Benefits of Tutoring
by Charlie Steward
Learning is individual. Everybody has a different learning style, and ultimately, success in education depends upon a single person understanding subject matter in their own head via their preferred methods. Some of us learn best through listening, some through visuals, some through reading and writing, and others through a combination of methods. And yet while learning is individual, classrooms are not. Although teachers do phenomenal work in a job that is beyond difficult, it is simply impossible to adequately accommodate all the individualized needs of so many students within a classroom setting. In subjects such as math, writing, history, science, and Spanish, many students slip through the cracks, encountering difficulty in classes that may not be their natural strong suit, and then going through the rest of their educational and professional lives believing that they just aren’t good at something, that they simply can’t do it. However, we at Proficiency Builders believe that this is rarely true—we believe that every student is capable, and that through one on one tutoring and individualized instruction outside of the classroom, any learner can gain the skills to succeed in any subject. No matter what class it is, our tutors will give students the support they need, forming relationships, assessing how they learn best, and putting them on the path to thrive in subjects where they never thought they could. That is the beauty of one-on-one tutoring: For 60 to 90 minutes, the focus is exclusively on that one student, and that student’s unique challenges and goals. THAT is the magic of tutoring. To learn more about how our tutors can help, click here.
Math Tutoring Benefits
Of all the subjects in school, math is, for many people, the most painful. Some of us are born naturally gifted at math, and relish the process of solving problems independently, thriving on tests, and generally succeeding in class, but for the majority of students, this is not the case. Math is often a dreaded source of anxiety, stress, and boredom. Nevertheless, math is an essential skill needed in nearly all aspects of life and remains an incredibly important class through all of school, and a subject where discipline and perseverance can absolutely transform outcomes and results. Fundamental math comprehension is also necessary for admissions to many colleges.
Tutoring is a prime path to improve math scores and grades for several reasons. First, tutoring forces students to practice. Often, a huge source of struggle in math simply comes down to a student not wanting to do the work—often because the student lacks confidence in completing the work. The initial struggle creates reluctance, and the daily demands of challenging work yield avoidance. This leads to missed homework assignments, lower scores on tests, and a vicious cycle of negative feedback, which further strengthens the dislike and avoidance of math that led to this problem in the first place.
But when a student works with a tutor in a one-on-one setting, it’s simply impossible to procrastinate and avoid the work, because there’s someone helping and watching every step of the way.
Reading Tutoring Benefits
Reading is a foundational skill that is essential for achievement in school, personal development, and success in later endeavors, including career and social communications. According to Cambridge University’s Psychological Medicine, early readers do better on test scores in school, and reading for pleasure by the age of nine is linked to better mental health, better sleep, and less screen time. However, recent results reported in The Nation’s Report Card reveals a grim proficiency picture; only 32% of 4th graders are proficient in reading and 29% of 8th graders are proficient in reading. Effective reading tutoring starts with an assessment to get a “reality check” on current proficiency level and what gaps need addressed. Once clarity is gained, then consistent instruction and coaching focused on foundational areas – phonics, phonological awareness, vocabulary building, fluency, and reading comprehension – can begin and start making an immediate impact. The right tutor who connects with the reading student will help that student quickly get over being overly self-conscious about struggles, and start to focus on building skills, building confidence, and actually start enjoying the process! Moving from significant reading gaps to a path to reading proficiency can be a powerful event in the life of a young student, with a lasting shift in confidence, attitude, and heart.
Writing Tutoring Benefits
Next to math, writing is also one of the most dreaded aspects of school. For many students, writing is a generally unpleasant process, a tedious task that forces you to stare into the abyss of an empty sheet of paper and wonder how on earth you’ll find a way to fill it with anything, let alone something good. For countless students, writing is nothing more than a painful march toward an assigned word count or page number, an obstinate obstacle standing in the way of all that is fun, pleasant, and interesting. But writing can also be a fulfilling, exhilarating process—one of the finest, most satisfying parts of life—and tutoring can help students see this side to an activity that often seems synonymous with a chore. Tutoring can assist students with the conceptual, technical, and editing aspects of the writing process—our writing tutors at Proficiency Builders have the skillset to be a resource at any phase, whether it’s the generation of ideas about a given topic, the actual act of constructing sentences with proper grammar, syntax, and punctuation, or the editing of an essay or story that is already complete. (For middle school students with those first essay assignments, see our “Four Steps to a Successful Essay” guidance.) Writing is as much about the subject as the prose itself—in fact, good writing depends upon accurate interpretation and thinking—and our tutors have the knowledge to help with writing assignments in any subject, from history papers to English essays to biology lab reports. As with any skill, practice is the road to improvement, and writing tutoring will enable students to practice with a qualified adult outside of school on a consistent basis. The older students get, the more important writing becomes—if students can write well in college, they are in a prime position to succeed in almost any humanities class, and more often than not, STEM classes also require a certain amount of writing. (Solid writing skills exemplified in a student’s college admissions essay can help students improve college acceptance odds – as well as securing valuable scholarship funds! See our “Tips for Writing a Solid College Admissions Essay”)And beyond education, writing is indispensable in every corner of the workforce—a poorly penned email could be the difference between getting a job and being passed up on, even in fields that have nothing to do with writing. Often, writing well is simply a matter of professionalism. Clear writing is an expression of clear thinking, and clear thinking is something that the world could always use more of—writing tutoring could be the gateway to students understanding the importance of writing, learning to do it well, and perhaps even finding a way to enjoy it.
