QuestRead

Tutors are the ER doctors of education. They’re often the difference between success and failure for many at-risk students, yet their work goes unnoticed, even though 30% of students use a tutor. So, here are a few thoughts on what it’s like to tutor. For the past few months, I’ve been talking to tutors and thinking about how to make their jobs easier. Unless you’ve spent time doing one-on-one tutoring, you might not realize how important and difficult it can be. Throughout my time as an educator, I’ve tutored children with significant reading delays and dyslexia, as well as ADHD, English learners, and adults. I met students in libraries, homes, schools, and virtually. It was rewarding to see their progress from session to session. I loved getting to know their needs and teaching them the skills to succeed. But tutoring was also some of the most exhausting work I’ve done! When done right, tutoring is a ton of work — much of it unseen. Here’s a look behind the curtain at what it takes to be effective. In the first meeting, tutors balance two competing priorities. First, they need to win the student over by being kind and funny to build a trusting relationship. Second, they need to quickly assess the student’s academic needs and learning style. This balance is tricky. You need to be likable and light-hearted, but also play detective without stressing the student. If they have focus or learning issues, they probably don’t want to be there. So they wiggle, fidget, and look for excuses to leave. You’re ignoring that and trying to help them! Oh joy! As tough as that first meeting can be, usually you and the student figure each other out. Before each session, the tutor spends at least 30 minutes preparing materials and reviewing progress. They assess what worked last time and make a plan for this session. If they know the student’s interests, they can tailor content around that. If not, they may end up writing their own material! The point is, effective tutors use every tool to reach their students. Their job is tough, their students may not want to see them, and parents may not notice them either. But it matters. One-on-one tutoring is still the most effective reading intervention. I’m proud of my years tutoring and grateful for the amazing tutors out there doing this work. #tutor #edtech #readingintervention #spotlightontutors #education #startup #educator

This topic gets me riled up, so I'll try to use my "nice words" here. As if parents didn't have enough on their plate, many of us now need to start teaching our children how to read in the evenings and weekends - AFTER those children have spent the entire day at school. If you've ever attempted to teach a child something in the post-school hours, you'll understand how frustrating that can be. And if you've ever spent an entire day working, cooking and cleaning up dinner, and running kids around to sporting events, you also know that parents don't have time to do this. Why are we in this situation, you might ask? Well, for many years, we elementary teachers were taught to teach reading in a way that was ineffective and harmful to children. We taught them to guess words based on the first letter, context, and pictures. We spent more time creating reading experiences for them, and less time explicitly teaching them how to sound out unfamiliar words. Then to make matters worse, we had a pandemic and children stopped reading altogether. As a start-up founder, a mom of 3, a former elementary teacher, and a reading specialist, this problem keeps me motivated every day. As educators and school leaders, we must do better. As parents, we must demand that our children receive evidence-based reading instruction. And as QuestRead's CEO, you can bet that I'm building the QuestRead app on research, and focusing on giving our children exactly what they need to reach their goals. #angrymom #family #righttoread #soldastory #evidencebased #edtech #literacyforall