Good tutoring services are plentiful, and parents searching for help for their child could be overwhelmed by the constant bombardments of advertisements and products. There are plenty of really good tutors out there, but most parents, and their kids, are looking for a tutoring service that is truly spectacular. But, how can you tell a good tutor from a great tutor? And what makes Tip-Top Brain’s tutoring service so special?
I’ll be attempting to answer both of these questions, but I must first admit my own bias: I love the work we do here at Tip-Top Brain.
Curriculum
A good tutoring service will work closely with your child’s teacher’s class curriculum. A good tutor will note the topics being covered in class, and will mirror these topics in tutoring sessions. For instance, if a student is learning about fractions in class, a (good) tutor would provide practice problems that both bolster what the student already knows and enhance their understanding.
A great tutor, like those at Tip-Top Brain, teaches all of the curricula a good tutor would, and then some. Oftentimes, this can mean complimenting the strengths and weaknesses of your child’s class curriculum. Perhaps in-class there is a larger emphasis on certain parts of state curriculum standards than others. With a great tutor, these observations are noted, and the curriculum personalized to your child so that they meet or exceed their expected grade level performance.
Individual Students
The measure of even a great tutor is not how well they work with a student, but rather how well they work with any student.
A good tutor develops a strong rapport with their tutee and a keen sense of their academic strengths and weaknesses.
A great tutor, like one you might find at Tip-Top Brain, will analyze your child’s academic needs with our diagnostic exams and benchmark assessments. You can think of these diagnostics as giving us the power to take a “look under the hood,” of your child’s academic experience. These state-of-the-art tests give tutors significant insights on where your child excels and struggles. Better yet, these diagnostics allow us to discern between which specific skill sets within ELA and math respectively your child needs support with.
Consequently, great tutors can target, rather accurately, these skill sets during sessions in order to engage and exercise them. In other words, we are able to fine tune our tutoring to effectively remedy any obstacles your child may be facing in class. We see stellar learning outcomes for our tutees by addressing the root foundational gaps holding them back. Great tutors see great results, and parents can see them too!
Further, we keep track of your child’s academic progress, as well as any new challenges. After each tutoring session here at Tip-Top Brain, you’ll receive a report curated by your child’s tutor. This brief report details any subject-specific triumphs or trip-ups your child experienced, so that you can stay apprised of their learning. No less, this allows parents to insure their child is exercising and engaging their scholastic muscles outside of class too. Over the course of a few sessions, these notes begin to paint a picture of your child’s academic trajectory.
Lastly, the report will include a note on your child’s in-class behavior. This little behavior check-in keeps parents in the loop on things their child feels passionately about, as well as topics or assignments that are causing their child stress or pulling their focus. These notes allow us to stay on the same page as you, so we can work together to support your child in school!
Testimonials & Resources
A good tutor has plenty of strong testimonials, or reviews from former students and parents. Moreover, a good tutor has access to textbooks, practice books, or other instructional materials.
A great tutor, like any of your friends here at Tip-Top Brain, not only has strong testimonials out the wazoo, but by nature of our learning center, is a hub of academic resources. Our tutors have access to massive libraries of instructional materials, created, curated, and compiled by our tutors for our tutors. No less, our learning center is equipped with technology and equipment most free-lance tutoring services don’t have access to (e.g., 3-D printers, VR headsets.)
All in all, when looking for a tutoring service for your child, there are no shortage of options. However, it’s wise to know what great tutorship looks like, and what expectations you have of your child’s tutor. For more information on Tip-Top Brain’s tutoring services, you can click here. Don’t be afraid to ask questions when interviewing tutors for your child, and feel free to reach out to us here at Tip-Top Brain. We’re happy to tell you more about our tutoring programs!
