Every tutor must not just have a good relationship with their students in order to make their working relationship last. They must also make it a point to create a good relationship with the parents as parents need to know if they have done the right thing in getting a tutor to help with their child’s performance.
However, some parents can be hard to deal with, especially those who want to be informed about everything their child is doing.
If you want to build good communication with your student’s parents and let them know about their child’s progress easily, here are some tips to make it easier.
Clearly Set Your Student’s Baseline
Start by sorting out your expectations early, especially when it comes to what the parents should expect regarding their child’s academic performance. Set a clear “baseline” immediately so that both your student and their parents know where they are starting in terms of their learning level.
By explaining your student’s baseline to their parents, they will be able to follow how the tutoring process will go and what the tutors will be doing to help the students improve. In turn, seek feedback as per our recommendation from parents as well.
It is important to remember that communication should not be done by just one person. The other person listening should also be involved. In this case, tutors need to have an open door policy with parents, who will then get updates about their children and in turn learn how the students are doing outside the tutoring sessions.
Be Honest About Student Performance
You can’t be half-truthful to parents when it comes to their child’s performance.
If you want your student’s parents to know how well they are doing in your sessions, you need to be honest with them and tell them what exactly is going on. This will also help you get the parents to help reach a right outcome to help the students improve. Here is a guide on how you can communicate effectively with your parents.
The danger of not being honest to parents is immense. For example, if the child is underperforming, parents may think of unrealistic expectations for their children that will only pressure the children down further. Tutors should not be afraid to let them know the truth because it will only pull your students down.
If your student is having problems, sit down with the parents and discuss the issue with them. Let them know how they can help their children and see what could have caused the problems, whether it is something related to their social life or even their family life. Sometimes, it can be tween issue or stress related problems.
Improvements will be slow, but if everyone is working together, it can be resolved easily.
Emphasise that you’re there to help
Some parents, especially those who are very strict with their children like these tiger mums, have very negative thoughts about getting their child a tutor. There will be those who will say a tutor is a waste of money to invest on because they think their children won’t learn well with their help.
If you are facing a parent who has this mindset, be clear with them from the start that you are there to help. You should reassure them that you won’t undermine their child and be there to help them if they are having trouble with their studies and the like.
Create Student Portfolio or Progress Report Book
As a tutor, you should have a record of how well your student is doing so their parents can see how well they are performing. You can show them that how performance can be tracked even without exams.
You can do this record by creating a student portfolio or a progress report book where it details what the student has done so far, what notes you may have about them and so on.
You can even get your student to get involved in creating this portfolio or report book so that they can feel inspired each time they see it.
Maintain Your Student’s Confidence
Like teachers, tutors can also become very close with their students the more they spend their time with them. As shown in this article, tutors can influence your students’ results.
Tutors can easily change the study environment of the student to help them become more relaxed with their studies, which then gives them a reason to open up to their tutors about things they don’t normally say to their parents or teachers.
As a tutor, you need to keep whatever your student is telling you to yourself but pick the issues parents need to know so they can change it without letting the child know they were tipped off about these issues. This will increase your credibility as a tutor.
Have concrete examples
Parents need an example to see if their children are really improving or not when they are studying. You can provide them with concrete evidence which you collected during your sessions.
For instance, you can tell them that they are doing well in algebra even if it isn’t in their syllabus yet.
For example, if the student failed to pass an assignment, it can be the explanation you can give them for the failing grade.
Offer solutions
In normal situations, it is frustrating to hear about problems rising up from something but no one can provide you with a good solution for them. Parents definitely find themselves in this situation often, especially when it comes to their child’s education.
Before talking to the parents, have ready solutions on hand so you can dish them out during the discussion. Be ready to accept that the parents may become defensive and try to adjust the solution to suit their needs as well.
For example, if the child tends to lag on their homework, suggest to the parents to give their child a calendar so they can keep track of their homework deadlines or a timer to track how long their child complete their homework. Here are some solutions to stop homework battles.
Conclusion
Parental involvement are very important when it comes to a child’s educational improvement. They are the ones who can reinforce what the child is learning beyond their classrooms and tutoring sessions and help them apply what they learnt in real life. However, they need a good guide to let them know how well their children are doing in school and how they are being taught.
As their child’s tutor, having effective communication with the parents will create an opportunity for parents to work with you to improve their child’s performance.
Here are some articles to help you become a successful tutor:
6 Important Life Skills You Can Gain from Being A Singapore Private Tutor
6 Mistakes That Are Hurting Your Singapore Tutoring Business
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