With my tutoring business, I’ve worked with folks of, quite literally, all ages. The youngest person I have worked with was seven, and the oldest, believe it or not, was in his mid-60s.
Generally speaking, though, I work with students, and most of the ones I assist are in university. As of late, however, I am working with an individual in elementary school, and because this person is quite a bit younger than university students, I have had to come up with a few tactics to rely on to ensure I have their attention and respect.
As most of us are aware, kids are unique in the sense that they often tell you exactly what they’re thinking, and they don’t tend to sugarcoat it. With that, they often make their emotions quite apparent, and when things start to derail, it can be tricky trying to get the child in question back into the saddle and focusing on whatever material they’re working on.
One of the most effective tricks I’ve come to learn while working with kids is to respect them. If you give a child the impression they’re inferior to you in any capacity, chances are they’re not going to respond well to anything you ask of them. I try my best to establish even ground between the two of us to avoid any resistance to authority, if you know what I’m getting at. Talk to them like they’re a human, as opposed to talking to them like they’re a child, and see the change that occurs.
Another great trick for keeping their attention is to somehow loop a passion of theirs, or something they’re interested in, into the material you’re working with. As an example, if you’re assisting a child with English and you are aware that this child enjoys basketball, encourage them to incorporate basketball into what they’re writing. If the topic is something they care about, or one that interests them, you’re going to be met with far less resistance.
Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash
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