How Not To Be A Pushy Parent

In an effort to make their child “the best” parents can, in fact, be pushy or, as you put it, ‘borderline abusive’.  I have seen firsthand how parents can push their children to do it better, longer and with more passion than their peers. It makes me wonder: who is it for? Do the parents feel that their children will have a better life later on if they succeed in certain areas as a child? Maybe it is a fear that they won’t appear to be involved if their child is doing poorly in school or their extracurricular activities? Regardless of what the parent’s motives are, this type of pushy parenting can only make a child feel insecure about their abilities and unsupported by the people they strive to impress the most.

The solution? Outsourcing. In a world where parents are trying to raise little executives and worry about how their child looks on paper, it is no wonder that an effective method would be to take a page from the book of a fortune 500 company. Just as a successful company might reach out to a specialist for a specific project, there are a growing number of families doing just that. Parents are looking for ways to give their children an advantage and to make them stand out as being exceptional; or at least better than average. As you have mentioned, parents can reach out to a tutor to give them the individualized attention they need to succeed academically. This professionally driven method is a great way to show their child that they are positively supporting them by outsourcing a specialist. No negative or overbearing comments needed. The child gets the help that they need while the parent is showing their support by taking the time to invest in their success.

Another way that parents are giving their children an edge is by creating a culturally diverse environment. By welcoming an Au Pair into their home, they are expanding their cultural aptitude, which will open many doors for them as they enter into today’s job market. With kids getting out of school and competing for jobs, knowing another language and understanding another culture can give them a huge advantage. As the Au Pair Sis for Go Au Pair, I have been connecting with Au Pairs in this cultural child care program to understand what advantages parents can give to their children by hosting an Au Pair.

Caroline, an Au Pair from Brazil has shared her culture with her young Host Kids. She can have a conversation in Portuguese with the family’s 2 year old daughter. In her video interview, Caroline says, “It’s a rich exchange of culture and experience.” In another video interview, Claire from China mostly speaks Chinese because it is important for the Host Mom that the kids learn to speak the language and about the Chinese culture. Claire also shares her Chinese cooking with the family. They love the food and ask her how she makes it so that they can learn to make it as well.

There are many more effective ways to encourage children to strive and do their best that have less to do with forcing them to try harder and more to do with giving them the tools they need to succeed. This is the type of effective parenting that will work. For a family that is interested in learning more about the Au Pair cultural exchange program, they can visit our website at www.goaupair.com.

As the Au Pair Sis for Go Au Pair, Janine Snyder has been connecting with Au Pairs (international young adult nannies) and offering them support throughout their journey. She has conducted more than 50 interviews with Au Pairs and has put together a variety of videos, best practices and tips for incoming Au Pairs, as well as an interactive and fun online community for more seasoned Au Pairs to share their thoughts about their experiences. In addition, she provides ongoing support and advice to help her Au Pairs maximize their cultural exchange experience and enhance the quality of childcare they provide for their Host Families. Janine is a former professional nanny and has worked with many families in their home. She is a stepmother and recently gave birth to a son. You can also follow Janine and Au Pair Sis on Google+.

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week!

Did you know that it's officially teacher appreciation week?

I know I'm biased because I'm a teacher but teachers are some of the most INCREDIBLE people in the world!

Had it not been for the amazing teachers in my life, I wouldn't be where I am today.

When I was in primary school there was an amazing teacher who I'll never forget because she saw potential in me that no other teacher saw. She encouraged me to read more, study more and work harder so that I could get better grades. At that time, I had no idea that years later the lessons she taught me would impact me in so many ways and I hope that as I teach, I'll help other children in the same way she helped me. 

So, here's to the teachers, the educators, the support staff, the motivators and the leaders who make a difference in the lives of children and young people every single day of their lives. 

Without them, your child might not be as bright, as happy or as impassioned as they are about their learning. 

This week, take a moment or two to show your appreciation for the teachers around you.

Happy teacher appreciation week!

An Online Tutoring Conference For Tutors?

To celebrate the launch of Adrianne Meldrum's semi-annual tutor conference, I'm giving away a ticket to one very lucky person!

Click on this image to send me a tweet!

To enter, all you have to do is send me a tweet stating what you love most about my book Become A Private Tutor. If you haven't read the book, get it here.

The winner with the most spectacular answer will win the free ticket.

The deadline for entry is Monday the 14th of April and you must do to things to be eligible: 
- Tweet me @thetutoress (saying what you love about the book) 
- You MUST use the hashtag #thetutoress in your tweet.

Please make sure you follow the rules so that you stand the best chance of winning.

If you'd like to purchase a ticket without entering the competition, do so here. Tickets are on sale for $35 which is a bargain considering the amount that you'll gain from attending.

I look forward to receiving your tweets and seeing you at the Tutor Conference :)

Have a fab day!

Victoria.

Founder, TheTutoress.com 
Author, Become A Private Tutor.

Tutor Q & A: Should I join a Tutoring Agency?

Tutoring Agencies have traditionally been one of the most popular marketing vehicles for both upcoming and already established tutors.

Image Credit: 123RF

Tutoring Agencies (or TA's) are basically like middlemen. They put time, money and resources into marketing their agencies so that tutors don't have to.

