Why you should hire a tutor for essay help.

Hiring a tutor doesn’t always have to be on a long-term basis. Here at Hodis Learning & Music, we offer on-call tutoring for occasions when you only need a tutor for a short period of time. One of those times just might be when you have an essay to write. Whether it’s an English essay, research paper, or your personal statement for college applications, our expert tutors at HLM can make writing your next essay a breeze! So how exactly can our tutors help you with your essay writing?


The Brainstorm Session

The first step for writing any assignment is to figure out what to write about. Your tutor can help you focus on the topic of your essay to make it relevant and easy to compose. Tell us what book your essay is based on, and we’ll help determine the best angle to focus your writing on. If it’s a personal statement, all of our tutors have experience with the competitive college application process. We’ll offer advice on how to make your essay stand out to college admissions.


Outlining Your Essay

Once you and your tutor have established a topic, we’ll work with you to outline your essay. Every essay must be constructed around a solid thesis statement, which your tutor will perfect with you. If you’re unfamiliar with an essay format, your tutor will guide you through the process and make it easy to understand. Additionally, your tutor can help you find supporting evidence in your text, or direct you on where to find relevant and reliable sources.


Editing and Proofreading

After you’ve written the first draft, your tutor will edit and proofread your essay. From spelling and grammar mistakes to word choice to paragraph topics, your tutor will offer feedback that can strengthen your essay for the next draft. And of course, your tutor can be the last set of eyes on your essay before you submit your final version.

From these sessions, you’ll learn the tools and skills you’ll need to ace any essay or report!

To see who our expert writing tutors are, click here. And learn more about Hodis Learning & Music on-call rates, or reach out to our team to get help with your essay writing today.

Building Strong Study Skill Series: Self-explanation. Students studying with a tutor.

Note: This series details how to study smarter, not harder, to help students succeed in their academics. All information in this series draws upon principles from psychological research on learning and memory.

How often do you teach material to yourself as if you are the teacher? Have you ever explained a concept to yourself to check your understanding? Have you ever presented a PowerPoint to yourself?

These techniques are considered self-explanation study skills. To define the term, self-explanation is when you explain course material to yourself.

Proper Technique

Study a topic or several topics in your course and then explain those topics to yourself. You may choose to explain the techniques verbally or through writing.

Pull up your teacher’s slides and present them to yourself as if you are the teacher. Or make an outline of all the headings and subheadings in a certain chapter in your textbook and use them as a guide to explain the textbook in your own words. Or explain a tricky concept to yourself after reading about it.

Beware

Self-explanation is not helpful if your explanations are coming straight from texts. Your explanation must come from your own brain and in your own words to be effective!

Why It Works

Self-explanation is a powerful and effective tool for several reasons.

This study skill helps students identify connections between ideas they have learned so far in their course. Drawing these connections is crucial to gaining a deeper understanding of the material.

Being able to explain a topic in your own words demonstrates a certain level of mastery. If you are able to explain a subject simply, clearly, and unscripted then you likely understand the material pretty well.

On the flipside, self-explanation is also a sure-fire way to identify gaps in knowledge or understanding. If you can’t explain a concept or if your explanation sounds “off,” then you will know instantly that you need to refer to your notes or textbook to improve your understanding.

Summary

Self-explanation is a powerful study technique that is easy to implement, but isn’t enough alone to ensure you are retaining material. It should be used in conjunction with interleaving and other helpful study techniques that will be detailed in coming installments of this series.

Keep up with our weekly Building Strong Study Skills series to learn the most effective study strategies and succeed in your academics. Schedule a session with one of our expert tutors today to receive all the information and guidance you need to gain a deeper understanding of your academics and perform better on your tests! Building effective study habits takes time, so the sooner you get help, the better prepared you will be by the time finals roll around.

