Tisha Richardson

Good day!

One of the first things I do when I meet a new students is attempt to build a rapport with them. Where can we bond - and not just as student/tutor, but as human beings?

Second, I build rituals/routines that we will use with each and every tutoring session. Knowing what comes first, second, third, etc. makes tutoring less stressful for everybody. We also have the opportunity to build fun activities and games in our sessions even as we focus on difficult and/or new tasks. So, ideally, here is how my typical tutoring session looks:

After greeting my students and (briefly) discussing their day, I like to jump right into work. We begin with a brief review of our last session. Secondly, we focus on the day's assignment/topic of discussion. This can mean, completing assignments, playing relevant games, reading, or even conversations on the day's topic. How we focus on the day's concept is something that I try to build with my students. Finally, the tutoring sessions ends with with a brief review of the day's work. Sometimes, we even preview what we'll be doing the following week.

While focused, my sessions are, generally speaking, low-keyed, stress-free, friendly, and welcoming.

More than this, I like for my students to understand that our sessions are practice sessions. It's a place where they can be wrong, fall flat on their face, and make mistakes. They aren't judged during our sessions. So, make all of the mistakes necessary to learn as much as you possibly can.