how to ensure my child's safety with face-to-face tutoring?
Education is wearing a new hat in today’s school environment. It’s homeschooling, and face to face tutoring, that is catering for educational needs in many parts of the world. Homeschooling puts an enormous amount of pressure on parents. Deciding on a tutor at home will help with the teaching and learning side of schooling, but what about safety issues?
One of the best ways to diagnose a problem with children and their education is to look at three essential elements.
- Physical
- Mental
- Emotional
Think about what needs to be covered to ensure safety in those three areas.
Physical
In terms of the physical safety of your child, there needs to be an understanding of health regulations. You want to be able to answer the questions everyone is asking about health and safety. Bringing someone into your home is a risk unless they comply with the protocol in place for protection against COVID 19. This involves social distancing, hand sanitising and possibly wearing a mask.
Meeting and greeting gestures have changed, you will need to teach your child how to elbow bump or bow politely or greet without the traditional handshake.
Sitting at the designated learning space will need to meet with some changes. Getting too close and personal with your tutor is not wise. Keeping a distance and not sharing stationery helps to keep your child safe from any added contact.
Make sure you have set up a safe, uncluttered learning zone in your home. Decide if you want to be present during the lessons or just sit within listening distance while the lessons are in progress. Generally, children do better when their parents are behind the scenes! However, for safety sake, listen in or observe the first lesson to assure yourself of the suitability of the tutor and the learning materials used.
Mental
The thinking part. Have you thought through all the options? This can be a challenging aspect for parents. Before you appoint a tutor, there are a number of different things to check.
Choosing a tutor is in itself a big decision, but going through a company always makes this a better proposition. Using a reputable company ensures all the security checks are completed. It is a good idea for peace of mind to ask about various security checks. Does the company make sure the following certificates of compliance are in place?
- A police clearance certificate.
- Permission to work with children and vulnerable people.
- Qualifications, experience and references.
All this information should be available to you, or assurance was given by a tutoring company.
Emotionally
Emotional safety covers all those areas about how you and your child might be feeling when you appoint a face to face tutor. Meeting face to face before the lessons begin would help with choosing the right tutor.
On something as personal as one on one tutoring, there needs to be a connection between tutor and pupil.
- Set up a pre-lesson meeting and watch the chemistry.
- If there is a free introductory lesson, take advantage of that.
How are you feeling about having a tutor in your home? There may be a great sense of relief as you hand over the teaching to someone else. If you have done your homework with regards to security checks and qualifications, you should feel safe about having this person in your home.
Feeling safe is a vital part of how we educate today.
Alfie Kohn, an educator and author of many educational and parenting books, wrote:
“If children feel safe, they... ask questions, make mistakes, learn to trust, share their feelings and grow.”
Growth is the aim of tutoring on a ‘face to face’ programme. This growth blossoms in a safe environment you create. Many parents are turning to personal tutoring and giving positive feedback about their experience. Reading their comments is reassuring for many first-timers to the idea of ‘face to face’ education.
If you feel unsafe or unsure of any of the aspects of ‘face to face’ tutoring set up an appointment with a tutoring company. Having your questions answered directly by experts in this field will help allay any fears you may have. It will give you the confidence to go forward if you choose ‘face to face’ tutoring in the safety of your home.
If your child requires some additional support may it be in-home or online, we're here to help! Visit https://tutor2you.com.au/ to book a free consultation with our trained & certified tutors today.