Read Other Articles in The Building Strong Study Skills Series

Sources:

  • Terry, W.S. (2018). Learning and Memory: Basic Principles, Processes, and Procedures, Fifth Edition. New York, Routledge, a Taylor and Francis Group. ISBN 978-1-13-864591-2.
  • Rhodes, M.G., Cleary, A.M. and DeLosh, E.L. (2020). A Guide to Effective Studying and Learning: Practical Strategies from the Science of Learning. New York, Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-021447-0 (pbk).
Building Strong Study Skill Series: Interleaved Studying. Students studying with a tutor.

Note: This series details how to study smarter, not harder, to help students succeed in their academics. All information in this series draws upon principles from psychological research on learning and memory.

How do you break up your studying when reviewing several different subjects? Do you study one subject for an hour and then switch to the next? Do you study for one subject on one day and another subject on a different day? This method is called blocked practice.

Now that we’ve gotten the worst study techniques out of the way, we will discuss effective study techniques. Today we talk about interleaved studying. Interleaving involves alternating between two or more subjects in a single study session. You can use interleaving for academics, music, and art!

Benefits of Interleaving

Compared to the blocked practice, you can retain information better with interleaving, acquire skills more effectively, and improve your abilities. These phenomena are part of the interleaving effect.

How to Interleave

To interleave your assigned readings, you may alternate between reading your physics book and your math book. Similarly, to interleave piano practice, you may switch between perfecting your performance piece, working on your technique workbook, and learning theory. To interleave illustration practice, you may rotate between using pen and ink, watercolor, and acrylics.

Interleave Properly

Everyone is different, so you have to practice interleaving to find what works best for you! But here are some general guidelines:

  • Typically, interleaving works best when you study each topic  for about 15 minutes before switching to the next. But this number ranges from 10-30 minutes depending on the person and subject. And, interleaving various subjects may look different. For example, interleaving readings may work best when you spend 15 minutes on each, whereas interleaving math and physics problems may work best when you spend 10 minutes on each.
  • Interleaving works best if you alternate between similar subjects, not identical ones, but also ones that aren’t too different. For example, it is more useful to interleave, say, math and chemistry than math and history. You could even interleave chemistry practice problems in thermodynamics and electrochemistry.
  • Interleaving is usually best when alternating between 2-3 subjects, but not more than that.

Warning

Interleaving is challenging – especially at first. Many students give up because they think they learned less in interleaving practice than in their blocked practice. And they very well may have had less success when they were getting used to the new study skill. However, once students get the hang of interleaving, they are more likely to retain the material.

Summary

Although interleaving can be challenging for beginners, it is more effective for retaining material, mastering skills, and improving your abilities. Although interleaving is effective, it shouldn’t be your only study skill. It should be used in conjunction with other study techniques that will be detailed in coming installments of this series.

Keep up with our weekly Building Strong Study Skills series to learn the most effective study strategies and succeed in your academics. Schedule a session with one of our expert tutors today to receive all the information and guidance you need to gain a deeper understanding of your academics and perform better on your tests! Building effective study habits takes time, so the sooner you get help, the better prepared you will be by the time finals roll around.

Read Other Articles in The Building Strong Study Skills Series

Sources:

  • Terry, W.S. (2018). Learning and Memory: Basic Principles, Processes, and Procedures, Fifth Edition. New York, Routledge, a Taylor and Francis Group. ISBN 978-1-13-864591-2.
  • Rhodes, M.G., Cleary, A.M. and DeLosh, E.L. (2020). A Guide to Effective Studying and Learning: Practical Strategies from the Science of Learning. New York, Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-021447-0 (pbk)

It may not seem like it, but what we do and how we take care of ourselves outside of school and work can impact how we perform in those settings. Below are three self-care tips you can use to improve your academic experience and help you do better in school or in your tutoring sessions.

