Q&A for How to Tutor Kids

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  • Question
    How can I be a good tutor?
    Ronitte Libedinsky, MS
    Academic Tutor
    Ronitte Libedinsky is an Academic Tutor and the Founder of Brighter Minds SF, a San Francisco, California based company that provides one-on-one and small group tutoring. Specializing in tutoring mathematics (pre-algebra, algebra I/II, geometry, pre-calculus, calculus) and science (chemistry, biology), Ronitte has over 12 years of experience tutoring to middle school, high school, and college students. She also tutors in SSAT, Terra Nova, HSPT, SAT, and ACT test prep. Ronitte holds a BS in Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and an MS in Chemistry from Tel Aviv University.
    Academic Tutor
    Expert Answer
    Talk to the student to figure out what they're struggling with. Then, break down the subject matter they need help with into small steps.
  • Question
    Would it be good to advertise at a local library, or be able to go to the student's home?
    Community Answer
    You could do either, depending on which the student is more comfortable with.
  • Question
    I am 11 and was asked to tutor my 8-year-old friend. The problem is her mom doesn't want to pay, and I need to earn money for a new bike. What should I do?
    Community Answer
    Do one free lesson. If your friend's mom likes what you're doing, she may offer to pay you a little, especially if you politely make your money-earning goals known and offer a very reasonable price for future sessions.
  • Question
    How can I tutor a shy child?
    Community Answer
    Be friendly and approach the experience slowly. It will take time to get the child to open up to you. After she does, the more you engage with her, the more she'll want to engage back with you.
  • Question
    How do I advertise tutoring?
    Community Answer
    Make a website or advertise through parents and friends. Social media is a big way to advertise, because most of it is free.
  • Question
    Can I tutor kids younger than me if I'm 10?
    Community Answer
    Of course you can! It's better that way as you will be able to communicate better and the child will be more comfortable with another child. Just make sure you know what you're doing and I'm sure you'll do just fine.
  • Question
    No one wants me to tutor! What do I do?
    Community Answer
    There could be many reasons for that. Perhaps you have not advertised properly. Do you have a reputation of not being the most academically focused or being untrustworthy? If so, that could explain it. Also, if you are a younger tutor, (for example being 8 and wanting to tutor a 7 year old), that may not always work.
  • Question
    As a mother of six, is it possible for me to teach some of them before they go to preschool and kindergarten?
    Community Answer
    Yes! You teach them all the time. Literacy training sounds complicated, but it needn't be. I put index cards, each with one lower-case letter on it, in ABC order, on a wall. After singing the ABC song, touching each letter, my two-year-old knew most letters by shape and name. After about a week of this game, a few minutes a day, whenever he wanted to play, I would name a letter and ask him to find it. Soon I had him combining letters (Like O-N to make "ON"). From there, we went to sight words on index cards, which we arranged into funny sentences. By the time he was 30 months old, he was reading all sorts of words, independently. You play, they learn!
  • Question
    Can people tutor older students?
    Community Answer
    People can be tutored at any age. If you're asking if a younger student can tutor an older one, yes, as long as the young tutor is sufficiently knowledgeable on the subject and understands every part of the curriculum that needs to be covered.
  • Question
    Should I pay someone with cash or check?
    Community Answer
    You can ask them which they prefer, but either should be acceptable.
  • Question
    How do I get the kids I am tutoring to take it seriously?
    Community Answer
    That depends on their ages and why they aren't taking it seriously. If they are bored, make lessons more interesting. If they don't see a connection between what they are studying and their lives, try to make that connection.
  • Question
    How can I keep someone with very little attention focused?
    Community Answer
    Offer a reward when they accomplish something. This reward could vary from a sticker to a piece of candy. Find out what motivates them.
  • Question
    How can I find a tutoring job if I am 11 and don't know a lot of younger kids?
    Community Answer
    Go to a local school and ask them if they could use a tutor. If you are in secondary school, you could ask your old school.
  • Question
    I'm 12 and I want to tutor kids age 6-10, how much would I charge an hour?
    Community Answer
    How much you charge is based on how experienced you are. When I started I charged $7 an hour.
  • Question
    I am 12. How do I tutor third graders?
    Community Answer
    You could go to your old elementary school and ask some of your past teachers who they think needs help. They could put you in touch with these students' parents.
