Back
When our kids are struggling and we realize we’re not the best person to help them, we often turn to tutors. The problem is that traditional tutoring isn’t just a hassle for us, it’s almost always a huge disservice to our kids.
Beyond the fact that traditional tutoring is generally subject-specific and you can’t solve a problem with the same thinking that created it (ie subject-specific instruction, only after school), there are three key traits that make it dangerous:
❌Transactional. We bring a stranger into our home to tell our kids what they need to know. Someone who doesn’t know how your child thinks – who doesn’t get their unique strengths, values and interests – won’t be able to get the best out of them.
Plus, the most qualified tutor on paper often isn’t a good fit in real life. It sucks to watch kids struggle through a tutoring session with someone they obviously don’t click with.
❌Remedial. Most of us get tutors when kids are “struggling.” Now, this has a whole host of negative implications for mindset and sense of self, but arguably most dangerous is that it teaches your kids that they should only seek help when they’re doing poorly. This encourages complacency and acceptance of the status quo.
Traditional tutoring is used as a bandaid or a cure, which at its core tells your kids it’s because they need to be fixed. This erodes motivation and engagement while often making them feel stupid or inferior to their classmates.
❌Ad hoc. Bringing a tutor in once in a while to help your kids study for a test or write an essay reinforces the superficiality of getting a good grade on a single assignment. It tells your kids they should work for a test date or deadline – externalities that at best don’t motivate and at worst leave them stressed, frustrated and/or uninspired.
No consistency = no consistent or stimulating goals, results or sustainable growth.
****
Enter tutoring for the 21st century. Holistic academic support that is:
✅Relationship-driven. A new breed of professional – a hybrid educator/mentor/coach – builds real, authentic rapport with your kids. The family has a trusted ally, someone your kids (and you) trust and respect, who your kids (and you) can talk to.
Kids feel understood and truly supported. They’re coached in introspecting to really think about and connect with their strengths, values and interests.
✅Asset-based. Getting support is empowering, and all about improving performance and overall well-being. It’s a sign of strength that puts your kids ahead of their peers, where they’re proactively seeking to build their strengths while improving on weaknesses.
Getting quality support to conquer school means they get to enjoy their student experience more while building a healthy relationship with self-improvement.
✅Strategic. Your kids co-construct their own learning and achievement plan for thriving in school holistically, with short and long-term goals that are exciting. The wins they get from planning and achieving those goals are motivating.
If you want this for your kids, lets talk.
We believe kids deserve the opportunity to feel in control with their school work, to tap into their resourcefulness and resilience.
To be able to get the grades they want as efficiently as possible so they have time and energy for all the non-academic experiences they should be enjoying.
They’re kids after all. Expectations and pressures can steal the joy from school and learning, and traditional tutoring is just one more thing that can undermine student success and well-being.
