Online Education

Anthea Deluth
267

My name is Anthea Deluth and my husband is in the forces and stationed overseas. This is only some of the time. The rest of the time we are travelling to our next destination, and settling into a program of education is almost impossible. That was until I discovered that I could learn anywhere by doing my studies through distance learning and this was a large step to take for me. All of a sudden the excuses were gone. I could do what I always wanted and whenever I found myself watching a television program I didn’t particularly like, or out in the evening and not enjoying myself fully, I thought of the time I could be putting into my studies of something that genuinely interested me. I took the big step of contacting the major open and distance learning College in Britain, Oxford College ODL. They made me feel at ease, and told me to take one step at a time. I am now completing a diploma along with my husband. He and I are returning to Britain shortly and we are interested in opening a business together. He is so impressed with the ease of learning, he has done a diploma himself and we are looking forward to a new settled life working together and using the knowledge we now posses through our distance learning.
I recently told my brother what my husband and I planned to do and how we had got the education we needed. He took a job working in construction when he was 16 and as the pay was good, he continued on. He and his wife have two children, and the job he had seemed to be the only one he would ever have. It was a means to an end for him and each day he continued on doing a job he didn’t see a way out of. He was doing as much overtime as he could as the extra money was needed, and taking time out for studying was out of the question. But he surprised me with what he told me next. He seemed to be at a dead end and in a rut, but his wife was surfing the net one day and came across Oxford College ODL and saw that they offered numerous courses in subjects that he had expressed an interest in. There was no need to attend night school which would have been impossible for him just as it would have for my husband and I, and he could take his learning at his own pace. It took a lot of courage for him to enrol, but soon after he did, he found himself hurrying home to do assignments and send them through for grading. I hear the confidence in his voice now, and he is looking forward to his future every day. We are all looking forward to our futures and it is because of the ease of open and distance learning. It is now a possibility that we will be able to all work together soon and that will bring the family closer together.
My brother’s wife says, “Why wasn’t learning so easy when I went to school?” The answer is that the education industry is becoming more flexible with distance learning schools who listen to what the students want and are interested in making education a possibility for every one.
I write this article with great thanks to Oxford College ODL and Oxford Distance Learning for their efforts and constant battle with the older establishments who are interested in seeing that education remains the ‘old donkey’ that makes things difficult for the single student and their needs simply because it is easier for them. When people think of quality education they think of ‘Oxford’. Oxford College ODL and Oxford Distance Learning have not fallen short of the mark, and hopefully they will keep pushing the boundaries on the student’s behalf. Bravo to them for their efforts, and because of them, bravo to us!

Jim Greenberg
598

There are five major reasons that should dissuade you from attending an online criminal justice program offered by ITT Tech. They are:
1. Accreditation:
ITT Technical Institute is accredited by ACICS. While ACICS is duly registered with the federal government as such registration is mandatory, it is not one of the eight regional accrediting (RA) bodies that are funded by the US Department of Education and authorised by it to grant accreditation. As a result credit and degrees earned at ITT Tech are not recognised by most employers and by most good schools having RA accreditation. For example, most good schools will not allow transfer of credits earned at ITT Tech’s criminal justice program.
2. Under Justice Department investigation:
The ITT Technical Institute’s school of criminal justice has come under criminal investigation by the US Justice Department. While the Justice Department admitted in June 2005 that so far it has not found any incriminating evidence against the top management of the school, investigations are still going on regarding many of the local campuses of ITT Tech. Clean chit or not, the most important thing is why should an educational institute come under criminal investigation in the first place?
3. Under SEC investigation
The corporate entity that owns and manages ITT Technical Institute, ITT Education Services Inc has come under investigation by the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC). Again, the company has succeeded in getting a clean chit from SEC but the very fact that it had come under investigation should ring some warning bells.
4. High Cost
Most former students of IIT Tech state that they have found the institute to be expensive compared to others offering similar programs. Many current students also express their dissatisfaction with the institute in this regard as they feel they are not getting what they paid for. A majority of disgruntled students realised this fact after they had enrolled and begun their course of study. So, doing appropriate research before registering seems to be the ideal solution.
5. Quality of teaching
Another factor that goes against ITT Tech is the standard of teachers on its rolls. This is not confined to any one particular branch or location of the organization. Many instructors have been found incapable of addressing questions posed by students or solving certain subject-related issues. It is essential for the teachers to be good at what they do, since the students here are from all walks of life with varying levels of intellect and understanding. All those interested in entering the ITT Tech School of criminal justice should first check badbusinessbureau.com

