Education is something that can change the direction, outcome, and path of students for years to come. It is one of the most integral parts of building ones’ character as well as helping define and shape who they are. It is important to understand what makes a great educational system and the primary factor is the educator themselves. As technology develops, curriculums change and many other variables effect the learning of students, it’s always important to understand the emphasis of learning should always be on the educator themselves.
So what makes a great educator? Everyone can think back to when they were in school and had many great teachers, as well as many poor teachers. At Peak Tutoring we always focus on three qualities when hiring our tutors: Knowledge, Personality, and Passion. These qualities are the three most important qualities to look for in educators and tutors.
Knowledge
If a tutor isn’t knowledgeable of a subject how are they to then transfer that knowledge to someone else? Being knowledgeable in the subject is extremely important as it allows a tutor or educator to dig deeper into the concepts. Tutors who are knowledgeable about the subject can show the correlation between one concept to another concept and then highlight how the concepts are useful in real life applications. Students will be more attentive to a tutor who is knowledgeable as they feel they can learn much from them. Students are smart and can quickly decipher whether someone knows the material or doesn't.
Personality
This is one of the most important qualities within a great tutor and educator. Think back to in school and all the teachers you’ve had…do you remember any? Most likely the teachers you remember are the great ones and the poor ones. The great ones are the teachers who you remember would jump on desks to explain coordinate geometry and different quadrants, they would make jokes that would engage students and you would think they were being “cool”, they are the educators who are able to able to relate to students and get them excited about learning and interested in learning. At Peak Tutoring this is the most important quality we look for when hiring our tutors. Tutors aren’t there just to teach someone something, but they are there to inspire someone. They can get students excited and interested in a concept by adapting their personality to best suit the students’ personality and tailor their teaching specifically to that student.
Passion
Remember that teacher that would stay late after class and help you with any questions you may have? Or the teacher who would create extra study sessions for students when they aren’t understanding a chapter or unit? Passion of an educator and the passion to help people is extremely important, our tutors' tutor because they love helping people and helping students realize and attain their dreams and goals that may not have been attainable before.
These are just three qualities we believe that makes a great tutor or teacher (there are many others). These are also the three qualities we primarily look for when we are hiring our tutors at Peak Tutoring. Hiring a great tutor is one of the first steps to providing a great fulfilling learning experience for students and begin changing someones life.
Be sure to check out next weeks blog post on: Why Learning Centers Struggle