Sleep More

I remember when I was in high school, I used to go to sports practices right after school, then sometimes another activity like volunteering or a club meeting, then do homework and study until midnight. I’d wake up the next day at 6:30 AM to start all over again. I’m shocked to think that I sacrificed so much sleep during that time. I made it through, but I remember countless days of dragging through classes and “studying” late but not retaining information.

Sleep is so important, especially for our younger students, who need significantly more sleep to support their growth and development. More hours of good quality sleep will make you feel more energized, you’ll be able to retain information better, and your mood will be improved.

Some ways you can improve your sleep are to keep a regular bedtime, limit screen use before bed, and limit light and sound exposure.

Cut Back on Processed Foods

The food you eat can directly correlate to your brain function and mood. If you’re just looking for a simple place to start, try to cut back on the amount of caffeine and soda you consume. Try to add a serving of vegetables to at least one meal a day, then increase that to two meals a day. And pay attention to when you crave that bag of chips or those vending machine candies. Are you hungry, or just tired and bored?

Even those small shifts can start to make an impact on how you feel and perform in school, work, and your daily life.

Get Outside

We spend a lot of our time sitting inside whether it’s for work or school. Moving around outside can improve your mood, help you sleep better, and give your mind a break from sitting and thinking. Try to get outside for about 30 minutes every day. Maybe you can go on a short walk, or maybe take small breaks to stand and stretch in the fresh air.

Final Thoughts

While these are just general, small self-care recommendations that we have found to improve our own performance as tutors and teachers, we are by no means doctors or nutritionists. If you want more information or you’re trying to make larger lifestyle changes, we recommend you consult your physician!

When it comes to expert-level tutoring, music, and art lessons, Hodis Learning & Music offers the best and most affordable options! And we always want to make sure we’re encouraging success and confidence beyond the classroom, which is why we offer tips and advice like the article above. Schedule your first session today by calling us at 626-227-1149 or by submitting a form on our contact page.

Note: This series details how to study smarter, not harder, to help students succeed in their academics. All information in this series draws upon principles from psychological research on learning and memory.

Most school course curriculums do not teach students to develop study skills, which poses a great barrier to academic success. And in some cases, some students are taught study skills that either don’t work or are extraordinarily inefficient! Last week we detailed some of the worst study habits. Read on to understand three more of the least effective study habits.


Keywords

Effective studying involves gaining a deep understanding of the material, to the point where you could even teach the exact material that you were taught in class or in your texts. Keywords are only snippets of the information you are expected to know. Even if you understand all of your keywords really well – do you know why you’re learning these keywords? Why do they matter? How do they relate to the overall topic? How are the keywords connected to each other?


Writing Text Summaries

Summarizing your text is helpful in demonstrating that you are able to condense a large reading into a brief writing. However, it does not necessarily demonstrate a deep understanding of the material, nor does it help you master the material. Where it might help is connecting ideas – but there are more effective and efficient ways to connect ideas.


Making Flashcards (Often, But Not Always)

Flashcards seem to be the go-to study skill for many students. Perhaps the most helpful part of flashcard studying is the process of making them. But the process itself takes a long time and is often an inefficient use of study time. Even if you are the speediest flashcard maker, flashcards should not be used as a sole study technique.

Making and studying flashcards before a test typically does not help you gain a deeper understanding of the material nor does it effectively help you encode that material into your long-term memory beyond the date of your test. We will detail the proper use of flashcards later in this series.


Summary

Keywords and writing text summaries are ineffective and inefficient study habits. Although making flashcards may be useful at times, this study technique is often misused.

Keep up with our weekly Building Strong Study Skills series to learn the most effective study strategies and succeed in your academics. Schedule a session with one of our expert tutors today to receive all the information and guidance you need to gain a deeper understanding of your academics and perform better on your tests! Building effective study habits takes time, so the sooner you get help, the better prepared you will be by the time finals roll around.

