So you, or your child, or your child’s teacher, have decided that extra help outside the classroom is in order.  How then do you go about assessing the many options for tutoring in NYC: peer tutoring, resources at the school, referrals from fellow parents, individuals who specialize in a given subject, tutoring companies that send out a variety of candidates with different skill sets.  Any of these options can result in a positive tutoring experience but if you know what you are looking for, the odds of success will be greatly increased.

Here are the things that we, at Partners With Parents, look for when hiring tutors and selecting candidates to meet specific client requests:

• Knowledge of the Subject – Obvious?  Well, yes.  You should certainly make sure that your tutor is knowledgeable in the subject he or she is about to teach your child.  Beware, however, that credentials alone do not tell the whole story.  I had a Nobel Prize winning chemistry professor in college who couldn’t convey the basic concepts in Chemistry 101.  He was one of the worst teachers I have ever had. (more…)

How to Know When it’s Time to Go Pro

“Does my child need help?”  It’s one of the most challenging questions we face in supporting our kids’ development.  We watch rising and falling grades, the roller coaster of emotion, peer relationships, shifting interests and activities, and so on, all in hopes of truly knowing our children and providing them with what they need.  Still, our doubts nag us: Is he really doing okay?  Is she truly happy? If we suspect all is not well, the question becomes: What can I do about it?  It can be difficult to tell if a child needs more help than is being provided.  Rare is the pre-adolescent who says to his dad over the breakfast cereal box “I’d like to retain a learning specialist to guide me through the murky waters of my teenage years.”   This leaves parents to sift through the sometimes subtle, sometimes overt, clues in their children’s behavior. (more…)