Recently I’ve been thinking about how tutors can help the student who is overworked or who is over-stressed. There are many ways that academics can stress a student out. As tutors, we should be mindful of this. Watching for signs of stress or anxiety in a student will help us direct that student in ways that don’t make the situation worse.
Here are some ideas:
Take a few short breaks (or breathers) during your tutoring session.
If you see the student start to fidget or to sigh loudly suggest a time out to stand up or walk around. (I know a tutor who suggested jumping jacks for one anxious student.)
Listen to the student.
If the student is complaining about an assignment, find out why. Often there are other issues than the level of difficulty. Tutors should sometimes help with confidence levels before jumping into an actual lesson.
Listen to the parent.
Is the parent expressing concerns that should cause you to change your style of tutoring? Be mindful of that. Great tutors are adaptable. They should personalize the tutoring session for each student to make it more effective.
Listen to your gut.
Do you have a “feeling” that something isn’t going as well as it could? If so, take a little time to figure out what the issues are and how to deal with them.
These are just a few things that have helped me. It’s important to keep in mind that tutoring should NEVER add to the stress of a student. Change your tutoring style to meet the needs of each student. And keep in mind that you are there to make things better and easier – not to add to an already stressful situation.
Need a tutor in the Nashville area? See Danan's website for more information.
