Before I found a tutor for my daughter, the thing that made me most anxious every day was her scores.
Homework kept getting pushed back. Even after she fixed the wrong answers she still couldn’t do them, and the more I urged her, the less she wanted to talk.
The Breaking Point
I don’t know how you all do homework with your kids, but in our house it was a total mess, crying and screaming. After a while of falling apart, the adults and the kid were both exhausted. When she didn’t know a question, I didn’t know how to explain it so she would understand. And what I wanted from her, she didn’t know how to do to make me happy.
On the edge of breaking down, my colleague recommended a tutor.
The First Home Visit
To be honest it was the first time I’d heard of it. I booked a tutor to come to the house, just to try.
The first day was only one hour, but it really opened my eyes. The tutor paid attention to every detail while sitting with her. I’m a detail person myself, and I felt I couldn’t compare.
For example, setting up the study space. Pens and stationery that could distract her get moved out of the study area, never mind toys. Then it’s not straight into homework, but review first. Like they say, sharpening the knife doesn’t delay chopping the wood. Even the review has its tricks.
The tutor let my daughter be the little teacher, and she explained today’s lesson to the tutor. She explained with great interest, and the tutor listened with real interest too.
Three Months Later
Did her scores change straight away? I don’t dare exaggerate. But there were a few small changes that let me breathe out first.
Before, I had to arrange every day what to write first. Now she lists the day’s tasks herself. Wrong answers aren’t just copied from the answer any more, she knows to mark the reason. When she meets a question she can’t do, she’s willing to ask the teacher on her own.
These changes don’t look as obvious as a high-score test paper, but our evenings got a lot quieter. She knows what to do next, and I don’t have to stand beside her urging all the time.
What I Look for in a Tutor Now
When my daughter just started Year 1, I really didn’t know how to choose a tutor. My thinking was simple then: a strong teacher who teaches a lot should be good, right? Later I slowly found out that a teacher being good at teaching is one thing, and whether the kid can take it in is another.
Year 1 kids are still building their basics. Sometimes it’s not that she can’t do the question. It’s that the teacher goes too fast, she hasn’t digested the earlier part, and then she can’t keep up with the later part.
Now I pay attention to a few small things:
- Does the teacher look at the school homework first?
- If she answers slowly, is the teacher willing to wait?
- When she gets it wrong, does the teacher just give the answer, or slowly guide her to think?
I didn’t know how to look at these things before. First time being a primary school mum, a lot of things I learn as I go.
Now I think for Year 1 there’s no need to rush to “learn a lot”. Finding a teacher she can understand and is willing to follow may be more important.
My Advice
So from the heart, I’d tell mums and dads: listen to advice, don’t rush for quick results. You need a method. Maybe just try it. You might find your kid’s change only takes a moment.
School holiday tutoring is another way to use the break. There’s no homework pile and no rushing out the door in the morning, so a session at home can feel a lot calmer than it does in term.
More Things to Do
Planning the year around school breaks? Check our school holidays and term dates for 2026 and 2027 for every state. For more learning outside school hours, browse the classes and workshops in our directory. For a screen-free quiz at home, try our 150 best quiz questions for kids.