Being A Tutor Gave Me A New Respect For Teachers. Here’s Why.

I have always had a certain respect for teachers throughout my academic career; however, I did not fully understand the intricacies and nuance that goes into being a teacher until I started tutoring. When I began my job as a tutor, I had the expectation that it would be slightly difficult but that I would be able to get the hang of it quickly. While I am getting into a routine and improving my tutoring skills vastly after each session, I’ve realized that the best teachers I have ever had have truly mastered a skill. 

I am currently a tutor for calculus, statistics, and organic chemistry, which are three subjects that I did very well in. I’ve known from some of my teachers in the past that just because you have personally mastered a subject does not necessarily mean that you will be an effective teacher of it. Because of this, I’ve made a concerted effort to really take the time to understand the strategies of other students in order to properly teach them. However, this hasn’t come without its challenges. Teaching material that came naturally to me at the time requires an incredible amount of empathy that I did not realize prior to teaching. Learning to understand your students’ line of thinking when approaching different problems is crucial to communicating the information. However, that’s not as easy as it seems. Being a quality teacher requires so much more effort and patience than I ever imagined.

On top of the work that teachers do in “normal” times, they are the underrated heroes of the coronavirus pandemic. I started tutoring during the spring semester of 2020, which obviously came with a large adjustment due to the pandemic. However, when COVID-19 hit, I paused on tutoring until the fall, so I did not fully understand the struggle of adjusting to Zoom and remote learning. Figuring out the most effective way to really engage students was incredibly difficult. I asked myself questions like, “Should I use the whiteboard function? Should I share my screen or should I allow them to share their screen? Should I ask them to use the Whiteboard function? Should I draw on a piece of paper and hold it up to the camera? What’s the best way to do this to get the most out of this session?” Not to mention the fact that I’m now working individually with one student who is an adult and attends a top university in the United States.

I can’t even imagine a class full of children, each with very different educational needs and immaturity levels. That adds a whole new element that would be incredibly difficult to manage!

School can be very stressful sometimes, but the next time you’re about to make a rude comment about your teacher, whether it’s to their face or not, try to think about all of the things that they have to do to help you learn.

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