When a child struggles with math learning, it’s stressful for both the child and their family.
Getting a math tutor is a great solution and should help eliminate the stress, right?
You would think so, but sometimes the process of finding the right mathematics tutor can also be stressful. Picking the wrong tutor can be even more stressful.
If you are in this situation wondering what makes a quality math tutor? and how do I know I found one?, than you’re reading the right blog post.
Whether you’re searching for an online mathematics tutor or a local math tutoring centre for in-person private math tutoring to help your child catch up, keep up, or get ahead, we’re here to help take the stress and guessing out of finding the right tutor for your child.
What makes a good, no make that great, math tutor?
Well, in addition to have solid math skills and experience, they should also be focused on more than helping your child improve test scores and grades. A great tutor can actually help change your child’s life by helping build confidence and self-esteem, and by teaching them skills that they can apply in all other areas of their life, all through their life.
Here is our professional advice and guidance on what to look for when choosing a math tutor for your child:
1. Are they real math experts?
A real math expert knows math inside and out. They have a strong foundation in math, and the curriculum knowledge and expertise needed to support children in all grades, whether they are elementary school or high school. A real math expert will be able to help your child with their immediate math struggles and take it one step further by supporting them with concepts and learning as the math curriculum progresses through the school year.
2. Do they complete math assessments & develop custom learning plans?
This is vital for a math tutor to really understand your child’s current level of learning. A math assessment, when done thoroughly and accurately, can and should be used to devise a customized learning plan for a child, and be used to measure progress over time.
Here at Mathnasium of Newmarket, our instructors use our unique assessment process to accurately determine exactly what each child knows and what they need to learn. Next, we design a customized learning plan for teaching the concepts the student needs to master. It doesn’t stop there – our encouraging instructors continually check progress along the way to make sure kids truly understand and retain the concepts we’ve taught. The results are transformative – kids will see measurable changes in attitude, confidence, and school progress
3. Do they ask about your goals?
This should come up during your very interaction with a reputation, quality math tutor, hopefully when you first speak with them. Your goals should also be considered when a custom learning plan is developed and be measured against while your child progresses.
4. Do they have a solid reputation?
Be thorough and diligent in vetting any private math tutors or math learning centres. Reach out to them and ask them for referrals, specifics on their own math education and their overall tutoring experience. Read online reviews and check out their social media channels to see what people are saying about them, and more importantly, how they are responding to any issues or complaints. This is a great way to gauge their professionalism, and see if there are any red flag – they run late, miss sessions, are not prepared, are not resourceful, etc.
We’re proud of our reputation. Our formula for teaching kids’ math, the Mathnasium Method™ has transformed the way kids learn math for over a decade across 1,000+ centres in the US and Canada.
5. Do they care about your child’s success?
This is so important! Your child already feels stressed, ‘dumb’, frustrated and discouraged, and may be now missing time with friends and fun after-school activities to ‘do more school’. Finding a math tutor that cares about your child and their success can make all the difference. Your child will feel even more supported, will communicate more opening and will progress more quickly. Because they genuinely care about your child’s success, this extends beyond just math learning. They will help your child learn and develop skills that will benefit them in other subjects and aspects of their life.
6. Do they have the 4 Ps? Passion, Patience, Personality & Positivity
In opinion, these are essential in any tutor, especially those that work with children in elementary and high school. Why?
A passionate math tutor is excited by math and stays current on the curriculum, and new ways of learning and teaching. They are excited about math and bring really positive energy to tutoring sessions. Their enthusiasm for math and teaching math can help put a struggling student at ease and make it easier (and more fun) to work through concepts.
A patient math tutor invests the time needed to really work with a child at the best pace for them. Their patience also makes them persistence, which is essential when a child has gotten far behind in math and a child is stressed and frustrated. They will not be phased or stressed by having to repeat things or having to try a variety of different strategies or approaches to help a child. A patient math tutor will help make sessions more relaxed, therefore creating a calm and safe learning environment for your child to open up in, concentrate and learn.
When we talk about personality, we mean much more than finding a ‘nice’ tutor. Math learning is most effective when the math tutor and student are a team. For them to be a team, they need to connect, and their personalities need to mesh well together.
A positive attitude can make all the difference…and this is very true with math learning. A math tutor with a genuine positive attitude will encourage your child, which can help motivate your child and build their confidence.
7. Do they make learning math fun?
Not all math tutors are created equal. One thing that definitely separates our expert math tutors than the rest is that we make learning math fun. We understand that not all children learn the same way, so we’re resourceful in how we go about teaching concepts. We’re not afraid to get creative or try new things. There is nothing more fulfilling than helping transform a child’s life through math, than making it fun and enjoyable for them.
Look no further – the math tutoring experts here at Mathnasium of Newmarket will help your child catch up, keep up or get ahead in math. Contact us today through our online form or call us at (905) 895-6284. BONUS -- Enroll by Sep 30, 2021, you can get $100 off and a free assessment. Learn more about our math tutoring promotions.
We wish you child and family a smooth, safe, and happy return to school and school year to follow!
