Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

Original poster

tutor for a six year old

156 replies

sprout2 · 16/06/2009 21:22

I am looking for a tutor for my six year old son to help with his numeracy, writing and spelling. I have looked for tutors in the past, and have not found them particularly engaging.

I really need someone who will make learning fun, and will in turn build his confidence in the classroom.

I live in Walthamstow, so a tutor living in east or north london would be ideal.

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

bronze · 19/06/2009 13:52

"I can understand why you choose to pay a tutor to read with your child, but the discussion had moved on to hiring tutors to talk and play with their children. "

I stopped doing the school reading scheme with ds1 after half a term as it was so boring. Instead we just read everything else. Labels on jars, road signs, funny poems or anything that took his fancy. End of year 1 and hes reading in school with the yr3s. I would called that talking to and playing rather than straight reading.

Umlellala · 19/06/2009 14:02

'Paying someone to talk and play'

Nope, paying someone to assess their child, come up with a few strategies - some traditional teaching techniques, some games, some innovative methods (yes, play - a loose term to describe experimentation etc) to build confidence and get over the fear of learning some children have. Really, Feenie, if you read my posts, there isn't very much that's controversial, apart from not being a textbook teacher.

The automatic assumption was from Seeker's post and a couple of others. But you seem to refuse to accept that there are ordinary parents out there who do seek out a tutor (and it's more couldn't IME) because they really don't know how to help their child enjoy school - and then are prepared to accept professional advice regarding literacy games, playing, relaxing etc. There are - I have worked with them! I find the attitude you have very defeatist and exactly what makes me pissed off. Why do you assume that they wouldn't be interested in their child's education? Some parents are, of course, not interested, but many who live in low socio-economic areas would love their children to achieve something they didn't have the opportunity to, and want to do everything they can to help.

Feenie · 19/06/2009 16:00

I haven't assumed that anyone wouldn't be interested in their child's education, I have merely suggested that, in my wide experience, the parents who are not interested in talking or playing to their children are unlikely to be the same ones who would pay for it.

Hardly a shocking or contraversial viewpoint, simply one arrived at using experience and common sense. Nor is it defeatist.
I wonder why you are so defensive? I didn't refer to your advice on literacy games or traditional teaching techniques, I said that I thought it was unnecessary to pay someone to play or talk to your child, and that I found it genuinely upsetting that people thought theuy should.

Now YOU are starting to piss ME off.

Feenie · 19/06/2009 16:01

controversial

maggiethecat · 19/06/2009 18:40

I hardly think that people are paying good money (as I understand it to be) to play and talk in the normal use of the word. I expect that they are paying to achieve a desired objective in relation to the child's educational development and the means to this end is through play and talk in the loose sense of the word.

I certainly have nothing to be defensive of - I am neither a supplier nor consumer of the service in question. But I do consider myself to be open minded enough to acccept that this may be another avenue to help certain children to learn.

Welshwoman · 19/06/2009 18:57

Maggiethe cat - spot on

RockinSockBunnies · 19/06/2009 19:07

I've just seen this thread. There are many reasons a parent would pay a tutor to help their DCs. For me, I am very impatient and thus fairly useless when helping DD with homework of any sort for example since I end up being exasperated very quickly when she can't grasp something I consider to be obvious. Which is a problem for both of us. Thus, I'd far rather outsource that kind of thing to a tutor who is patient, tolerant and can help DD.

Furthermore, children may often react better to a stranger helping them than their parents. I know that would be the case for DD.

Anyway, if anyone knows of a 'fun' 1-2-1 maths tutor in NW5/N19 area I'd be grateful! (Apologies for hijack!)

seeker · 19/06/2009 19:19

As I said - another thing for mothers to feel guilty about. NT 6 year olds do not need tutors for ANYTHING.

piscesmoon · 19/06/2009 19:37

I don't think that a parent needs advice on how to play with them either! Ask the DC what they want to do!

Welshwoman · 19/06/2009 20:10

''As I said - another thing for mothers to feel guilty about. NT 6 year olds do not need tutors for ANYTHING. '' -

In your opinion,or do you know everything about every NT 6 year old and their family? or even some evidance based reason to say this?

Pomposity is one thing, omniscience is another lol

giantcucumber · 19/06/2009 20:11

even playing the piano seeker?

Welshwoman · 19/06/2009 20:17

And who the hell feel?s guilty, you because you don?t or what - not one of us who says we have a tutor say we feel guilty mostly just that we are doing it for a very specific reason ?????

I can play with my children I just can?t teach my son to read - what?s to feel guilty about ?

trickerg · 19/06/2009 20:20

It's all a bit nit-picky here, isn't it?

Personally I can't understand the fascination of trying to get your child to GCSE level by the time they're 10.

