There is something I have, as of late, particularly noted about our job as tutors that I haven’t explicitly appreciated enough in the past.
The vastly diverse dynamics present between a tutor and each of their students have been something I started actively noticing since the start of the year. Whilst I have in the past subconsciously recognised the nature of specific students with each tutor, the genuinely intriguing yet subtle art of tutor-student trust-building has only struck me since the holiday season let my brain and body reset enough to take note of it.
Every person is unique. That is not something notable or innovative to comment on. However, within this specific field of work, where there is a large intersection between the spheres of pastoral and academic care, the nature of each individual’s personality becomes much more intriguing to observe when contextualised within the setting of education.
A large part of the initial processes of our business is that parents and students remain aware and actively voice their feelings and concerns regarding lessons. A major portion of that is evaluating the meshing of personalities and vibes with the selected tutor. Sometimes a tutor is academically well-fit, but the manner in which they approach problems or their methods of teaching may not best suit the learning style of a student. Other times, it seems like their personalities are entirely compatible, but the content the tutor provides does not suit their gaps in understanding. Cumulatively, these isolated facets of the job combine to create a very delicate game of balance. How much does a student prioritise one over the other, and when or how can one recognise these after only a few lessons?
Ideally, a balance between these has to be maintained in order to maximise the effectiveness of the lessons. But after working this job for almost 2 years, it’s become clear to me that what might be more essential is a tutor’s capacity for flexibility. In my opinion, as much as it may seem otherwise on paper, this field of work is interpersonal first in nature and academically focused as a close second. There can not be any exchange of knowledge if the student does not feel invited to listen; without the connection, there can be no learning.
Toby Bower