Hello, and welcome to my blog! I'm Rachel, a reading comprehension and English as a Second Language tutor, and I'm going to be using this blog to help both types of students. I thought my first post should address a question that many people have. Here are five reasons why I love online tutoring and why students should try it out!
1. With online tutoring, there are no limitations on where you are located.
Seems obvious, but this reason might involve more than you think. Today, people have been able to use the Internet to both easily and quickly connect with others from around the world. This certainly applies to tutoring as well! While online tutoring allows me to connect with students around the globe, it also means I can tutor on the go, and so can my students! If I'm traveling, I can still meet with my students virtually, and the same can be said for them. If I'm located in a place with bad weather, that won't stop me from tutoring, and neither will it stop my students.
2. With online tutoring, there is unlimited access to resources.
Sometimes students ask me questions that I am not always prepared to answer. Online tutoring means I can quickly search for resources that I can share with my students right then and there without limiting myself to what I know or can think of at a given moment. For example, if an English learner doesn't understand the word "harbor," I can immediately produce a picture of one to ensure that they understand my explanation. If a reading comprehension student is struggling to understand how to find examples of foreshadowing in a given passage, I can search for other examples in a text and upload them onto the interactive whiteboard in no time. I can look up worksheets, diagrams, graphic organizers, etc. and utilize them right away. Access to the Internet also means students do not have to purchase materials for our sessions - I can find the PDF versions of most books and textbooks! Having such easy access to the internet has a number of perks that really enhance my sessions with my students.
3. With online tutoring, lessons are easily personalized.
All of my lessons are created to support individual students, but my ability to access unlimited resources means I can also personalize a lesson even while the lesson is in session. During a lesson, if I discover that a reading student loves science fiction, I can adapt the lesson and swap out the story I had planned to use with one more aligned to the student's interests. If I begin working through my standard ESL curriculum with an English student and learn that a particular conversation topic is too challenging, I can quickly backtrack and change the material to better address the student's needs. This not only helps me to ensure that I am helping a student to the best of my abilities, but it also allows me to develop better rapport with that student.
4. With online tutoring, scheduling is flexible.
If a student is sick or something unexpected occurs, it is very easy to fit them into another open slot in my schedule that week (this applies to events on my end too). Sometimes I can only offer a free hour here or there, and sometimes my students only have a free hour here or there - online tutoring makes the hassle of rescheduling a lesson nonexistent. Of course, I do have a cancellation policy in place so students are not tempted to reschedule a lesson or cancel on me frequently, but if they contact me at least 12 hours in advance, it's easy to reschedule them to another time slot, even one that is on the same day. In addition to having the ability to reschedule lessons easily, if I'm sick but still physically capable of tutoring, online tutoring allows me to keep a scheduled lesson without having to worry about infecting my student (#nottodaycoronavirus).
5. With online tutoring, students are engaged.
I work with students in middle school and up, and I have found that they are very engaged while having lessons online. People having online tutoring sessions is still relatively new, so it's quite a novelty for my students. They love putting their technological skills to the test and adapting to the interactive whiteboard we share. I can also incorporate online games, puzzles, or videos into the lesson to engage them further.
These are just five of the many reasons why I love online tutoring and why I would encourage others to consider it! Are you ready to give it a try? If you are interested in learning more, please contact me here!
