How to be a good tutor?

Tutors are special people. They need not be intellectually bright but they must know what it feels like not to understand. They must be creative, able to explain a concept by using stories, drawings, analogies, or metaphors. Tutors must be affirming people, and humble, and patient.

It is not necessary to be an A student to be a good tutor. But it is necessary to like people. It is also necessary to listen. Tutoring is not so much an act of sharing information as it is a process of empowering. The focus is primarily on helping people learn how to learn. Sometimes this means teaching them to take smaller bites of information, and sometimes it means reformatting content so that it is more meaningful to the person learning it. But whatever strategy is required, the goal is always get your student to understand something.

Some Characteristics of a Good Tutor
Intelligence alone does not result in successful tutoring. More important is what kind of person you are.

Positive outlook: belief that circumstances can be changed through actions.

Desire to help others: willingness to get involved with people.

Reliability: punctual, steady, dependable.

Enthusiasm: liking for the subject matter.

Open mind: willingness to accept other points of view.

Initiative: ability to see what needs to be done and do it.

Even disposition: patience, gentleness, understanding, fairness.

Empathy: ability to feel what another person is feeling


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