Teachers and tutors are similar, but very different at the same time. You could say they are 2 sides of the same coin. Both of these careers involve a passion for educating our youth and love for the subjects they teach.
However, the method of approach can be exact opposites of each other. The biggest difference is the fact that teachers are responsible for many students, and tutors focus on just 1, or a handful at most.
This makes the way they approach educating completely different. In fact, here are some examples of the differences between a teacher and a tutor.
1. Learning 1-on-1 is easier than learning in the classroom.
Teachers always do their best for the students and help them grow as people. However, there are usually a lot of kids in the classroom. As awesome as many teachers are, they are also only human. They can’t pay close attention to every single one of their students learning needs. That means sometimes, some students are not able to get enough attention as compared to other students in the class.
As each student has their own learning requirements and speed of comprehension, the standardized syllabus in a classroom also means that it does not follow each student’s pacing. For example, some students might find the class too slow and already know the syllabus by heart, meanwhile other students might be scratching their heads at the whole topic at hand.
Meanwhile, when you are learning in a 1-on-1 environment, tutors are able to get to know each student on a deeper level. Tutors can identify each student’s specific learning needs and tailor the teaching sessions accordingly. Furthermore, as tutors are able to fully focus on one student, they are able to understand their personalities too, which means that tutors know how to befriend and handle students that do not enjoy school or learning in classrooms.
Related: How to Make School Fun for Kids
2. Teachers are generalists, tutors are specialists.
Most teachers are able to teach a little bit of everything, of course, they have their main subjects too. However, their knowledge and expertise will be spread out and more general to follow the requirements of the traditional school syllabus. As per requirements, school teachers will also usually stick to the syllabus when teaching subjects. That means if something is outside of the topic, they likely will not mention it.
On the flip side, many tutors will choose to teach only what they know. That means most tutors are specialists in the field of their study. For example, a graduate who majored in math would choose to become a math tutor as it is something they are well equipped with. A chemistry post graduate might choose to become a science tutor too. This also translates to more passion for education from the tutors, as they are teaching something they love.
Furthermore, as tuition does not follow a hard syllabus, tutors usually will teach a course and then go into further detail about the topic. It might not be in the syllabus, but it is incredibly insightful information that might serve the students even better in the long run.
Related: 7 Qualities of a Good Tutor
3. Tutors can potentially connect more with students.
As tutors are more interpersonal and more passionate about the subjects they teach, they have a better chance of connecting with their students. Sometimes, tutors even become friends, mentors or even confidantes for students. The more the student connects with their tutor, the more they feel like there is an adult they can talk to that they can trust.
Tutors are able to fill a role which teachers have difficulty with. This is not to say that teachers are not passionate or don’t love their students, but teachers have multiple classes every day, hundreds of students and thousands of papers to grade each month. They do not have the time nor capacity to fully provide for just a single student, because they are carrying the responsibility to educate many students instead.
Having the best of both worlds.
Tutors are amazing for individual development of a student, but that doesn’t mean teachers are any less good. In fact, the best educational experience happens when a student fully utilizes both their time in the classroom and with a tutor. The key is to learn the syllabus required for school, and further build their knowledge about it with their tutors. To learn more about tutoring from School is Easy, inquire with your closest location.