Dr Jay Polmar
526

Life-long learning has been discovered by hundreds of thousands of people, in the U.S. and elsewhere, wanting improved education and the necessary educational tools for success. One of the most popular of these courses is speed reading. I discovered this while teaching reading and study skills in the southwest US.
After two years of teaching these specialized speedreading classes, colleges and Universities in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, California, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii requested me to teach classes for them. Private corporations wanted courses of stress-management plus speed reading for their executives and sales personnel.
My experience was outstanding teaching live speed reading classes, business success courses, and college study skills courses around the south and southwest. Traveling from college to university and teaching weekend speed reading seminars, or evening classes in study skills, provided a fantastic experience for me to meet thousands of people in cities around the country. Students ranged in age from 7 years old to 91 and from primary school through grad school and from many career fields. As time progressed I implemented stress management and relaxation therapy along with the educational tools of speed reading and study skills. This made everyone, including myself, essentially stress-free.
After multiple successes with researching and teaching corporate programs, I was invited to find a cause and solution to the prison riots that occurred in 1980 in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I aired the results on public radio and was invited to teach in a New Mexico prison, by the office of then Governor Bruce King. In 1982 once a week, I taught a four-hour a method called Future-Learning, which was later retitled as Be Dynamic through Speed Reading and is now available online at www.speedread.org. Twenty five students and staff members had life changing experiences from learning how to read efficiently, reduce excess stress, and taking a long, hard, look at life. It was also life-changing for me, as prisoners challenged virtually every concept that didn’t fit into their everyday negative life experiences. It made me a much stronger teacher.
In 1985 I was invited to teach multiple classes on different islands in Hawaii. The great weather, outstanding views of the Pacific and ancient history, made my experience of teaching speedreading classes, to students of several ethnic backgrounds such a phenomenal experience that I moved to Maui for a year.
As a teacher of educational success tools, study skills, and loving being a traveler, the offer of being affiliated with several colleges and Universities from Florida to Hawaii, excited me.
In Florida, for a wholistic health foundation, I developed and taught specialized courses in speed reading, remedial education, and developed of educational tools which I later taught in other parts of the country. Just for fun, I was able to add methods of stress management, success visualization, and other exciting techniques to stimulate audiences that came from all over the state to meet me. After a short time I was able to add humor to some lectures to keep students stimulated to enjoy the learning experience.
My teaching of classes in life-long learning was cut short by surgical accidents in 1994 in Tampa, Florida , but from 1977 to 1993, I’ve enjoyed teaching over 8,000 people in the US. Since then my courses have been published in Beijing China, and the US and Mexico and shipped electronically and in printed form to 27 countries throughout the world to those wanting improved education and the educational tools for success. The most popular of these courses is speed reading which I’ve written books in English, Spanish, French, German, Dutch and Chinese. All of this came from from classes I have taught to eager students and adults wanting a better life for themselves.