From the outset, TA's can seem very appealing to tutors because they make getting clients a whole lot easier. However they're not a perfect solution for all tutors.

Here are 3 signs you should consider signing up with an Agency:

1. They're niche. In other words, a good agency that's likely to find work for you will most likely be a niche one because parents go to them when they want to find tutors who can teach a specific subject.

Niche agencies tend to be smaller but more focused and often enough, they're usually hunting for tutors who can teach specialist subjects.

2. They have good PR. A reputableTA will most likely put time and effort into getting positive PR from national and local media outlets such as newspapers, magazines and news stations.

If they're scoring PR, they're most likely to be generating awareness which means that they're able to reach a lot of parents which in turn increases your chances of being hired.

3. They take care of their tutors. A good TA understands that it's important to nurture the talent that they have. In other words, they should be willing to provide some form of training, support or advice to you which should help you to improve your work as a tutor. If an Agency signs you onto their books and only reaches out to you when they're desperate for you to take on a students, they're probably not a great company.

If you do choose to sign up with a TA be cautious, be careful and be clear. Ask them questions, do some background research on their company and check the small print (e.g. What commission do they take? Do they support their tutors? etc).

PS. I managed to score some great press in one of the UK's most prestigious newspapers. Take a look at it here.

I'll be sharing the secrets to landing PR in one of my upcoming training materials so keep an eye out for my emails.

Finally, if you have a question that you'd like to ask about your tutoring business- tweet it to me @thetutoress.com and I'll answer your question in a future blog post. You can also find me on Google+.

Wishing you a great week!

Victoria.

Author, Become A Private Tutor & founder of TheTutoress.com

How Tutors can Influence Children's Learning?

 How Tutors can Influence Children's Learning?

People who spend a considerable amount of time with young children create an impact.  For tutors, this impact has to ideally be about their tutees’ learning. 

Creating a positive impact on learning – this is the motive behind every tutor’s curriculum.  Making this possible involves several methods.  It demands a certain level of experimentation in the part of the tutor. 

Furthermore, tutors have to carefully consider the responses made by their tutees.  These identified responses will help tutors decide if they are to proceed with their teaching schemes or hop on another technique.

The following sections explore the different schemes and themes essential in causing a positive learning-impact.

Show how fun it is to learn

Things done in the name of fun endure.    

Tutors who are up against such challenge usually opt to devise a game out of quizzes.  Tutees who are in love with puzzles are given puzzle-laden math problems.  The amount of creativity involved in making learning fun depends in at least two factors:

•       Tutee’s response in these ‘fun’ learning activities
•      Tutor’s willingness to innovate

Show dedication

The tutees may be young, but they aren’t blind.  They can see the hard work tutors spend on the tutorials.  They are aware (though not fully-aware) about the time spent in creating, developing, or procuring learning resources.  They might not show it, but tutees do know.

When tutees see just how much effort their tutor is pouring in tutorials, they can’t help but try their best.  Several stories of dedication do create such a ripple of effect; the most famous of course is inspiration.

Exhibit critical skills

Another interesting variable that tutees could rub off from tutors are their showcased skills.  As a tutor, do you make it a point to listen attentively?  Are you receptive of all kinds of questions – both smart and dumb questions?

Listening, writing, and analytical skills – whatever it is worth showcasing, tutors must illustrate them.  Do those in a consistent fashion and tutees won’t have a problem doing the same. 

Validate virtues

At a tutee’s precocious years, they’re still bound to love hearing good feedback about their performance.  But when tutors step out of the line and commend an exhibited virtue (like patience), they are doing more for the tutee.

Tutors may be bound to the rules of their own benchmarks; but they are also adults.  And as an adult, their role to affirming virtues stays immovable.

Know the tutee’s learning style

To best connect with the child, tutors must see to it that they are well-oriented with the child’s learning style or styles.  This information is guaranteed to save tutors from trouble.  In most cases, neglect to realise the tutee’s learning style could result to a total waste of time: tutors offer a curriculum that doesn’t fit with the child’s learning style, or worse, counters it.

Making lessons that are attuned to the tutee’s learning style is not the only important factor here.  Tutees must also be made aware of their own learning style.  Perhaps, they could be interested with other learning styles. 

Enabling the tutee to realise not just one, but more learning styles is probably, one of the greatest achievements tutors could have.

Evolve with the tutee

Finally, tutors must be able to show ‘growth’ to their tutees to encourage them to grow as well.  This growth may come in the form of knowledge, skills, dreams or aspirations.  In fact, a tutor can weave a path towards their own growth together with their young tutee.  This path should be filled with opportunities.

In this weaving, it would be very important for tutors to prepare clear and accurate answers (in contrast to vague retorts or generalisations).  With such evolution in show, tutees gain realistic insights and not just knowledge.  

About the author:

James Harlan is an aspiring novelist and a young community leader.  His commitment to do well at the university spans wide: he devotes his extra hours for assisting students in their essay assignments, research, and statistics. He merges traditional education with the trending online courses.  He promotes lifelong learning and academic success through his contributions in the blogs, Master Dissertations and Oxbridge Dissertation.

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