Choosing the best teacher for my child!
Obviously the story is not completely true. Unfortunately it’s not completely false either. Today if you pick a random student studying in 9th standard (up to 12th standard) from a school, it’s almost a certainty that he or she will be going to the tuition for at least one subject. At the same time, it’s also a certainty that he or she must not be going to tuition for at least one subject. Students of science stream attend tuition more often.
Tuition is not bad. Too many tuition classes are certainly bad. There are several good reasons for attending tuition classes. A good coach accelerates the learning of a student. Tuition classes bring regularity to student’s studies as they are mostly running as per student’s demand. Tuition classes help students learn in a more organized and structured way. Sometimes schools give unequal attention to different topics. Tuition classes help students understand those topics better where school did not spend enough time.
Anyway, some of the most common questions in parents’ mind regarding tuition are:
Should I send my child to an institute, coaching or to an individual teacher, say some freelancer?
Should I send my child to a big coaching or a small one?
What does one-to-one classes mean?
Do students work better in groups or individually?
Why is studying in groups better?
What are the disadvantages of group study?
Should I put my child in group class or one to one class?
What are the 5 most important characteristics of a teacher?
Who is the best teacher?
Are strict teachers good?
Which city is best for IIT / IB coaching?
…… and so forth.
As of now, we will only discuss the answers to the question relating to selection of the best teacher for a child. It is important to note that a teacher who is best for a given student may not be the best for another. For example, some teachers are really good at taking students from ‘D’ grade to ‘B’ grade. They are the best for those students who are struggling to survive. On the other hand, some teachers are skilled in taking students from ‘B’ grade to ‘A*’ (or AA or whatever). They are the best for those students who are stuck in ‘B’ or ‘A’ grade and not able to move ahead. They work hard, they know almost everything yet somehow their grade is stuck. Some students are shy and they don’t fit into group classes. Some students are very extroverted and social, they find one to one classes very boring.
Should I send my child to an institute or to an individual teacher? Let’s discuss. Individual teachers, especially part time tutors have some common issues e.g. they are not very professional, they don’t have their own study material, they don’t run regular assessment sessions, if they discontinue, parents have to start the search for a new tutor from scratch. Advantages of an individual tutor are quite obvious. Typically they are less expensive, more approachable and they can completely customize the classes as per the requirements of the student. Of course our assumption here is that the individual tutor is competent and capable.
What’s the harm if I send my child to a well established national/global level coaching institute? Let’s discuss. They are mostly professional. Their program is highly structured and organized. Their study material is very good and highly refined. The mock tests conducted by them are written by thousands of the students, so you get to know where your child stands at national/global level. Everything seems good unless you closely experience the program. There is an extreme dark side of sending a child to a well established national level coaching institute. The fundamental problem is that big institutes can’t customize their program for a single student. No matter how good their program is, it is a standard, fixed and rigid program. A student who is intelligent enough can fit into that program, take the full advantage of it and can actually do wonders. However, in more than 90% cases it does not happen. In most of the cases, students can’t run with the program. Sooner or later, they start lagging and eventually end up in a vicious cycle where the program is running well ahead of the student's own schedule. Some students try to catch up but in vain. By the time parents come to know about it, it’s too late to go back and fix the issue. In fact in many cases, students give up, have a mental breakdown, lose interest or simply let it go as it is.
A balanced approach is sending your child to a small institute. Small institutes are considerably professional. Their programs are not structured like big institutes yet it is far better organized as compared to the classes taken by an individual teacher. The biggest advantage of going to a small institute is that they are able to customize their program for anyone at any time. Usually small institutes are run by the founder himself or herself, so the quality of education is intact. In case of big institutes, quality gets diluted as more and more branches are opened. Bangalore Gurukul (http://bangaloregurukul.com/) and Onlinetutor4all (https://onlinetutor4all.com/) are examples of such institutes. When you want to choose the best teacher or tutor for your child, then you should choose the best of such institutes. Once you approach them, they can provide you with the most suitable tutor for your child.
Choosing the best teacher for your child is not less important than choosing the best girl for his marriage later. If the former goes wrong, academic and perhaps professional growth of the child is spoiled, however the impact is rather slow and it’s visible after a few years. However the impact is very deep and irreversible. If the latter goes wrong, personal life is spoiled. The impact is immediate and deep again. However, you can get divorce and remarry. One of the most common mistakes by parents is that they don’t see and realize the importance of good institutes and teachers as there is no immediate big impact. The parents must be prudent in this matter and they must have a long term view. Sometimes, good teachers may be expensive, however unique and irreplaceable. The parents must not just consider the economical aspect of education as far as it’s affordable. Afterall, a well educated successful child is the best return of a parents’ investment.