Read Other Articles in The Building Strong Study Skills Series

Sources:

  • Terry, W.S. (2018). Learning and Memory: Basic Principles, Processes, and Procedures, Fifth Edition. New York, Routledge, a Taylor and Francis Group. ISBN 978-1-13-864591-2.
  • Rhodes, M.G., Cleary, A.M. and DeLosh, E.L. (2020). A Guide to Effective Studying and Learning: Practical Strategies from the Science of Learning. New York, Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-021447-0 (pbk).

A resource we believe should be utilized more is talking with your teachers, especially the one who teaches the subject you are trying to improve in.

Your teacher is likely familiar with the subject they are teaching. They also have been trained in school how to identify and share the most important information in effective ways. While some teachers are better at making school fun and exciting, all teachers assign homework and tests which means they know what information is important for you to know and how you can do well on assignments.

Your teacher also sees you more frequently than a tutor does, meaning they know what aspects of their class you are struggling in- perhaps you are doing well participating in class, but your test scores aren’t very high.

Many students find the idea of talking with their teacher intimidating, or unhelpful, but we’ll share tips below for how you can talk with your teacher and get more out of class.

Tip 1: Your Teacher is There to Help You Learn

Remember a teacher’s job is, well… to teach! They are supposed to help you learn. So instead of thinking of your teacher as someone who is out to get you, make you look bad, or fail, think of them as a resource. Many teachers choose their profession because they like working with students and enjoy seeing their students succeed.


Tip 2: Start by Asking for Clarification or Advice

When you get a test or assignment back and your teacher has included feedback, ask them to clarify or explain. This can give you a better idea of how you can improve on the next assignment. You can ask questions like, “What can I do to improve on the next test?” or “What did you mean by this comment on my paper?”

Tip 3: Be Honest If You’re Not Understanding Something

Perhaps you just can’t understand Romeo and Juliet, no matter how many times you reread the passages. Tell your teacher that you aren’t understanding it. Tell them what you’ve been doing so far, and they should offer alternative suggestions.

They might say instead of rereading a passage several times, you should take notes, or try to summarize the paragraph then reference your summary with an online Shakespeare translation guide. Once your teacher knows you are struggling in a specific area, they can offer advice for how to improve or learn in a different way.

Tip 4: Ask If You Can Review Your Last Test

Not all teachers will allow you to take your test home, so ask if you can review your test with them after class. You can see the specific questions you missed and ask your teacher to show you how you could have gotten the right answer.


Tip 5: Be Proactive; Don’t Wait Until the Final Exam to Ask for Help

Some students make the mistake of falling behind in class and then attempt to cram for the final in order to get a decent grade. This very rarely results in a great outcome. Not to mention, you won’t retain the information as well if you cram it.

Your teacher will likely be very busy before the final exam with other students asking for help, and the teacher’s own responsibilities to finalize grades before the end of term.

Your teacher will appreciate your motivation if you contact them earlier for help, and you are much more likely to retain information and set a strong foundation so your final isn’t your last chance to get a good grade.

And consider getting a tutor to boost your grade. Hodis Learning & Music has expert tutors on staff who can help with all subjects K-12 and college. Call us at 626-227-1149 or email us here.

Note: This series details how to study smarter, not harder, to help students succeed in their academics. All information in this series draws upon principles from psychological research on learning and memory.

Do you or your student study hard but still underperform on tests? Before you can begin studying smarter, you must first understand what you’re doing wrong. Today we begin with understanding some study habits that provide little to no benefit.

Rote Memorization

Have you ever found yourself repeatedly reading something to get it into your long-term memory? Effective studying involves developing a deep understanding of concepts and relating them to other knowledge you possess. Rote memorization does not promote understanding. Even worse, the information acquired through rote repetition typically does not stay in long term memory for very long.

Highlighting

Highlighting is another go-to study skill for many students. Highlighting is not very effective, if at all, in helping students encode information into their long term memory. And re-reading your highlights is a passive study technique with very little benefits, if any.

