When parents ask how their child is progressing, their first instinct is usually to look at grades. It makes sense, marks feel measurable, concrete and reassuring. But tutors often notice something even more important happening long before the grades change, a shift in confidence.

Confidence is the quiet foundation that academic success sits on. Without it, even the most capable student hesitates. They second guess themselves, avoid risk and panic when faced with something unfamiliar. But when confidence starts to grow even slightly, everything else follows.

It might look like a students attempting a harder question instead of skipping it. It might be the moment they stop saying, “I’m bad at this” and start saying, “Let me try”. It might be the courage to answer out loud, write more badly or share an interpretation in English class. These small behavioural changes are often the first sign that tutoring is working.

The truth is, grades are a lagging indicator, they improve last. Confidence is the leading indicator, it improves first. A student usually understands far more than they believe they do and tutoring helps bridge that gap between ability and self-belief.

When tutors celebrate effort, highlight strengths and show students that making mistakes is normal, the student begins to relax. A relaxed brain learns better, remembers more and tackles challenges with more resilience. Slowly, confidence snowballs into better focus, better questions and better performance.

Then, eventually sometimes weeks, sometimes a couple of months the grades catch up.

Parents often worry when they don’t see immediate jumps in marks, but confidence is the progress happening behind the scenes and once that foundation is sturdy, academic improvement becomes far more sustainable.

Tutoring isn’t just about teaching content. It’s about nurturing the self-belief students need to use that content well.

When confidence grows, everything else grows with it.

Isabella Naumovski