Frequently asked questions

1. I've never used a private tutor before. How does it work?

Typically, tutoring sessions last for 1 hour. However, depending on your child's specific needs, we may recommend half hour or 45 minute sessions. Prior to our first session, we will ask what specific content areas you are looking for and if you are comfortable sharing your child's benchmark testing or report card scores. This will help us better understand where your child is performing academically. During our first session with your child, we will conduct an assessment to find out areas of strengths and weaknesses. This will help us determine what areas and skills we should focus on going forward. Frequency of sessions usually range from once to twice per week, however, it all depends on student need and availability!

2. How do I know if my child needs tutoring?

Parents usually consider tutoring when they notice their child is having difficultly keeping up with their peers, grades are below standard, their child's confidence in a particular subject area is preventing them from doing well, or homework has become a struggle. Other times, parents may be looking for just a few sessions to prepare for a specific test coming up, or want additional enrichment for their child to challenge them.

3. What about Common Core and standardized testing?

One benefit of being public school teachers is we are not only familiar, but trained in preparing students for the SBAC assessments (taken in grades 3, 4, and 5). Though we do not like to "teach towards the test," we can provide test prep questions, teach strategies to tackle confusing questions, and play games that reinforce skills seen on these standardized assessments. We are both also familiar with the Common Core standards and how targeting instruction to specific grade level standards can help your child achieve higher scores in school.

4. Do you communicate with my child's teacher?

Yes, we're happy to! Students make the most academic gains when teachers and parents have a partnership. Your child's teacher is the expert and is with them 7 hours a day. If they would like to suggest a particular skill set to work on, we're here to support them! We're also happy to share what we work on in our tutoring sessions.

5. Where do the tutoring sessions take place?

This is usually a matter of personal preference. We are available to do both online and in person sessions. Due to the current pandemic, if you request an in person session, we ask that it be held outside with masks on. This can be done at your house, or we can meet at a public place. If you prefer an online session, we will use Google Meets.