While you may have given up on making New Year’s Resolutions after five failed attempts in a row, it’s important to set targets for the tutor in you over the coming year. In an industry where your voice and your influence helps shape future generations, it’s important to constantly be upping your game, and making sure you’re being the best tutor you can possibly be. We’ve put together five solid resolutions for you to stick to this year – and just see how much they’ll affect you!
1. Stay ahead of the game
In an industry that changes and fluctuates, make sure you know what’s going on in the world of education. Have certain exams been scrapped? Syllabuses changed? It’s your job to know this information before your students do, so get online, get subscribing to relevant feeds, and ensure you’re the number one source to go to!
2. Do your research
With more students coming from international schools, or pupils who have been home-schooled looking for tutors, it’s imperative that you know what education systems they have been following, and the syllabuses they need to stick to. Understanding the differences between GCSEs, IGCSEs, A-levels and IBs can set you apart as an amazing tutor – instead of just a good one.
3. Increase and improve your skills
No matter how good your feedback is, and how much your students love your sessions, you can always get better! There are plenty of online seminars and articles to look through for free, all of which are filled with excellent suggestions for online learning. Practice new teaching methods on your family and friends, and see how they react!
4. Get the most out of your students
With the post-Christmas lull well underway, it’s more important now than ever to get your students motivated and ready to face the new term. Experiment with different motivation techniques: include references to their interests, suggest films or books that relate to the subject you’re teaching, or simply include games, have a laugh, and make tutorial sessions fun.
5. Remember why you do this
One of the best ways to spur you on, increase your passion for teaching, and deliver amazing sessions is to remember why you started out as a tutor. Was it because you wanted to share your passion for a subject with others around you? Or were you always aiming to help struggling students realise their full potential? Whatever it is, thinking back to the beginning, and the pure, raw energy that you felt is a sure-fire way to be the best tutor you can be.
Now you’ve seen our choices, we’d love to hear what resolutions you’ve made to help you grow as a tutor!
Robert Grabiner – Founder of MyTutorWeb