Paul Hegarty
332

It needs very little argument to convince the average thinking person of the great magnitude of memory, although even then very few begin to realize just how important is the function of the mind that has to do with the retention of mental impressions. The first thought of the average person when he is asked to consider the importance of memory, is its use in the affairs of every-day life, along developed and cultivated lines, as contrasted with the lesser degrees of its development. In short, one generally thinks of memory in its phase of “a good memory” as contrasted with the opposite phase of ” a poor memory.” But there is a much broader and fuller meaning of the term than that of even this important phase.
It is true that the success of the individual in his every-day business, profession, trade or other occupation depends very materially upon the possession of a good memory. His value in any walk in life depends to a great extent upon the degree of memory he may have developed. His memory of faces, names, facts, events, circumstances and other things concerning his every-day work is the measure of his ability to accomplish his task. And in the social intercourse of men and women, the possession of a retentive memory, well stocked with available facts, renders its possessor a desirable member of society. And in the higher activities of thought, the memory comes as an invaluable aid to the individual in marshalling the bits and sections of knowledge he may have acquired, and passing them in review before his cognitive faculties -thus does the soul review its mental possessions.
As Alexander Smith has said: “A man’s real possession is his memory; in nothing else is he rich; in nothing else is he poor.” Richter has said: “Memory is the only paradise from which we cannot be driven away. Grant but memory to us, and we can lose nothing by death.” Lactantius says: ” Memory tempers prosperity, mitigates adversity, controls youth, and delights old age.”
But even the above phases of memory represent but a small segment of its complete circle. Memory is more than “a good memory”-it is the means whereby we perform the largest share of our mental work.

Mark Woodcock
545

Aside from the one obvious benefit of earning a college degree – making more money – there are a myriad of other advantages to furthering your education past the high school level. By devoting the time and commitment to the improvement of personal knowledge and intellectual fortification, you provide yourself with the tools to be a better employee, a better citizen, and a better all-around individual. There are several economic and social factors (both individual and civic in nature) that you might not even consider to be the potential outcomes of you, an individual, earning a college degree. The benefit of earning a college degree does not just have an individual impact, but it has a societal impact as well.
Among the many personal benefits of earning a college degree is, of course, higher personal earnings. A person with at least a bachelor’s degree tends to earn at least two times more money annually than a person with a high school diploma alone. This personal plus has the potential to influence the public sector in turn. The greater number of people with college educations leads to lower unemployment rates, which in turn leads to decreased reliance on publicly-funded programs such as welfare. This concept of personal improvement for the greater good can be further demonstrated.
By achieving a strong educational foundation, a person tends to continue to educate themselves throughout their lifetime. Whether this is by earning further college degrees or by simply being more civically minded and socially conscious, the benefit of a college degree has been shown to increase a person’s sense of civic responsibilities and awareness. Those with higher educations show increased participation in voting, increased altruism, and a greater appreciation of social diversity. This in turn can lead to a decrease in crime and poverty rates.
There are many more personal benefits of having a college degree other than making more money. Often, those who have attained a higher education enjoy better long-term health and thus an increased life expectancy, which could be related to higher personal income. With the benefit of earning more money comes the ability to afford better preventative health care. Those with higher education tend to have more hobbies as well. But one important thing to note: those that have a college degree are often able to provide an improved quality of life for their offspring. As a result, college-educated parents often breed college-educated children.
The benefits of a college education extend far into the workforce as well. With the ownership of a college degree usually comes the increased ability and the willingness to use and continue to learn technology. Also, from doing the work that is involved in earning a diploma often comes the experience with peers that will help you succeed in a competitive business world. College is probably the best place for networking that exists. During your four or five years as an undergraduate, you have the chance to meet literally thousands of people who can be potential business contacts down the road. Not only can it be an opportunity to make allies in the workplace for the future, but it is also simply good practice in the art of exchanging ideas with your peers.
In the past, employers usually required only a high school diploma for employment. Today, however, a bachelor’s degree is often the minimum level of education that a potential employer will even consider. While it is possible to still succeed in the business world without the benefit of a college degree, it is highly unlikely, given today’s vastly competitive and technology-driven workforce. And while layoffs do affect those in the workforce with college degrees, it is usually easier for them to find a new job for those who are not.
A college degree is considered enduring. Its impact does not change or lessen, despite its age. It is considered a scale by which you have measured and proven your competency in both general and specific areas of academia. By earning a college degree, you not only take steps toward enriching yourself over the course of your entire lifetime, but you also serve to enrich the society you live in. The benefit of a college degree far outweighs the financial gains you stand to make.

