The World of Tutoring: Sylvan Learning Center and Beyond

Without a doubt, Technology and Education are moving fast. Since we are beginning a new year, I thought it timely that we should reflect upon how the field of Education is undergoing some substantial paradigm shifts as well.
26 years ago when I graduated from high school, if you needed help on your Math, for instance, you still had the option of meeting the teacher during a prep period or after school without a "teacher contract violation".
Today, the student has way more options to get that help than ever before.

Sure, he may still have the option of getting direct help from the teacher, but now it is much more structured.
Some schools has Saturday Study, while other schools require students to come to the Success Centers, and receive help from a pair of teachers.
Either way, the 1:1 Madeline Hunter form of Direct Instruction has been eliminated.

If the Success Center option or Peer Tutoring isn't the best option for a student, he may look to outside resources for help.

Sylvan Learning Center, with its many branches and dominating search engine tactics, is an option for those more affluent students who don't need to worry where the money is coming from.

The fact that the student's parents are required to sign a large dollar amount contract doesn't seem to phase some kids.

Some may even see it as a status symbol.

So be it.

So where does that leave the time-constrained, working class parent to get help for their child's studies? Many choose private tutors, but there are some disadvantages here, too.
Private tutors move around alot, and often are not accessible.
Online tutoring seems to be the new method of educational assistance.

The benefits are convenience and cost.

Yet, there are drawbacks as well.
Do you know how qualified the person is behind the computer screen? Could attachments that the tutor uses actually, unknowingly, be viruses.

Finally, the 1:1 rapport between student and instructor is gone when the miles are many.

The human touch, as it were, has greater benefits than one might readily imagine.
The home tutor is the one option not considered by many, but how beneficial! Think about it.
The tutor is certified in the area she is tutoring in.

The affordability is definitely there as home tutors do not require contracts, and customers pay hourly.
Finally, the issue of transportation has been eliminated.
The home tutor will come right to your doorstep.

In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Mr.
Tutor Mobile Tutoring Service is one such home tutoring option, but nationally there are many more.

So next time you need a tutor, consider thinking "outside the box" and hiring a home tutor.