Philosophy on effort, responsibility, and grades

It’s my sincere belief that tutoring can have a meaningful impact on student learning. I’d be doing something else if I didn’t believe that. Life experience - as a student, as a classroom teacher, and as a tutor - has shaped my understanding of what tutoring is and what it isn’t.

Tutoring works best when students and families view it as a supplement to, not a replacement for, regular class. What does this look like? Broadly, this means trying your best in class, taking notes, communicating with your teacher and classmates, and doing all the things that committed students do while they’re in school. With regard to our tutoring sessions, it means identifying the concepts that you’re struggling to master, knowing what needs to be completed for class, and having your materials – book, notes, calculator, handouts - ready for our sessions. Basketball players who work with a shooting coach don’t skip team practices, and they keep shooting hoops in the driveway. Violinists who get private lessons still rehearse with the orchestra, and they still practice in their bedroom. In each case, the whole idea is to improve, and that means valuing every opportunity to get better. Understanding coursework is no different. In other words, tutoring isn’t a justification to take your foot off the gas in class or at home.

I have two academic aims as a tutor. I want to help students learn mathematics; I also want to help students improve on a grade or maintain a good one. Depending on the situation, I understand that one of those aims may take precedence over the other. If you and your student are in the first camp – where mastering the material for the love of learning is Priority One – then there’s very little need for elaboration on my part. I enjoy mathematics thoroughly, study new material in my free time, and look forward to opportunities to discuss great problems with fellow enthusiasts. Many people, though, are in the second camp, and seek out tutoring as a grade-saving measure. I’ll say forthright that I understand and support this perspective completely. As someone who called home and told his mom about a D in Psychology after midterm of freshman year, I can tell you that focusing on the joy of learning is easier to do with an A than with a D. In fact, I’d even say that Psychology class was more or less joyless until I saw my letter grade settle at a B. My point is, I empathize with the stress of floundering in a class. Furthermore, my experience as a classroom teacher has made me particularly adept at helping students navigate class, study for tests, and recover from a bad grade. That said, I’d like to comment briefly on the role that tutoring plays in improving grades. The vast majority of the time, it helps. On rare occasions, it doesn’t move the needle. I can’t make any guarantees about grade improvement or scores on an ACT. However, in the rare cases when there’s a disappointing outcome, I can truthfully say that it’s never felt like wasted effort.