Frequently Asked Questions
Deciding to bring a tutor into your child’s life is a big decision and an investment. Tutoring will have a significant impact on a student’s life by increasing knowledge, boosting confidence, and developing pride in the hard work of education, but we understand that there are still some nagging questions rolling around in your head. Let’s talk about those.
How do I know if my child would benefit from tutoring?
We believe that most students would benefit from 1:1 support. This could come in the form of enrichment, intervention, test prep, review, or simply having a caring adult talk through learning in a new way. A tutor provides academic engagement for a student and cheers him or her on as they strive together to make personal academic gains.
I like to compare this with my exercise routine. I could workout on my own, and I would probably be just fine. But with the knowledge, accountability, and encouragement of a personal trainer, I would learn more and see results faster. Ultimately, this personal trainer would equip me with skills and confidence that would benefit my exercise routine for years to come. We believe the same is true for tutoring.
How do I know tutoring is actually helping my child?
We believe one of the first benefits you will see from tutoring is a glow of confidence coming from your child. He or she will be looking forward to the next session, and speak positively about time with a tutor. We think you will also notice the effects of tutoring throughout your whole family. The burden of homework and teaching will be taken off the parent leaving more time for family dinner or engaging with your child over another activity.
How long will my child need tutoring? How will I know if my child is ready to stop?
Every family begins tutoring for different reasons and with different goals. As we mentioned above, we believe all students will benefit from ongoing tutoring support, but we also realize some families are only looking for temporary support. If you are considering suspending tutoring services, we encourage you to talk with your child, your tutor, and your child’s teacher. This team can work together to figure out what is best for your child.
We have had many families begin tutoring with the intent of using tutoring services as a temporary support, but once they see the academic improvements and increased confidence that comes from 1:1 support, they decide to continue with tutoring. The majority of our clients are returning clients who have seen the benefits of ongoing tutoring support.
My child is embarrassed to need tutoring. How can I help?
We understand that many students feel hesitant about the idea of tutoring. We encourage you to use the same analogy we explained earlier—you could exercise on your own, but you will learn more, see faster results, and gain confidence that will benefit you for years to come if you work with a personal trainer.
When Connections originally started in 2013, our name was Connections Tutoring. However, in 2017 we changed this name to Connections Academics because we wanted to move away from the negative connotations of tutoring. We believe everyone can benefit from academic mentoring, and strive to communicate the message that we are not helping students survive school; instead, we are helping students thrive in school.
We have no logos on the side of our car. We won’t announce our services to your child’s friends or teachers. Our goal is to build a relationship so tutoring is a time your child will look forward to.
Still have questions? Please don’t hesitate to contact us. We would be happy to talk through questions and concerns you have about tutoring. You can also check out our Instagram page for more information. Each Friday we answer more frequently asked questions.
