Should I Hire an Online Math Tutor?

Welcome! If you haven’t been here before my name is Ashley and my job is pretty awesome. I get to work with kids and help them gain math skills and confidence. Like I said - pretty awesome. 

I’m a Math tutor and I often see people online asking questions like - “Is online tutoring effective?” Or “Does my child need a math tutor?” Technically speaking there are very few things in life we need - think food, safe place to stay, pay taxes, die . . . okay, you aren’t here for my dry humor . . . The answer to that need question is different for everyone and I can’t and won’t tell you that your child needs a tutor to be successful. What I will say is that a good fit between a student and tutor can help your student get to a place where they are confident and successful faster. Tutors work with all kinds of learners. I see students who are below, at, and above grade level. I work with students struggling that need targeted practice to catch up, students excelling that need more challenge, students at grade level that are struggling with a concept or need help with organization and management, students with learning disabilities, and homeschool students that need additional reinforcement and introduction to new concepts. Below are some questions to think about when considering hiring a tutor: 

Does my child need a math tutor? 

You know your kiddo best. This is such a personal choice as is what to look for with a new tutor. Below are a few things to consider:

1. Take a few minutes and reflect on your relationship with your kiddo. Is this how you want to be spending your time with your child? Are they receptive to help from you? I have 2 boys and although they are younger I am amazed at times what they will do without an argument or asking for a snack for their piano teacher, coach, or tutor - I’m looking at your reading practice. For some kids - it’s easier for them to accept that help from another person and that’s okay. They already look to you for love and guidance (and snacks) maybe they need that separate from their teacher.  

2. Talk to your kiddo, they know themselves the best :-). Maybe your daughter or son came home with a really low score on a test or quiz. Was this just a super hard test? Were they distracted and haven’t been studying as much as usual? Are they super confused every day and it's getting worse by the minute? Maybe they are feeling anxious for the school year to start and would benefit from some targeted practice so they start the year feeling confident and prepared. They know what’s going on and it is a great conversation to have with them. It gives your student ownership in the decision and reminds them that you are hearing them are there to support them. But, it also allows them to practice advocating for their needs.  

Why hire a math tutor?

This again is a very personal decision. Below is a list of the most common reasons families come to me. It’s certainly not exhaustive and each student’s needs are different. Read below to see some examples of why you might want to consider a tutor: 

1. Slipping grades and With it Their Confidence - I call this the “I will never get it” phase. We have all been there before on something. It feels hopeless and anxiety and self-doubt start to creep in. This is a great time to explore the option of a tutor. Often time the student is having a hard time getting questions answered at school or the explanations aren’t jiving with them. Maybe there are some learning gaps from previous years that are preventing them from being successful or they just need the material broken down into smaller chunks. A good tutor can quickly determine what steps would be most helpful and tailor sessions to your kiddo's needs.  

2. Learning Disability Support - Sometimes there just isn’t enough time in a school day for everything to be addressed and this is where a tutor can help. Students with ADHA, Dyscalculia, Processing Disorders may need some additional help with concepts and filling in any gaps that are present from either missed time in the classroom or things that just didn’t make sense the first time around. Sometimes these students just need additional time to ask questions and work through the material or need the environment they are working in to be more comfortable - to be at home.     

3. Scholarships - This is a really common one I see when prepping for ACT and SAT exams. Many times both merit and athletic scholarships are tied to a certain score minimum on these exams. The investment in prep money is more than outweighed by the gain in scholarship money. Students in this category are often hard workers and do well in school but are struggling with standardized testing.  

4. Help with Management and Organization - Sometimes students just need a bridge between the learning at school and what is being asked for homework. It could be trouble organizing their homework, managing their time, or they may struggle with decoding what is being asked of them. This is the one type of tutoring that I find parents are most reluctant about. It feels really easy to justify the cost of a tutor for something tangible like a higher Algebra 2 grade or better ACT scores. Organization and time management are less tangible but are arguable more important. Students need to have these skills to be successful in the long run - at college, at work, in relationships, etc.  

5. Decreasing Parent Involvement in Homework - For some this may seem like a no-no, but many of my parents (myself included) have used tutors to help students so that we can spend time having fun and connecting with our kids. I can say from personal experience that my oldest is very headstrong and at times listens at a lot better to another adult that myself when it comes to learning something he isn’t interested in. And that’s okay - we can honor and support our kids without being everything all of the time for them.  

Okay so you read this far and maybe you have decided to hire a tutor. But now you are wondering about this new world we are living in . . . distance learning, online tutor. Did you get nervous just thinking about it? So the questions on everyone's mind lately . . . 

Does online tutoring work?
Is online tutoring effective?  

When I switched from meeting clients in-person to online I was nervous about how the transition would go and if my students would still be receiving top-notch tutoring. Would I be able to interact with the students and “read” their understanding? Will they be able to work through and practice the material in realtime? Lots of research later and lots of practice with both my in-person clients transitioning and new clients and I am happy to report that yes it does work! There are a ton of great resources for tutors to use. One thing that I have enjoyed about tutoring online is it is super easy to quickly access practice problems and pull them onto our online whiteboard. I can also copy and paste graphs and figures without redrawing them each time. Now instead of relying on printers, we share online files. I can check their work ahead of the session. Plus the work is saved for them so they can keep referencing back to it. Check out the video below that explains some of the tools I use with my students.  

Another bonus? My in-person clients travelled to my house and for some of them that was close to an hour each way. Now they save that time - time is valuable to teenagers and really no one wants to spend 2 hours of their day commuting in their car.

Now what?

If you wanting to explore the option of a tutor for your child schedule a FREE discovery call. It’s a chance for us to discuss your student’s needs and see how I can be of help.