How to choose a middle school English tutor
Why English tutoring is a game-changer for middle school kids, the types of tutoring you can get, and how to find the right tutor for your child's needs.
Finding an effective middle school English tutor for your child is a unique opportunity. Why?
Because middle school is a defining time as your child becomes more independent and finds their own voice. As a parent, watching your child find their place in the world in their swiftly-changing body can be a magical time, despite the challenges along the way.
So when it comes to learning, you might wonder if your child could benefit from 1-on-1 or group tutoring. The good news is that middle school tutoring benefits all learners, whether your child is experiencing challenges or is on an accelerated learning path.
Parenting a young teen brings plenty of questions along the way. If you’re considering English tutoring, this guide will dive in and explore the benefits of English tutoring for middle school learners, the types of tutoring available, and how to find the right English tutor for your child.
How do you know if your child needs a middle school English tutor?
Parents seek out middle school English tutors for many reasons. Whether your child is homeschooled or attends a traditional school, an English tutor can help them reach their full potential. Here are a few reasons a parent might begin searching for an English tutor.
You want help with specific skill practice
Speaking of targeted learning, the beauty of a 1-on-1 tutor means your kid can receive customized instruction in the learning skills they need most.
A tutor can use recent assessments, parent and child surveys, and practice activities to determine the areas your child may struggle with and focus instruction with those goals in mind.
You want to combat learning loss or deficits
Your child might be facing learning loss for many reasons including seasonal shifts, stress, or even long-term effects from the pandemic. For example, the summer slide refers to a well-documented learning loss of up to two months, especially in math and reading. This learning loss can snowball year over year, potentially creating significant learning deficits over time.
However, you can offset these ‘slides’ with the right learning plan in place. For example, an English tutor can help your middle schooler retain learning over the summer and promote growth in problem areas through targeted learning.
You want to help your kids build confidence
Many children struggle with confidence during this time. Your child may assess on-level for most English skills but still experience apprehension when working on certain tasks. As a few examples, many students feel worried about creating longer writing assignments or reading out loud. Research demonstrates that tutoring promotes higher self-esteem and a positive attitude towards schooling.
You want to challenge your advanced or gifted child
If your child could benefit from advanced learning, a tutor can provide challenging learning experiences they may not receive in traditional school, keeping your learner engaged. In English, a tutor can introduce advanced literature and begin working on higher-level English conventions to understand more difficult texts.
You want to supplement your homeschooling
Homeschool families often benefit from outsourcing learning and tutoring to expose children to different teaching styles and increase independence. English tutoring compliments and reinforces homeschool English class concepts.
How can an English tutor help my middle school child?
Research shows that 1-on-1 or small group tutoring is one of the most effective teaching strategies. The Brown Center Chalkboard reports that 80% of all tutoring programs studied demonstrated statistically significant learning gains.
On average, students jump multiple learning percentile levels through consistent tutoring, meaning you can rest assured your investment in tutoring will pay off.
Tutoring's high performance stems from many factors, including:
The ability to customize learning topics to address problem areas
The tutor can adapt content regularly as students progress
A positive relationship with the tutor and individual attention increases motivation and confidence
The bottom line: whether your child is struggling with English skills or you want to be proactive in avoiding learning loss, a tutor can help you and your child reach your learning goals.
What core skills can a middle school English tutor provide?
Middle school English covers a lot of ground in skill sets. A tutor can help your child with these English skills:
English tutors help build writing skills
At the middle school level, your child should be able to compose essays with well-defined thesis statements and supporting details. They should understand the difference between types of writing, such as persuasive and expository writing, and be able to develop each type.
A writing tutor can help your child learn to organize their thoughts to effectively communicate – a skill that will benefit them for life.
English tutors build reading and literature engagement
Some middle school readers may need help with reading fluency and comprehension challenges. A tutor can help address those deficits. As middle school progresses, Language Arts reading materials increase in difficulty and introduce more abstract concepts, which can compound reading challenges.
Reading tutoring focused on comprehension skills, and vocabulary can help children navigate on-level literature.
They can even help your kids love poetry
Although elementary school introduces basic poetry skills, middle school students learn more advanced poetry conventions. Many students find that poetry does not come naturally and need extra practice with this specific type of literature.
Overall, a tutor can help in any area of English that a child may need a little extra help with and can partner with you to determine where your child needs help the most.
What to look for in a middle school English tutor
Finding a tutor for your child can be overwhelming, but starting your search with a few key ideas in mind can help. Consider the following metrics when selecting a tutor and online classes for your student.
What qualifications and experience should a middle school English tutor have?
Research a potential tutor’s qualifications to help you select the right fit. A great tutor will have knowledge, strategies, suggestions, and applicable experience. Many tutors are current teachers or taught professionally previously. This expertise provides an excellent background to be sure your child will receive a great tutoring experience.
On Outschool, each teacher provides a written and video bio to share their teaching experience, qualifications, and teaching style, so you can feel informed in selecting the right fit for your child.
What skills or content does a middle school English specialize in?
Some teachers specialize in tutoring certain subjects, such as writing. When your child needs improvement with a specific skill, finding a teacher who specializes in that topic can set your child up for major learning gains.
Tutors and online classes can also provide excellent curriculum support, especially for homeschoolers using certain curricula or learning programs. Online middle school English classes can help fill in any curriculum gaps or provide additional practice for your learner.
What are the middle school English ratings?
Ratings and reviews can be a great place to help decide between tutor options. On each tutor’s bio page on Outschool, you can access a rating average and read individual parent reviews. Knowledge is power, and on Outschool, you can feel empowered as you select a tutor for your child.
Whether you’re looking for a tutor to challenge your advanced learner, need help with learning deficits, or want to supplement your homeschool curriculum, Outschool has a tutor for you.
Each vetted tutor has transparent parent ratings, a detailed qualification and experience bio, and clear, easy-to-follow schedules to simplify your tutoring journey.
Whether you’d like to explore reading and writing classes or 1-on-1 middle school English tutoring, find your next tutor on Outschool today and set learning free.
