How to Tutor Middle-School English

Middle-school aged students are notoriously difficult to teach as a group. Tutoring is a more personal approach to education, which is important for students of this age. If you have the right attitude and know what to do, tutoring a middle-schooler can be incredibly productive and rewarding. You will certainly be surprised by how much progress can be made with a little one-on-one attention.

Instructions

1. Be confident and kind. Tutoring middle-schoolers in any subject can be challenging. It will be much easier if the student trusts and respects you. If you talk to them with respect and understanding, the are more likely to treat you in kind.

2. Be positive and encouraging. Never put a student down for any reason. Never use the word "but" when talking about the student's work, as in "I like your essay topic, but..." as it negates anything positive you just said.

3. Remain patient. It takes incredible patience and courage for a middle-schooler to ask for help to try to improve their work. Often, their problems in school may stem from a lack of patience on their part or the part of their educators. Make patience a habit for you and your student.

4. Use the Socratic method. Rather than telling the student answers, ask them questions to guide them to their own answer. This will build confidence and strengthen their analytical skills.

5. Foster creativity. Whether it is in reading or in writing, imagination is important. Encourage your student to think differently, whether they are trying to understand the theme of a story or writing a poem. The more thought your student puts into her work, the more invested she will be in it.

6. Become a student yourself. A wonderful way to tutor a child in English is to have them teach you. Whether you are an expert in the subject or not, have your student teach you what information they gather from a story. This teaches them to make opinions, and is a step toward successful argumentative writing and reading comprehension.

7. Use games to teach. Writing prompts and exercises are an excellent way to foster creativity. Anything that allows a student to have fun will make the learning process easier for both of you.