Helping a student feel confident can make a bigger difference than any worksheet, lesson plan, or explanation. As a tutor, you could teach everything perfectly and according to the book, but if a student doesn’t feel safe to try, ask questions or make mistakes it just won’t stick. I’ve found that building confidence in your students starts with building a bond. Improvements in their work will follow.

When your student trusts you, they’re not scared to say they don’t get it or ask if they could try again. They’re willing to take risks because they know you’re on their side, not waiting to judge them.I once worked with a younger student who avoided reading aloud because she thought everyone would laugh at her mistakes. So before focusing on reading skills, we worked on comfort. We talked about her favourite books and I let her choose passages she liked. Slowly, she stopped apologising for stumbling over words and started laughing about them and trying again. By the end of the term, not only had her reading improved a lot, she was a lot more confident to make those crucial mistakes and try again.

This is why fostering bonds matters. Students don’t just need instructions or a toneless explanation of the concept. They first and foremost need encouragement and someone who believes in them even when they’re unsure. When students get through something tough and realise they actually can do it their whole mindset changes. I’m sure many tutors have seen the lightbulb moment their student has had. So, as tutors, it’s very important that we show confidence in them, make it an easy environment for them to make mistakes and learn from them without judgment. Once they start trusting themselves, you will see improvement in their work.

Annaliese Lakis