Re-Reading

Always aim to read the texts assigned in class just once. Reading is time consuming and re-reading should be avoided at all costs! Obviously, if you didn’t take good notes on a section or are having trouble wrapping your head around a particular concept, then re-reading may be necessary and helpful. But if you take great notes and interact with the text while reading the first time around, you will have the opportunity to explore better study techniques in that time spared from re-reading your text. We will go over how to actively read texts and take notes later in our series.

Summary

Rote memorization, highlighting, and re-reading are very ineffective study habits and should be the very first study habits you knock.

Stay up to date with our weekly Building Strong Study Skills series to learn the most effective study strategies and succeed in your academics. Schedule a session with one of our expert tutors today to receive all the information and guidance you need to gain a deeper understanding of your academics and perform better on your tests! Building effective study habits takes time, so the sooner you get help, the better prepared you will be by the time finals roll around.

Read Other Articles in The Building Strong Study Skills Series

Sources:

  • Terry, W.S. (2018). Learning and Memory: Basic Principles, Processes, and Procedures, Fifth Edition. New York, Routledge, a Taylor and Francis Group. ISBN 978-1-13-864591-2.
  • Rhodes, M.G., Cleary, A.M. and DeLosh, E.L. (2020). A Guide to Effective Studying and Learning: Practical Strategies from the Science of Learning. New York, Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-021447-0 (pbk).
Shine Bright & Start Strong: 3 Small Steps to Be More Organized & Efficient

Some issues we see often with our students is a lack of organization and smart studying. It’s challenging for a student who already struggles in a subject to do well if they aren’t keeping track of assignments or aren’t efficiently completing homework or studying. This is why our expert tutors teach our students to be more organized and work more efficiently, which we’ll also share below:

1. Use a calendar to track homework assignments & tests

With many teachers now posting assignments online, students might think they don’t need to keep track of homework because they can just look it up. But a calendar or planner where you have all homework and test dates listed for all classes is more effective than looking up each class assignment page.

For one thing, you have all your information in one place and you can use the online assignment page to double-check or see updates. Second, hand writing things is proven to help people retain information better than typing it or simply reading it.

And finally, it puts a level of responsibility on the student, which they will need, especially as they advance in their education. A high school student will be expected to be more responsible and autonomous than a middle schooler, and so on.

student in a tutoring session with her tutor.

2. Put your phone on do not disturb

HLM’s next-level tutors always ask students to turn their phones on silent and physically put them away or move them to another room during sessions.

The phone, especially one that buzzes every few minutes, is distracting for our students and makes it difficult for them to concentrate on lessons.

You can swear you’re the best multi-tasker in the world, but it is proven that notifications can and do adversely affect our ability to focus on tasks.


3. Set a timer

Homework can be daunting, especially if you’re looking at seemingly endless pages of reading or writing an entire essay.

To break the paralysis or “I don’t know where to start” mindset, set a timer and do as much work as you can within that time. You’d be surprised at how much you can get through in just 30 minutes!

This works well especially if you have lots of work to do for different subjects. Instead of getting overwhelmed, or wasting hours slogging through one assignment, a set time-frame anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour will force you to be efficient.

Reward yourself with small breaks between work, but make sure you set a timer for those too, so you can get back on track.

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These may seem like small things, but they can make a big difference in how organized and prepared a student feels and how efficiently they work.

Our tutors and educators aren’t just professionals in their field of study, but are also skilled at teaching organizational and key time management skills. These skills and study habits will benefit your student far beyond the classroom.

If your student is struggling in a subject, or just wants to get ahead, book a session with Hodis Learning & Music today!

shine bright & start strong series: getting smart goals

The start of a new year often inspires us to commit to new habits, practices, and ways of life to improve ourselves. However, studies have shown that resolutions often fizzle out after a month, or sometimes even in a matter of days or weeks.

