liaison officer). The tutor should not discuss your business with third parties and if you wish to get feedback from the child's teachers, then you should do that yourself and pass this on to the tutor. Please be aware that some schools don't fully appreciate the role of a tutor and it may not be in the child's best interest to discuss the tuition with them, perhaps suggest you have been doing work with them (a half-truth if you have been reinforcing the tutor's work, anyway) and see what they have to say. You are more likely to get an objective and unprejudiced answer that way.
It is a fact of life for those who provide tuition for a young child that illnesses abound so please don't subject tutors to ailments - cancel a lesson rather than drag them into a house full of germs. No matter how short notice a cancellation might be at, it is always going to be better than none at all. If the tutor turns up, you should expect to pay the full amount although if you are there to say 'sorry, not today', many tutors will accept a travel fee plus, say, half the lesson fee. If they have to sit in their car waiting outside an empty house, then it is reasonable that they be paid the full amount.
Reluctant students
It is perfectly normal for young children to cry or to object to the first lesson. A trained primary tutor will not only expect that but will be able to deal with it (in most cases). A typical pattern of events for a reluctant child is a fraught and tearful Lesson 1, the occasional sob; particularly at the start of Lesson 2 and then a big welcoming grin for the tutor when Lesson 3 arrives. This is normal - you must resist the urge to rush in during the first lesson to provide comfort; they need to work things out for themselves and you will never get to the 'Lesson 3' status if you interfere.
That said, some children never progress beyond the tears and tantrums. This is not an age-related issue, it is a question of maturity and attitude. A four-year old may love the lessons and only look sad at the end of the lesson. Their 8 year old sibling may scream the house down every time the tutor arrives and even run off and hide. If that happens more than about four weeks in succession, there is no point in continuing - abandon the idea for 6 months and then come back to it.
About The Author
Clive West and his wife Damaris West spent 13 years running a tuition agency which provided tutors throughout the world. Their agency covered over 200 subjects and coached at all levels from early learning to beyond university.
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