Books That Will Help You Become A Tutor

We are now experiencing what many would call the “gig economy.” Due to the rapid technologization of every field, many new jobs are being created.

Suddenly, people can work with others who are tens of thousands of miles away. Skills that did not even exist a few decades ago are now very sought-after.

You can use gigs to fill in some blanks in your checkbook by working part-time or full-time jobs. So, is paper help legit? Is Uber legit? Is Upwork.com legit?

The answer is yes, and they are indicative of where the future economy is heading.

This brings us to our current topic, tutoring. Tutoring was and is one of the oldest gigs that you can pursue. Similar to the others, you can choose tutoring as a side-job or as a full-time career. In fact, before there was mass education, only noblemen and members of the clergy could afford to pay for a tutor.

A helping hand

Tutoring is a great job, but it is more complex than just knowing what must be taught. You must know how to teach someone. It will not be an easy journey, but the thought of being able to help someone will make it worthwhile.

You have to be able to manage students of different personality types and temperaments. Also, there can be a wild difference in ability and memorization capability.

The best path forward, before you can teach others, is to start learning for yourself. There are many useful books on tutoring available, and the following article will detail some of them.

So why these books in particular? Well, they were selected asking one question: “If I read only this single book about tutoring, would it be enough?”

A book, especially a “how-to” book, must be self-contained and offer sufficient information.

1. Tutoring as a Successful Business: An Expert Tutor Shows You How

As is the case with any profession, tutoring can be learned best when consulting an expert. Eileen Shapiro is one of those people who successfully developed her tutoring skills to the point that she can be considered an expert.

Moreover, she managed to write a successful book that can act as a tutorial for novices. In “Tutoring as a Successful Business,” the author walks you through the process as you learn to work with all sorts of students, be they young or older, astute or slower to learn.

The books also let you peer into the business aspect of this profession, explaining how to set up and conduct lessons from home.

Eileen Shapiro has a knack for understanding students and explaining how to customize your methods for each of them. Several teaching styles are presented, in addition to the required paperwork for starting, such as business.

The book’s only flaw is one of omission, given that it lacks substantial advice regarding e-learning or more modern methods.

2. Becoming a Better Tutor: A Data-Driven Approach to Tutoring

This book not only teaches you how to tutor, but it also answers the question of whether you should become a tutor or not.

It is written by Alicia Holland-Johnson, another expert tutor that runs an exemplary business in the field. The book is surprisingly insightful, guiding you through the process of planning each lesson.

As is the case with any valuable tutoring advice, Becoming a Better Tutor helps you to customize your lessons for the needs of every student. One-on-one instruction and advice are far less standardized than classroom education.

Finally, you will be presented with multiple teaching methods and strategies that you can keep as arrows in your quiver.

3. Tutoring adolescent literacy learners

Literacy issues are not as common as they once were, but they remain a problem to this day. It can be the case that the student is a recent immigrant or is faced with a neurological condition such as dyslexia.

Regardless of the cause, some children ages 12-18 will need special care to overcome this issue.

The book has a logical progression, first guiding you through the assessment process.

No two students will ever be the same, so you must spend your time figuring out where each of them stands. After, Tutoring adolescent literacy learners, explains how you can handle each weakness and use the student’s personal interests in the lesson’s favor.

The book also offers some insight from 20 other expert tutors. Most readers appreciate the end FAQ chapter, as it covers most of the questions asked by novice teachers.

Overall, this book is in a league of its own. It covers a particular category of students that many people overlook. Being able to deal with these issues will expand your resume and increase your chances of finding employment.

Conclusion

Tutoring is one of the most influential and rewarding forms of teaching. Mass education aims to serve as many people as possible. This results in a necessity to appeal to the lowest common denominator.

A tutor best serves the child because the tutor can focus on his/her specific needs and problems. Also, tutoring is a very profitable venture that can often mold itself around your schedule.

These books will help you on your journey, and each of them is worth reading.