Tutoring. It’s always had a lot of stigma attached to it. As a leader in the world of online tutoring, we have always felt that it’s our responsibility here at Tutorful to try and dispel these myths whenever we can.
We don’t want students to be embarrassed that they have a tutor and feel like they need to hide it from their friends. We also don’t want parents to be under the impression that tutoring is inaccessible to them due to certain attached stigmas. So, allow us to take you through six of the most common tutoring myths and explain exactly why you shouldn’t listen to them.
Myth #1 - “Tutoring teaches your child to be dependent”
This is a classic one. A common misconception is that having a tutor makes children feel like they can’t do it alone, and they end up relying on external sources of help.
The reality, however, is that school lessons teach a class of 30 children in the same way, but not every child learns in the same way. Having a tutor allows your child to discover how they learn best and play to their strengths. It teaches them to take charge of their own learning and to enjoy discovering new ways to make their favourite subjects even more fun.
Myth #2 - “Tutoring kills your child’s confidence”
A common worry for parents when considering enlisting a tutor for their child is the message that it sends to them. Surely, it will make any child feel like they’re not good enough?
This isn’t true at all. Having a tutor lets your child know that you are willing to do anything you can to help them succeed, and once they know how dedicated you are to their success, it can inspire them too.
Myth #3 - “Tutoring is only for rich people”
Possibly (definitely) the most common tutoring myth of all. It’s widely accepted that tutoring is expensive, so it’s only accessible to people with good jobs and a lot of disposable income.
Luckily, this one doesn’t have much truth to it either. Tutoring comes in such a wide variety of shapes and sizes that there really is something for everyone. At Tutorful, lessons start from as little as £15p/h, which is less than what most families would spend on a takeaway pizza!
Myth #4 - “It takes away from their success”
Some parents worry that by involving a tutor in their child’s education, their child will never truly be able to celebrate their success. After all, it comes as a result of their parents paying someone to help them through their exams.
This couldn’t be more wrong. Children with an awesome tutor (like the ones we have here at Tutorful) often succeed. But this doesn’t mean that their success is any less deserved, it just means that they have someone on their team. Their tutor is often one of their biggest cheerleaders, so they enjoy celebrating wins together, as every win is 100% deserved.
Myth #5 - “It instills a lack of accountability and responsibility”
We know failing sucks. It can be easy to look for someone to blame. The school, the teacher, the exam board...the tutor. And whilst it can be easy for a child (and their parents) to put a lack of success in exams down to the tutor not doing a good enough job, this isn’t going to be of any help to the child.
It’s your job as the parent to debunk this one. A tutor isn’t an easy road to a pass. Not every child is capable of achieving top marks no matter what help they get, as everyone excels in different fields. If a child fails, their tutor will be there for them and help come up with a plan to work towards achieving the grade they need next time. Placing blame won’t help the situation - the child needs to be proactive in working out how to succeed in the future.
Myth #6 - “Time could be better spent on other activities”
Children do enough learning at school. In their free time they should be focusing on more meaningful activities such as learning a new skill, an instrument or a language, not going over stuff that they should already know. Or so people say...
However, tutoring is so beneficial because the tutor can tailor the lessons to the child’s learning style. It doesn’t feel like school because it’s not school - it’s a valuable experience which many enjoy and see a great benefit from. Tutoring shouldn’t take place every evening so there will still be lots of time for your child to spend on other activities.
Now is the time to give it a go
If you were unsure about enlisting the help of a tutor thanks to one of the above myths, hopefully we have managed to debunk it for you. The reality is that tutoring is full of amazing benefits and is something most children really enjoy - all you need to do is give it a go.
Tutorful really is the best place to start. We have friendly staff, amazing tutors, and we’re experts at helping children across the country excel, flourish and succeed.
Just take a few minutes to input your chosen subject and browse through the qualified, trustworthy tutors who could help you and your child. If you take the leap, you won’t regret it.