Jake Ross
110

Prior to the 1940s, civilian self defense courses virtually were unheard of in many countries in the western world. For instance, in nations such as the United States, the United Kingdom, France and other European countries, self defense courses truly were a rarity. Prior to the commencement of hostilities in World War II, self defense courses were rarely seen outside the basic training regimen for youthful soldiers in the armed forces. With the trench warfare of the Great War, military experts and planners recognized the importance of incorporating self defense courses — including modified submission fighting — into the basic training routine.
During the 1940s, civilians were introduced to organized self defense courses in many countries for the first time. Self defense courses of different types began to crop up in cities and towns across North America and Europe as soldiers grappled in the various theaters of war during that same time period. In many instances, the movement towards the implementation of self defense courses arose out of a reasonably held belief on the part of citizens of many countries that they might face hostile forces on their own home territories. Additionally, the hand to hand combat of World War I remained fresh on the minds of many men and women the world over, leading to a natural desire to learn more about self defense courses and techniques.
Due to the obvious fact that significant portions of the adult male population was involved in fighting the Second World War, a notable number of participants in these early self defense courses were women and teenaged boys. (In some communities, teenaged girls could also be found involved in certain types of self defense courses.)
Indeed, as far as educating teenaged boys via self defense courses, many schools — both private and public — initiated self defense courses as part of the overall physical education course. (Again, there were some limited instances when teenaged girls were included in self defense courses. However, during the World War II era, the inclusion of teenaged girls in such activities was exceptional.)
While there were a number of self defense courses that featured the use of hand held firearms in the training, these programs actually were few and far between. (Of course, later in the 20th century, handgun training courses were prevalent in many countries around the world, particularly in the United States.)
Most self defense courses that were implemented during the decade of the 1940s centered on techniques common to the martial arts and associated with submission fighting. In other words, participants in these early self defense courses were taught what essentially amounted to martial arts styled hand to hand combat.

Leonard Williams
374

If you’re among the 34 to 38 million adults in the US who never graduated from high school, then you’ve probably considered getting your GED, the adult learner’s alternative to a high school diploma. The GED is worth considering — and worth getting.
The GED, or General Education Development credential, is awarded to people who pass an exam that measures basic skills, knowledge and the ability to apply skills and knowledge. The GED test is actually a five-part series, covering math, science, social studies, reading and writing. Even though some companies promote it, the actual GED test is not given online. It’s monitored by a federal agency, the American Council on Education (ACE), which has official testing sites across the US and Canada.
The test isn’t too difficult if you study for it. But it may take some time and preparation since you’ll want to re-learn material you haven’t seen since high school. You may want to take some GED practice tests to find out what you need to study, or enroll in classes or a study program to help you accomplish your educational goal.
Why should you bother with the GED test? Just consider the following facts and research that demonstrate the benefits of a GED credential:
1. A GED will help you get a job, and even keep it. Employers would rather hire someone who has the basic skills to pass the GED test than someone who does not. Completing the GED means that the graduate has the fortitude to successfully finish a seven and one-half hour exam. This GED is not a small thing.
2. You can expect to earn more money in your lifetime with a GED. Research shows that people with a GED make an average of $385,000 more in their lifetime than people who don’t have a GED or high school diploma.
3. Passing the GED test will make you more valuable to your employer because you’ve gained or proven basic writing, math and thinking skills. You’ll probably find it’s easier to get a work promotion once you have your GED.
4. Having the GED opens up a lot of doors for advanced training. Most specialized training programs require either a high school diploma or a GED. And with a GED, you’ll be eligible for most workplace or on-the-job training programs, along with higher educational opportunities.
5. The GED credential is a viable ‘diploma.?It enables access to work choice, advanced workplace training, as well as access to higher educational opportunities. The GED is considered — and accepted — as an equivalent to a high school diploma by approximately 97% of colleges and universities in the U.S., and 95% of employers.
6. You’ll probably feel better about yourself with a GED because you’ve accomplished something that only 60% of high school graduates can do.
7. Consider the impact on your family. Your family benefits because a GED is a way to increase financial security. Research also shows that once parents get a GED, they’re more likely to encourage their children to seek educational opportunities and complete educational milestones.
If you have other questions about the GED test or need a guide to GED study programs, classes or testing centers in your community, additional information is available and free at the http://www.passGED.com website. Free test advice, a message board and learning community are also available for students and GED instructors.

