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What are the qualities of a great tutor?
1. Approachable
A great tutor shouldn't be too intimidating
to a student. They should be someone who they can open up to. A great tutor
should be friendly and compassionate, and he or she should put people at ease.
When a student feels comfortable around you they are going to accept your help
and advice more readily, and thus they will improve more quickly.
2. Skill
A great tutor should be a good student;
that’s pretty obvious. They should have a good GPA, perform well in their
courses, and should have a really strong set of study skills. However, they
should also have a solid ability to teach. Not every straight-A student makes a
good teacher, because they are not able to pass their understanding of a
subject on to someone else. A great tutor should have the skills to learn the
material, but it is just as important for them to be able to impart that
knowledge onto others.
3. Supportive
They’re your coach. Tutors are there to
cheer you on and support you. They are happy when his or her student is
succeeding. They are also not afraid to be too good. A great tutor’s goal
should always be to give a student the skills to no longer need tutoring, and
to be able to do the work on their own. A tutor should also be someone the
student feels like they can go to if they have any issues at school, because he
or she knows that the tutor has their back.
4. Adaptable
Not everyone learns the same way. A tutor must be able to see things from
another perspective, and be able to come up with new approaches to teaching
material if a student just isn't getting it. A great tutor will be a
problem-solver, constantly coming up with new instructing methods and solutions
to different difficulties.
5. Persistence
A great tutor has to be determined to get the
student to his or her goals. If the student is struggling, the tutor should
always be the one pushing for them to keep trying. If a student feels that you
will give up on them, they will want to give up on themselves. The tutor should
not be afraid to be tough if it means keeping the student on track. Some
students will need an extra push, and seeing you put in extra effort will
encourage them to do the same.
6. Patience
A great tutor is not easily frustrated. They must practice patience with their
students and always be understanding that not everyone catches on to certain
material quickly. In fact, it is most important to stay patient with the
student if the he is already frustrated with himself. Keeping calm when the
student is stressed will help them feel supported even when they are struggling.
7. They've experienced failure.
Failing at something builds character, and
even maturity. Failing at something isn't what defines a person, but how they
manage to get back up afterwards. A tutor needs to lead their student by
example, and having been through a time where they had difficulty in learning
something new is an important part of connecting with and relating to one’s
clients.
8. Integrity
A tutor should be a leader and should
uphold the values of the organization they represent, as well as an upstanding
student. A tutor should enforce academic integrity in all of their own and
their students’ pursuits, and as well put an emphasis on a good work ethic when
interacting with their students.
9. Passion
A great teacher genuinely enjoys teaching; a
great tutor should be the same way. The job of a really involved tutor is a
tough one—you are a teacher, a mentor, a coach, a friend—and it can get pretty
tiring sometimes. A tutor has to have the passion to keep going even on tough
days, because they really want to make a difference in their student’s lives.
