At first glance, one would think a straight A student has it made. He or she is highly intelligent and driven, dedicated to studies, and very knowledgeable on time management, study skills, and course content. However, that look may be deceiving. Sometimes, a B-level student in the United States can actually make a better tutor. Why? How is that?
Traits of a Good Tutor
Some A-level students are naturally in tune with what the teacher expects or the content material just makes sense intuitively. That does not always equate with the skills good tutors have. Some have it, but sometimes, the B-level students have traits that make them better tutors.
Patience
If the material comes too easily, it can be highly frustrating to slow one's pace with someone who does not understand the most base-level concepts and terms. Likewise, there may be a tendency to spell out answers and do the work rather than facilitate the tutee/client doing it on his or her own just to get through it. Patience is needed, so that the tutor works with rather than against the student's natural pace.
Flexibility and Willingness to Learn
Some students learn by rote memorization, while others need pictures, diagrams, and color-coded notecards. If the tutor has confidence in the material and patience, there is a likelihood that this second trait follows as well. If an example in the book does not make any sense, it is of no use to the student unless it is explained in another manner or some blanks are filled in for the student.
Flexibility not only accommodates doing what the tutee/client wants and at the natural pace of the student, but also necessitates a willingness to find ways to show the concepts in more than the way the book or teacher does. Many times, this has to be done spontaneously upon questioning by the student, so impromptu examples can draw on what the tutee likes or knows more about (movies, music, current news all are good ways to provide flexibility in comparison to examples from an outdated textbook).
Humor and Friendliness
An important attribute is a sense of humor (within reason of course!) and an affable/likable personality. This is especially true when working with non-traditional/adult college students, young children, and students with special needs and/or low self-esteem. These traits help raise the tutee's beliefs in one's self and minimize the stigma of tutoring and reluctance to speak up when in doubt.
Some students are more serious than others, and this can be a barrier between students and tutors, much like that initial barrier between professor and student. For effective tutoring sessions, an open dialogue and calming, respectful environment must be quickly established so that business can quickly occur effectively.
Time Management
Session time is of the essence, and should not be wasted, unless a tutor does not mind risking a loss of business. Students can quickly become impatient if slowed down, left waiting for a tardy tutor, or being rushed because the tutor has to leave early. Photocopies and books need to be ready to go, and the clients need to be able to schedule appointments and get in touch with the tutor if plans change. Good time management skills often need to be addressed and fostered in the client, so if the tutor has good time management skills, he or she can weave relevant study skills into sessions as appropriate.
A Good Tutor is Able To...
While there are many other traits comprising what it takes to be a good tutor, it is essential that the tutor work to improve any deficits with time management and study skills. A tutor is ideally modeling good student behavior as well as professionalism. Some personality traits like humor can be added to the tutor's toolkit, especially with practice, but other personality traits and skills make a good tutor distinguishable from a sub-par one more than final course grades, majors, or number of degrees and certifications can show. These are important things for students, teachers, tutors, clients, and supervisors to realize when assessing promise and potential of prospective tutors.
