If there is one piece of wisdom I have been given after all these years of tutoring is that the tutoring journey needs to be paved with roads of humility.
When students first come to us, they often come with a sort of “wall” built up around them.
It could be that maybe they faced too much overwhelming material at school past their level of understanding and they have just gone into a phase of “maybe it’s too late for me to get better at math, reading, writing, spelling, etc.
There are times at the beginning of a student’s tutoring journey, when a tutor asks questions such as "what areas are you having a hard time with," or we ask for them to bring the math problems they need help with. It's common for students to get quiet or say that they are doing okay with the subject. It can feel as if the student has built up a wall of resistance against any kind of assistance.
In addition, when a student makes a mistake or does not know how to do the task at hand, he/she may either become discouraged, or they may bring up that “wall.” Even though they may hear what we are saying, as you show them the correct way, they may not fully receive it. It is as if they are not sure yet if they can trust us.
The Tutor Humility
As we continue working together, and listen to each other, we get to “learn” our students. Each student is different, and they require different tools, and approaches in order to reach their full potential. That part takes humility. Yes, it takes knowing that some tools and approaches will not work with everybody. It also means that as tutors, we must admit that we are not perfect, but we are in pursuit of getting to know our students in order to serve them well, and to the best of our ability. Therefore, we learn what each student enjoys, their style of learning, the tools that work better for them, and we use this information to plan our sessions accordingly.
The Student Humility
All of a sudden the students begin to understand that it’s okay to lower down the “wall” that was put up in the beginning. Students realize that our goal as their tutor is to be a guide and an encouragement, not a judge or critic. When this happens, it is amazing to see how they begin to acknowledge their academic weaknesses from a different angle, and all of a sudden a door opens into their world and we as tutors are then able to come in with an open invitation. That is when we really can make a big difference.
So after all this year, I can confidently say that the equation for success in the tutoring world in its simplest form boils down to:
(Tutor + Student) * (Humility) = The Road to Success!
It is our goal at Accelerate Tutoring to be tutors who are confident, and well prepared for our sessions, however a bigger goal of ours is to get to know our students, the best method to help them, and humility allows us to do it! It is the conduit that connects us and allows us to not just survive but to thrive!
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