Tutors have been around for as long as we have been around. The fact is that the modern classroom setting was only established, and cemented, in the Victorian era as the “Sandon Act” in 1876. Like many things in those times it was cramped, overcrowded, and worked en masse. Prior to this, teaching was done primarily on a 1-to-1 basis, or one teacher to however many children were in that particular family.
It is common sense, when you think about it, to teach in small groups, fully tailoring what is being taught and how it is being taught to the strengths and weaknesses of the student. However, this kind of working is not possible in the modern school age, there are too many children and too few teachers for the money they are allocated. Many parents and carers decide that hiring a private tutor is the next best thing to do.
“Having an independent person help your child can be an excellent way to mediate any parental stress at home with doing homework and preparing for exams,” Rebecca Buckham says. Teachers often don’t have the time to focus on the individual needs of particular students, especially when they seem to be grasping the curriculum at a reasonably acceptable level. Rebecca worked as a teacher for fifteen years, and said that as a tutor she can “suggest other ways to approach the student's work. Having the one-to-one time is valuable because more can be covered in a more intensive time period.”
Tutoring provides a one-on-one teaching experience that is always tailored specifically to the child, and this means that it can target specific areas that otherwise may be glossed over, developing a deeper understanding of the subjects. A better understanding means that their confidence is raised. They are making progress.
Rose Reade, another of our tutors, says that “one on one tuition really helps children develop enthusiasm and confidence.”
However, it is not just struggling students that benefit from tuition, but also those that are excelling in certain subjects. Tutoring can provide a time and place to really deepen understanding and fine tune skills associated with it. This can be to develop and increase interest in a subject that could lead to further, or higher education interests, or just to fine-tune exam and revision techniques.
Older children, as well as younger, can benefit greatly. As the places in top schools and universities become more and more competitive, it is a great way to ensure those offers are met with the grades asked for.
Tutors are not all created equal. Beware of people that offer too much too quickly. Regular sessions and steady progress will always beat the promise of quick, cheap and easy results. At Hyde Tutoring, we aim to teach ourselves out of the job. We want to help children to attack problems in novel ways, that can be applied across different subjects, until they no longer have a need for us. We are also fully assured by The Tutor’s Association.