Our Shine Bright & Start Strong Series will provide content all month long focused on how to set goals, improve organizational skills, and create better study habits so our students can start 2022 on the right foot and find lasting momentum to carry them well beyond January.

scrabble letters for English tutoring

Make SMART Goals: 

For any goal that you’re setting, it’s best to create goals that are SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant/Realistic, and Timely. These can be New Year’s Resolutions, or goals you set for yourself each week or month. And while SMART Goals work in any area of life, we’re going to explain how they can help you in your academic, music, language, or artistic pursuits.

Specific: Make your goal as specific as possible. Many people have a tendency to make general goals or resolutions like “I want to learn a new instrument” or “I want to get better grades.” These goals are hard to accomplish because there are no specifications. It’s fine to start with a general idea like the ones listed above, but then dig deeper and define your goal more clearly.

  • “I want to learn a new instrument” becomes: I want to learn how to play guitar
  • “I want to get better grades” becomes: I want to get better grades in my math and science classes

Measurable: A goal is more easily accomplished when there are metrics. Metrics give you a number or place to work towards and a point of comparison. To explain this better, we’ll use our goals from before.

  • “I want to learn how to play guitar” becomes: I want to learn how to play one song on guitar. Suddenly our general goal is even more specific! We can see an outcome- learning one song. If you’re a beginner who has never played guitar before, this goal is realistic and possible.
  • “I want to get better grades in my math and science classes” becomes: I want to get B’s in my math and science classes. Now, you’ve defined the subjects you want to get better grades in and the grades you want to achieve.

tape measure for math tutoring

Attainable: Make sure your goal is attainable. If your goal isn’t realistic or attainable, it might be discouraging if you aren’t able to achieve it. For example, if you have never played guitar before, you probably shouldn’t expect to play guitar like a rockstar in your first few months of learning the instrument.

If you struggled in math and science classes last semester and you don’t remember the previous lessons, it might not be attainable to achieve A+ grades in those classes.

It doesn’t mean those things aren’t possible at some point, but be realistic about your progress and starting point in order to set goals that you can actually accomplish.

Relevant/Realistic: It’s worth asking yourself at any stage of the goal-setting process if your goals are relevant and realistic to you, your stage of life, and your lifestyle.

The way to answer those questions and to get to the heart of your goal reasoning is to ask yourself, why. Why do you want to set this goal? Why is this goal important to you?

If your answers have more to do with other people, is it really a goal worth pursuing? For example, if your goal is to learn a new instrument because you want people to be impressed with you, that might not be sustainable motivation.

That could be one reason you want to learn a new instrument, but maybe you also dream of joining a band. Maybe you want to challenge yourself and learn something new.

Those are perfectly good and relevant reasons, but just be clear in your intentions because those will drive you to keep working towards your goal even when it’s challenging.

If you are a student and reading this, you might feel like some of your academic goals are determined by your parents. You might think because other people want you to improve your grades the goal isn’t relevant to you.

If you feel this way, I encourage you to think about how improving your grades might help you achieve your own goals. Do you want to go to a specific college? Do you have a dream job?

You also have the power to determine if the goals are realistic. Maybe your parents want you to be valedictorian, but you know you would be adequately challenged working towards a 3.0 GPA. Talk with your parents and set a realistic goal that will challenge you and allow you to work towards your own dreams.

Timely: The final step in making a SMART goal is setting a time frame in which you can reasonably achieve your goal. Be realistic and honest with yourself about your starting point. Also be realistic and honest about how much time you’re going to spend working towards your goal each day and each week. So let’s make our original goals timely:

  • I want to learn how to play one song on guitar by June 1, 2022. Make sure you also set a reasonable timeline for how often you will practice, and how frequently you’ll meet with a guitar teacher who can help you learn the song.
  • I want to get B’s in my math and science classes in the spring semester. This is a great goal! Again, make sure you are putting in time throughout the semester to achieve this goal. Schedule regular sessions with a tutor early in the semester to start working towards your goal right away.