Robert W. Benjamin
149

Thanksgiving to most folks means family and friends and Turkey, or maybe beer and football. Many do not know or even care about the significence of the Holiday. Way back in the 1600′s a group of people who were members of the English Separatist Church (Puritan’s) in England fled their homeland to escape religious persecution. They boarded a ship and sailed to Holland in the Netherlands. In Holland the people enjoyed a brief time free from the religious persecution they faced back in England, but they soon became frustrated with the Dutch peoples bad morals and what they considered sinful lifestyles.
Seeking yet a better way of life, the Separatists made a deal with a stock company in London to finance a trip to America on a ship named the Mayflower. There were others from England that were not separatists, in fact the majority that made the trip on the Mayflower were not.
The group arrived in America on Dec 11, 1620 and they set ground at Plymouth, Massachusetts. The first winter season the pilgrims encountered in America was horrible. With extreme cold and blizzard conditions, they lost 46 of the original 102 who came over on the Mayflower. But the spring and summer of the next year was wonderful with most of the days pleasant and nice and most of the pilgrims staying healthy. The local indians showed them where and how to hunt and trap for the available game, and shared their secrets on growing and storing of the native crops. The harvest of 1621 was very bountiful and the pilgrims along with the local indians who had helped them survive their first year, decided to have a huge feast to celebrate and give thanks.
The feast or as it’s commonly called ‘The First Thanksgiving’ was probably held outside on handmade tables and benches, most of the people sat on blankets on the ground while eating, because records show that the colonists didn’t have a building large enough to accommodate all the people.
From an original letter of a member of the colony, Edward Winslow, here is the actual account of the First Thanksgiving celebration:
“Our harvest being gotten in, our governor sent four men on fowling, that so we might after a special manner rejoice together after we had gathered the fruit of our labors. They four in one day killed as much fowl as, with a little help beside, served the company almost a week. At which time, amongst other recreations, we exercised our arms, Many of the Indians coming amongst us, and among the rest their greatest King Massasoit, with some ninety men, whom for three days we entertained and feasted, and they went out and killed five deer, which they brought to the plantation and bestowed on our governor, and upon the captain and others. And although it be not always so plentiful as it was this time with us, yet by the goodness of God, we are so far from want that we often wish you partakers of our plenty.”
From the hand written letter we can see that 1 Indian Chief or King and 90 others (91 total indians) that were invited as guests attended the event along with the pilgrims, and that the feast or celebration lasted 3 days. The celebration or feast was not repeated again until the year 1623, when during a severe drought the pilgrims all gathered and prayed for rain. The next day, a long steady rain occurred, and Governor Bradford proclaimed another day of Thanksgiving, and again the pilgrims or ‘colonists’ invited their indian friends to celebrate.
The next Thanksgiving celebration did not occur until the year 1676, when the governing council of Charlestown, Massachusetts, held a meeting on the best way to celebrate and give thanks for the good fortune their community had experienced. By voting, they instructed Edward Rawson, the clerk, to proclaim June 29th as a day of Thanksgiving.
Other dates that were important to the Thanksgiving Holiday were October of the year 1777, when there was a Thanksgiving holiday that was celebrated by all 13 colonies that had been established. In 1789 George Washington proclaimed a national day of Thanksgiving, and after a campaign of letter writing to presidents and governors, in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed the last Thursday in November as a national day of Thanksgiving. The date was altered a couple more times, but finaly in 1941 it was sanctioned by Congress as a legal holiday, on the fourth Thursday in November, where it remains yet today.
Thanksgiving is such a wonderful Holiday that we should all celebrate it, and there is a FREE Thanksgiving Screensaver available for download at this website address:
http://www.rb59.com/thanksgiving-screensaver
By Robert W. Benjamin
Copyright © 2005
You may publish this article in your ezine, newsletter on your web site as long as it is reprinted in its entirety and without modification except for formatting needs or grammar corrections.

