Pet Peeves of a Home Tutor.

Until I logged into this blog, I didn't realise that my previous post was also a rant about taking tuitions online. But hey, apparently that's what inspires me to write right now, so lets just go with the flow.

Having been a tutor for 8 years and an online tutor for over 18 months now, there are a few things that have continued to bug me over the years.

Missing classes/ attending classes regularly

I hate it when students or their parents don't inform me when they are going to be missing a class. I think this is top of the list because it makes me feel like some back up plan. 'If I don't have a doctor's appointment, if I don't have an event at school, if I don't have any other tuitions/ classes, then I will attend my chemistry class.' Sometimes I feel like this is the thought process that goes inside a student's head. Just because I take classes online or from home does not mean that all of my time is free time. What sucks even more is when they say "I forgot about class". Nothing annoys me more than that.

Another problem I face, now this is more with the parents than the student, is when they tellme that their child is still not improving, and they know for a fact that the child has not been regular to class. I had a student who would turn up for 3 out of 4 classes in a month (yes she only came for 4 classes because she was so busy with 5 other classes, that she only had time for 1 class a week for chemistry), sometimes it would only be 2 classes in a month, and the mother kept asking me why she was not getting beyond 70% in her chemistry papers. Really now, I wonder why?

There is also this set of parents who will realise that their child needs help in chemistry only 2 months before the Finals, and then request me to "just clarify the child's doubts and give a few tips and tricks to ensure that he/ she is able to get 95 or more". I get reassurances that the child will attend as many classes as needed in a week so long as it does not clash with his Maths, Physics, Computer or Hindi classes, and that he will work really hard and write as many papers possible. How much did the child get in the Mock exam ? -70 or so. Oh I'm sorry, do I look like Jesus or Sai Baba. I am not miracle worker.

Tests/ Homework etc. 

I don't give a lot of homework. Actually I barely give any homework for one simple reason- It is a waste of time. I spend 2 hours finding questions and compiling it to send to the student, and the child, more often than not, either does not do it despite repeated reminders, or they do a half hearted job where they have answered only 2 out of 8 questions. Clearly they have not even attempted it. This is why I just prefer to work out questions with hem in class. Atleast I know they don't know anything and can just make them practice.

I am the type of teacher who believes in giving the child a lot of freedom. I always check with them about when they would like to do revision, which chapters they want to revise first, and make them set a date to do a mock exam. I think a 16 year old is mature enough to figure a schedule for themselves. But of course, they go to prove me wrong right there. They either postpone the mock exam/ test and never write it. Sometimes I spend a good 6 hours setting a 70 mark paper, scan it and send it to them, only hear that they have no "time" to write a mock exam because they are busy studying. Basically my 6 hour effort is not time spent for setting a paper specifically for them! How is that fair to me. I mean I asked them before getting into it. Some people will complain that I am too nice, but I've seen that being harsh doesn't really help the child do better. So what's the point of that?

Another thing that especially annoys me with respect to being an online tutor, is when students "answer a test" and I find that most of the answers are straight out of the text book, but the child denies it. Honesty is a thing of the past. There are some parents who will also go to the extent of defending their oh-so-honest child but will not make the effort to ensure that their child is putting in the effort to prepare for a test. Online tutoring has to be a two way street. The parent who is with the child must be

When I send question papers to my students, I always make sure that I have bright light, and I use Cam Scanner to get a neat scan of the sheets of paper, I number the pages, then I email it. Guess how I get the answer scripts for correction? Pictures clicked with barely any light. Answers out of focus. Pages not numbered. Scrawny scribbling. Questions not numbered. And all of this images sent via whatsapp. I am planning to include the doctor consultation fees and the price of my spectacles in the student's fees from now on. Clearly I require medical reimbursement for all of my effort to correct one answer script. Let's not forget the emotional trauma I go through when I see how terribly the child is faring. Next will begin the search for a good therapist.

Finally I would like to sum up and say that I have had some fantastic students who are prompt , on time, and worked so very hard. I am extremely proud of them even today. But there are a few students who will remain etched in my memory for all the wrong reasons.

-Krupa

The Sorrows of Being a Home Tutor.

It has been 3 years since I quit my job as a full time teacher and have been working for myself. Let's just call it freelance, since that is a more fancy term. As much as I love working from home as a personal tutor, it comes with a set of challenges and hurdles like every other job. I say job, because trust me taking care of the house + trying to have your own set up is double the work. Only a person who is doing it will understand and empathize. 

So a few days ago I had posted on Facebook that I had some mock NEET papers if anyone was interested. I got quite a few responses but sadly none of them were ready to pay for the effort and time I spent in writing these papers. In fact once I mentioned that it was a paid service, people just disappeared without a response. Why would I hand out my hardwork for free is something that I cannot comprehend. Do you know how long it takes to gather questions and type them out and proofread them and make sure that are up to the mark. DO YOU?.

The same thing happens when I tell people how much I charge for a single class via Skype. I get inquiries from parents who say that their child definitely needs help blah blah blah. But mention how much they have to pay and then it is silence on the other end of the phone with the awkward "we'll get back to you, ma'am." Sure as hell I will never hear from them again.

Yes I am frustrated because people will pay tens of thousands to a coaching centre where there are 100 odd students and the same repeated question papers from the previous year, but when someone is giving individual time and effort, it is is brushed off as something not worth paying for. And I ask why not! In what way is a Skype class worth less than any other class. I am still putting in a 100% effort to do the best for your child.

Then the next issue is when people just assume that you will be free to take class any time because after all you "work from home". I get dime a dozen questions- why do I not take classes on weekends, why not early morning classes, why not classes till 9pm. And of course they think it is it okay to just message me any time saying that their child wants class at so-and-so time on so-and-so date. It isn't a query. It is a command. Because they pay me, I am their beck and call, right? WRONG.

What I hate even more is when they don't inform me that they cannot attend class on a particular day. I will be signed into Skype and just waiting and waiting but no child turns up. Is it not courtesy to inform a person that you will not be coming for class? It isn't like I have 50 kids so I won't miss one. I was online waiting for you, the one and only child I am teaching during that scheduled time. I could have been clicking pictures for my blog if I had known that the child was not going to turn up, and lets not forget that they have the audacity to ask why I charged for a class that they never attended. I'm sorry, do you ask the school to refund money for the days when your child takes a sick leave?

People think being a freelancer is fancy, but trust me, it is NOT! It sucks on a bunch of different levels and it is super hard. When your time and effort is not appreciated, it just makes you wonder why on earth you work so hard.

Despite all my frustration, I have had some wonderful parents and students and that is the only reason that I will continue to do what I am doing. That and the fact that I really do love teaching.

Right. End of Rant.

Krupa