As a professionally trained private tutor, I’ve been entrusted with the task of helping students reach their highest academic objectives at the start of every school year. Unfortunately though, at all ages and school levels, I have seen the same stereotypes and stigmas clouding the school environment for students. So, the question naturally arises…what’s wrong with getting a tutor?
Answer: ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.
The common consensus of misinformed, quick-to-judge students around the world is that those seeking out aid from tutors are “not smart,” “struggling” or “lazy.” Insecurity sadly runs rampant in tutoring centers, as students simply hoping to perform higher academically feel inferior for needing help in the first place. But trust me when I say, that couldn’t be any further from the truth.
Have you ever considered tutoring? If you answered no, why not? Maybe you have always excelled in academics and never felt the need, or maybe you didn’t want your friends and family to criticize your intelligence and work ethic. In any case, it’s time to stomp out the stigma and encourage everyone to look into tutoring, even successful, straight-A students. Yes, you read that right, even if you dazzled in every single class last quarter, tutoring can benefit you too.
Depending on the reason tutoring services are being sought out, there are countless benefits just a single session can provide students with—better yet, this rings true at all academic levels. There are subject-specific tutors that provide assistance on homework assignments, projects and presentations, and their goal is for students to learn improved work habits and subject knowledge so that they eventually won’t need tutoring anymore. Another type of tutoring many could benefit from is a test-taking workshop, which teaches students good study habits, test-taking tips/tricks, organization and memory-recall exercises. Ever been told to work smarter, not harder? Tutors live by that rule too, and if you saw a tutor once in a while, you might have already known that!
While the aforementioned benefits derived from tutoring sessions are common knowledge, there are a plethora of others that you may not even think of while you’re too busy avoiding eye contact with the volunteer tutors handing out fliers on Bruin Walk. Grammar and formatting checks, assignment clarification, device help (such as learning how to work academic tools like calculators more efficiently), close-reading aid, literature explanation and even essay writing workshops are all examples of services that could be offered by tutors and learning centers on campus.
While typically used in regards to sports, the saying that there is no “I” in “team” could easily be applied to academics. Seeking help and learning ways to improve how you learn are NOT signs of weakness, they are educated objectives that make you a good student. And I promise you on behalf of tutors everywhere, you will never be judged by tutoring staff for any reason or at any time. I challenge you to consider attending at least one tutoring session this year because who knows? You may end up being a regular attendee if you enjoy it enough!