  • Question
    How much should I charge to help do school work with Pre K to 3rd grade students?
    Community Answer
    Start with $20-$40 per hour, depending on the length of the lesson and the grade of the student you are tutoring.
  • Question
    I am tutoring someone that is 8 at my home, but I'm only 9. Is this legal, or do I need a license for that?
    Community Answer
    This is perfectly legal as long as your parents and the parents of the person you are tutoring have given their full permission. You don't have to have any sort of license to be a tutor, adult tutors who are teaching children often have qualifications in a certain subject such as maths or English, but as you're only a child you won't have those.
  • Question
    Can I tutor when I'm eight years old?
    Community Answer
    You can tutor children your own age or younger if you know the subject you're tutoring in really well and are good at teaching it to others.
  • Question
    How do I help a kid with the concept of subtraction?
    Community Answer
    Make sure they know addition first. It's an easier concept. Then explain to them that subtraction is the same thing, but backwards. Use props to show them, like "I have four apples, if you take away two, how many apples do I have?"
  • Question
    How do I get young kids to take tutoring seriously if I am just a kid myself trying to tutor them?
    Community Answer
    My math teacher showed my class the correlation between having good grades in school and a high-paying job in the future. This will motivate the child to do better in school and seek tutoring to get higher grades.
  • Question
    I am 12 and I need to tutor my 6-year-old brother. How do I go about tutoring him?
    Community Answer
    First you need to know the subjects with which he may be having difficulty. Ask him, his teachers, or your parents/guardians. Then you can begin to figure out how to build on what he already knows in order to help him learn new concepts. Try starting with whatever he finds the most interesting and expand from there.
  • Question
    What is the best amount of time for an 8-year-old to spend being tutored in a day?
    Community Answer
    It depends on the child, but I would say no more than an hour and a half, since an 8-year-old probably doesn't have the longest attention span.
  • Question
    Can I tutor more than one student at a time?
    Community Answer
    You can tutor a few students at the same time if they're all in the same class or all learning the same topic, just make sure you're still able to give them individual help and attention, because that is your job.
  • Question
    How can I be sure they listen to me?
    Community Answer
    Make it fun for them. Ask them questions and maybe put in a game or two into each lesson.
  • Question
    I'm tutoring kids who are studying English as a foreign language. I have a student who seems to be a bit special, since she often talks to herself in the mirror. What do I do?
    Community Answer
    I would leave it alone, that may be her way of coping with something in her life, or practicing the new language. You can try to draw her attention back to the lesson at times, or you could try to figure out why she is doing it, and help her with that. If she is younger, this may pass, and it's not that big of an issue.
  • Question
    How do I plan how to tutor someone? Like how would I start the tutor lesson? Im 15 and the person I will tutor is 13.
    Community Answer
    Start with the school homework and curriculum requirements. Explain each and every question and explain with some examples, as giving examples helps the student to understand better. Then try giving a few questions about the lesson, to check how much the student understood. Also ask them where they are experiencing the most difficulties and focus on those areas in particular.
  • Question
    How much can I charge to tutor 4 kids for an hour in my home?
    Community Answer
    What would you charge for one hour of your time? Multiply this by how long will it take to prep for those 4 kids, add on the one hour you teach and that’s probably a fair price.
  • Question
    If I am 13, am I old enough to tutor? Should I restrict who I tutor to people I know for safety reasons?
    Hannah Madden
    Community Answer
    Check in with your parents before you decide to start tutoring kids. You may want to have your parents meet your student's parents before you start your tutoring sessions to double check that everyone is comfortable.
  • Question
    I am tutoring my younger sister, the problem is we always argue about her not listening in class so we stopped. She recently got a D and now my parents want me to tutor her, do you have any ideas on how to do better?
    OakSocks
    Community Answer
    Make sure that your sister knows that you just want to help her. Keep your temper in check when tutoring her, even if she argues with you. Take breaks every so often so that neither of you feel overwhelmed, and if it doesn't work out, ask your parents to hire someone else.
  • Question
    I'm going to be 13 this year and I want to start tutoring in September. How do I get the word out and where do I start?
    OakSocks
    Community Answer
    Offer to tutor your neighbor's kids first, and then gradually branch out. Your parents may know people who want help as well. Start with kids you know.
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