Ruth Wells
404

80% of teacher training tends to be on content, with only about 20% of training focusing on the “human factors,” those minute-to-minute problems with your youngsters that dominate each day. Whether you are a teacher, counselor, social worker or psychologist, there are days that you run out of answers.
Here is your chance to get the answers you need for your most challenging youth problems. Eavesdrop on the questions posed in our Live Expert Help area of our web site, and perhaps your question will be answered. Have a question for Live Help? Click on the Live Help icon at our site, http://www.youthchg.com.
Q: Do you have any ideas how to get young children to show up at our site when no parent seems willing to assist the child to attend?
A: We believe in the ends justify the means in this area, meaning that unless it violates your site’s rules or policies, then do it if it will help the child to attend. Your service is just that important, that you should do whatever it takes to get the child in. Actions can include waking the child by phone, picking up the child in the morning, or securing an alarm clock for the youngster to use. You can also use our popular “Countdown to School (or Agency) Schedule” or make a facsimile of it. The “Countdown to School Schedule” lists times for the child to perform the actions needed to get ready for school. It compensates a bit for the lack of vital family supervision.
BONUS INTERVENTION:
If you work with young children, you know that many can’t tell time and may not reliably know numbers, so put a piece of tape under the place where the numbers will click in on a digital clock. On the tape, write the time you want the child to get up. So, you might put a “7″ on the tape, and teach the child to get up and go when the number on the clock matches the number on the tape. It is sad to have you taking over the family’s job, but if you have been unable to engage the family, this may be an option worth considering.
BONUS INTERVENTION:
For very young children, just teach them to “get up and go,” and wait a bit before adding in other less crucial tasks like washing the face, for example. Once the child masters the basics, you can add on more tasks. In the meantime, you may want to have a few snacks, some sweatshirts, etc. to fill in the gaps. Whether an older youth, a younger child, a cold or hungry kid will have difficulty benefitting from your service. Be sure to also expose the child to plenty of motivation-makers; there are a few on our site, and hundreds in our books http://www.youthchg.com/school.html. A child who believes that your service is incredibly important, may work harder to arrive.
Q: I am so frustrated trying to get some parents to do their job! What ideas do you have to get parents to do what they are supposed to do?
A: By the time you run into a troubled family, the problems have been in that system for a long time. We actually do not recommend that people who are not family therapists continue to spend large amounts of time working to engage parents who never seem to improve. If you are a teacher with 30 in your classroom, or a school counselor with a caseload of 500, for example, it is not realistic that in your brief seconds of “spare time,” you somehow magically turnaround deeply troubled families. In your spare time, you probably will not be able to get that mom to finally stop drinking, or that dad to suddenly recognize the importance of your service. Instead, we recommend that you discontinue or reduce your repeatedly unsuccessful efforts with the adults, and devote all or most of your energy to helping the child succeed without family support. The ideas shown above, on helping even young children attend your site without family aid, are an example of what we mean. Yes, this is tragic, but you can still succeed with the child even though you may never succeed with the parents. The child is your real target, and where the best hope for success may lie.
Q: We are seeing more and more kids who are incredibly mean and violent, and it seems like absolutely nothing I do makes them behave. What can I do that would work better?
A: This is one of the most frequent questions we get. 11-15% of your population are conduct disorders. That is a mental health term that a mental health professional can apply to some extremely hurtful kids. The way you work with conduct disorders, and kids you believe might be conduct disorders, differs dramatically from conventional approaches. Conventional approaches will consistently fail with this portion of your kids. You have to use a different set of tools, or else you will continue to feel that virtually nothing you do yields any useful results. We have a good resource for you on this. Go to our site, http://www.youthchg.com/hottopic.html, where some of the basics on conduct disorders are spelled out. If you need it, our “All the Best Answers for the Worst Problems: Conduct Disorders and Anti-Social Youth” books can give you more than the introductory information in the article.
Q: Can you explain to me what Aspergers is? And, what should I do?
A: Aspergers is a constellation of symptoms that varies from child to child. It may be related to autism, and is not fully understood. Only a counselor or medical professional can diagnose it. Some common symptoms are inappropriate social behaviors, distractibility, developmental delays, and repetitive talk or actions. It’s more common in males. Unlike autistic children, language and cognitive functioning may not be as significantly delayed or impaired. Also, this disorder may be identified later, or occur later than autism. It is often misdiagnosed. We suggest that you not let the terminology confuse you– even though many professionals are understandably confused by this diagnostic term. Instead, focus on the specific problems you see in the individual child, then prioritize the concerns and work on them systematically. We suggest you focus on three areas at a time.
BONUS INTERVENTION:
If you have developed good methods to work with ADD-affected children, some of those methods will work well with Aspergers- affected youth. For example: for problematic verbal interactions, you can teach your ADD- or Aspergers-affected child how to make Opening, Middle and Closing Lines, as a way to give them essential everyday conversational skills. Opening Lines initiate the conversation, Middle Lines continue it, and Closing Lines terminate it.
WANT MORE ANSWERS TO YOUR WORST “KID PROBLEMS?”
That’s what we are here for. Consider coming to a live Breakthrough Strategies class (http://www.youthchg.com/live.html), or order the course on DVD/video (http://www.youthchg.com/tape.html). We’re here to help youth professionals help troubled youth.

