22nd May 2013 9:00
By Blue Tutors
We all know of the phenomenon of helicopter parents. These are the people whose children are hot-housed, monitored and molly-coddled. They often have a strict-schedule, their homework is monitored and they are pushed to perform at the top of the class for all their studies. Up to a point of course, taking an interest in one’s child’s progress is essential to their educational achievement. But it is all too easy to suffocate children with pressure and monitoring, and ruin their interest in their studies.
The ‘helicopter’ approach is not just prevalent amongst parents; private tutors can get swept along in the process. One-to-one tutoring is intensive, and naturally many tutors will become very invested in their student’s progress. Like the students’ parents, tutors will want to see that the student is improving, and will keep track of school and homework. This again can be productive, but, especially when helicopter parents are also in the picture, tutors can unwittingly contribute to the pressure that their students are facing.
Private tutors are often more invested in their students’ progress than school teachers, because they see the student and the family regularly and want the best for them. In other cases, some tutors, especially those lacking experience, may find that they bow to the pressure of helicopter parents and push and monitor a student too closely. It is therefore important for tutors to remain objective during their work with their students, and ensure that they encourage rather than suffocate them during their studies.