clock for timing tutoring sessions

Additional Tips to Make Your SMART Goals Stick:

  • Tell someone about your goals: Telling a trusted friend, tutor, coach, teacher, parent, or mentor is important when setting your goals because they can keep you accountable. They can provide motivation when you don’t feel like working towards your goal and remind you why you set your goal in the first place.
  • Evaluate your progress regularly: Use a calendar, journal, or spreadsheet to track your progress. Check in regularly to determine if you will be able to achieve your goal within your set time frame. Your goal and time frame can help you determine how often you assess your progress, which could be every day, once a week, or once a month.
  • Don’t be afraid to adjust your goals: Regular evaluations will help you determine if you’re on track to achieve your goal within your set time frame.
    • If you haven’t been practicing guitar regularly, perhaps you need to set a new completion date. Again, be realistic about your time and also make the necessary adjustments to achieve your goal. Perhaps you need to commit to practicing more often in order to learn the song on guitar. Set new practice times and stick to them.
    • Adjusting your goal is also important if you find you can exceed it or reach it in less time than you thought. Maybe halfway through the semester you realize you’ve gotten A’s on all your math and science exams. Don’t be afraid to change your goal of getting B’s to getting A’s in those classes. Write it down, tell your friend, teacher, or mentor, and track your progress towards that goal the same way as before.
  • Reflect on your goals after you achieve them: After you’ve achieved your goal, celebrate your success and reflect on it! Writing down your thoughts in a journal can be helpful. How did you feel working towards your goal? How did it feel to achieve your goal? If you had to adjust your goal, how did that make you feel? Do you want to expand upon your goal, and use it to set new ones?

Our series continues with how to be more organized and efficient and cultivating a better mindset to achieve success.

Hiring a tutor

With the end of the semester approaching, it seems like the perfect time to get a tutor to help your student study for finals or nail down those challenging concepts. But this isn’t the only time you should consider hiring a tutor. Below are some other times you might want someone to help your student with school work.


At the Beginning of a New Semester

Start off a new term on the right foot by scheduling a tutor right away! This will be particularly important if your student struggled the previous semester or school year and you don’t want them to fall behind. Because teachers will introduce new concepts that build upon previous lessons, a tutor can help reinforce those old concepts and integrate how those relate to what your student is learning in class in real-time.


After a Big Exam

Okay, you’ve had the first big test of the semester and your student gets their grade back. If it’s not what you or your student were expecting, or if your student knows there were concepts they didn’t understand on the test, this is the perfect time to hire a tutor! Discuss with the teacher, or have your student meet with their teacher, to learn which questions they missed. With that information, the tutor can hone in on exactly what areas and concepts to go over with your student. A tutor can also offer test-taking tips, so your student can manage their time effectively and strategically approach exams.


If Your Student Lacks Confidence in a Subject

Is your student scared to read out loud during class? Do they drag their feet doing math homework? Maybe they never participate in Spanish class discussions. These could be signs that they lack confidence in a certain subject, even if they are smart and capable. A tutor can help your student gain confidence by ensuring they understand the basics of a subject. “Usually that’s where I see students struggling with confidence, because they don’t know the basic concepts and they’re afraid to ask for help or feel like it’s too late to learn,” shares Hodis Learning & Music President Drew Hodis. A tutor can break down difficult lessons, explain concepts in new ways, and slow down students so they understand the work they’re doing.


Before an Essay is Due

A tutor can help your student with essay writing at whatever stage they may be at. From brainstorming topics and forming a strong thesis statement, to integrating supporting evidence and constructing paragraphs, a tutor can take your student’s writing to the next level, help them ace their essay and improve their writing skills.

Hiring a tutor under any circumstance can be an important and necessary step to ensure your student feels confident in class and understands concepts. School and learning can feel overwhelming, but having the right tutor can make even the most intimidating or confusing subject material more approachable.

Schedule a session with one of our tutors today!