Laurie Hurley
117

Hiring a tutor can be an overwhelming experience, especially if you have never done it before. The following five qualities are the most important ones that you should look for when matching a tutor with a child:
1) Their ability to “connect?with your child and you.
2) Their teaching style ?does it match your child’s learning style?
3) Their ability to be patient and empathic when your child is truly struggling.
4) Their reliability and dependability.
5) Their tutoring experience backed up by current references.
It is imperative that the tutor immediately makes a strong connection with your child. The tutor should use part of the first session getting to know your child by asking questions about their likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses. Setting the rapport is important so future sessions run smoothly and productively. The tutor should also be able to easily communicate with you after the session and give you adequate feedback regarding what he or she accomplished during the session.
If your child is a visual learner, the tutor should bring appropriate materials (a small white board, for example) so the learning process compliments your child’s learning style. Conversely, an auditory learner would benefit from reading out loud with the tutor or talking through math problems. A kinetic learner will need the sessions to be very hands-on and interactive.
There is nothing worse than a tutor giving up and getting angry with a child when the going gets tough. Patience is definitely a virtue and every tutor needs to posses this quality to put your child at ease. An inpatient person will have the opposite effect. Chances are good that your child will not want to be cooperative in the future with anyone who can’t relate to their problems. The reason you hired a tutor was to find someone who can repeat themselves numerous times if necessary or present information in a different way until it “clicks?with your child.
A tutor who is constantly late or just doesn’t show up without calling should immediately be terminated.
Checking a tutor’s references is imperative. Written references should not be older than a year old and you should call the author of the letter anyway, just to confirm they wrote it. The best references are from individuals who have observed the tutor teaching or tutoring. Other parents who have used the tutor are the best references, but don’t dismiss your gut feeling about someone you are interviewing.
An extensive interview must be done to be sure you are selecting only top-notch teachers and tutors. You will want to conduct a thorough background and criminal check and call all of the references provided.
Most importantly, a visit to every home to meet the family before attempting to place a tutor is imperative. This complimentary visit proves invaluable when making a “match?with you child.
Bright Apple Tutoring Service, Inc. has been offering tutoring services above requirements are met and that you get only the best tutors. If you are looking for a tutor, or looking to start a career in tutoring, contact Bright Apple Tutoring Service, at http://www.hometutoringbusiness.com 1.888.847.0033