How to work with your child's tutor to set goals
For families
When your child is paired with a tutor, they may not see tutoring as an opportunity. Instead, they might think of the weekly lessons and additional homework an undesirable obligation that takes them away from doing other activities. In some cases, they might even feel like tutoring is a punishment for their academic shortcomings.
If your child is approaching tutoring with these thoughts, the outcome is less likely to be what you’re hoping. To get ahead of any negative feelings they may start to develop toward their tutoring program, it’s important to remind your child what they are capable of and what they’ll be able to do with a little tutoring help. Setting realistic goals can get them excited and motivated about what’s possible with tutoring.
Here are some ways you can work with your child and their tutor to set goals that support academic success.
Learning to speak up for ourselves to get the things we need or want is an important life skill. Encourage your child to be honest with their tutor about things like their comfort level with the content, what pace suits their listening style, and what types of feedback they find most helpful.
If your child struggles to communicate these things, you can step in and model what reasonable, respectful self-advocating sounds like. Your child’s tutor loves teaching and is passionate about helping their students succeed. Give them the tools to make it a great experience for everyone.
Before your child starts their first tutoring lesson, ask them to imagine what they’d like their academic journey to look like. Start with one or two really big goals. (It’s okay to offer some ideas to help get your child thinking.) Next, work backwards to set smaller goals that will help them reach the big ones. Now ask them to imagine how much more quickly they could accomplish those goals with some focused, one-on-one mentoring.
Write their goals down on paper and post the list near their online learning space, or maybe in the back of the notebook they’ll use for their tutoring sessions. Share their goals with your tutor. Revisit the list often so you and the tutor can both celebrate the short-term wins with your child as they work toward their bigger goals.
Not everyone receives praise or encouragement in the same way. As a professional educator, your tutor will know whether to send a celebratory message, praise your child out loud, or toss confetti during their session, based on what you’ve shared with them. With the right encouragement, your child will gain more confidence and motivation to achieve their goals.
Goal-setting is a healthy exercise to help your child learn to trust the process of improvement. It helps reduce negative feelings your child has about their tutoring program or their own capabilities. With everyone working together, you can also celebrate together as your child discovers all that is possible through their tutoring program.
If you’re searching for an individualized, interactive program with hands-on problem-solving, Remind can help. Our tutors offer personalized and supportive guidance that gives students an academic edge. Sign up for a session today, and we’ll pair your child with an experienced, knowledgeable tutor who will partner with you to create the learning environment they need to reach their goals—and keep going.