And don't children know automatically how to play with each other? Why do you have to teach adults how to play with them? Adults aren't really on the same wavelength, are they? No-one ever read The Little Prince?

trickerg · 19/06/2009 20:21

It's all a bit nit-picky here, isn't it?

Personally I can't understand the fascination of trying to get your child to GCSE level by the time they're 10.

seeker · 19/06/2009 20:23

But you're not supposed to be teaching your child to read - you're supposed to be reading with your child to support the school teaching him to read.

Oh, OK, I give you the piano. That's a teacher, though, not a tutor.

What I meant by the guilt thing is that if people start thinking that they need a tutor to help their child play then it's going to be impossible not to think "Oh, help, am I letting my child down by not having a play tutor too?"

Umlellala · 19/06/2009 20:29

I'm guessing you've not actually read my posts? I agree the vast majority of 6 year olds don't need a tutor. Nobody has actually mentioned being a play tutor or employed a play tutor? It's not really about learning to play. I am a teacher. It's about using play and other techni... oh forget it.

The Daily Mail will be doing one of their outraged non-articles soon - Outrageous! Tutors Who Charge To Play With Your Child.

Welshwoman · 19/06/2009 20:31

Nobody who has a tutor has said they are getting a tutor to ??play?? with their kids - yes someone to teach their child through the medium of play but that?s a different thing unless you wilfully chose to believe otherwise - or are too thick to understand the difference.

I will repeat - the school have tried to teach my child to read for 2 years with limited success - in a month things that I have chosen as a parent have made a huge difference - who the HELL are you to tell me what to do with my child

I very rarely swear but patronising cow is welling to my lips every time I read your posts

?? As I say?? for goodness sake get over yourself!

Umlellala · 19/06/2009 20:32

(cross-posts Welshwoman - btw am relieved it's not just me going mad here)

Welshwoman · 19/06/2009 20:38

And please donnt't tell me what I'm supposed to do !

trickerg · 19/06/2009 20:39

OK - learning through play. I don't see how an adult/child 'playing' session could be as useful as one at school with a lot of other children. It's this 1:1 drama and role-play idea I find a bit odd. What do you actually teach them Uma? You haven't really been very specific.

Welshwoman · 19/06/2009 20:41

Umlellala lol - takes me ages to type when I?m cross lol my dyslexia goes into overdrive and the spell check starts groaning

EffiePerine · 19/06/2009 20:42

Maybe we ought to ditch the 'tutor' label here? I shuddered at the idea of getting a tutor for a 6yo but what is actually being discussed here is extra help for a parent and a child who is struggling, not unusual (sadly) in an inner-city school with (I would guess) a pretty diverse intake and lots of issues for the teacher to be tackling. Yes ideally the teacher/school should be doing this but maybe they just CAN'T. Funding and time only goes so far. Good on the OP for considering other options for giving her son a boost, I say.

Umlellala · 19/06/2009 20:50

I don't really know what you mean? I work out what they need to learn and teach them it. If sentence structure was difficult, and they were reluctant writers, I might do a one-word story (drama-type game) then write it down (them or me). We might do some breathing stuff to teach full-stops... Or maybe some sentence expansion work with props. Not going to plan an imaginary lesson here

It really depends what they enjoy doing. I said before, I use 'play' in terms of experimentation - getting things wrong as well as right. If you read my posts, I am more about building confidence with individual tutoring - I would not do the maths tutoring above for example.

seeker · 19/06/2009 20:51

Welshwoman - I wasn't actually directing any of my remarks to you til you said the thing about not being able to teach your child to read, when I pointed out that it's not a parent's job actually to teach a child to read, it's the school's - with the parent's support. Not sure what I've done to infuriate you so much - bit taken aback at the "patronizing cow" to be honest.

It usually takes at least two years to learn to read, by the way - some children take longer.

Welshwoman · 19/06/2009 20:53

It?s not a play session, teaching through play s a phrase the ??new foundation phase ?? teachers to use describe a more relaxed and less ??worksheet?? based type of teaching - more games and practical activities than the old chalk and talk method - a bit more child lead.

The tutor my son has uses a lot of dinosaur and bird based activities - which ??engage?? him -

His current school year is very girl dominated (only 3 boys in year group) and whist doing a building topics they have renovated a dolls house - he was not engaged - the boys got in trouble for painting their room black lol His year teacher is fab and she has tried hard with him but the class dynamics just do not work for my very physical, bright but quite shy boy

I think the year 3 teacher next year will probably suit him better as she is very much in to PE and Maths - I hope he will thrive and I hope he will not need a tutor - If he does then he will have one

I do not want him to do GCSE?s at 10 but I do what him to fulfil his potential - so bite me

Flip

1 2 3 4 5 6 7