5 ways to help your child’s tutor and teachers communicate

Tutors can provide great support and help for kids with learning and thinking differences. And good communication between your child’s tutor and teacher is key to making your child’s tutoring experience a successful one.

Sharing information allows the tutor to support what your child is learning in the classroom. The tutor can make sure the methods your child uses aren’t confusing because they’re different from what’s being used at school.

Here are five ways to help your child’s tutor and their teachers communicate and work together.

1. Share your tutoring plans with the teacher.

Let the teacher know ahead of time what you’re planning and what to expect. That can help open clear lines of communication from the start.

Explain that your goal is for the tutor to work with the school to support your child’s success in the classroom. Let the teacher know you’d like the tutor to get insights into what’s happening at school and how best to coordinate efforts. Then ask the teacher how they’d prefer to communicate.

Be sure to tell the teacher that the tutor has your permission to talk with the school. Some schools may require proof of that in writing. Your child’s school may also need a release from you in order to communicate with the tutor without violating FERPA laws.

2. Keep the focus on your child.

Some teachers may feel defensive when a parent brings a tutor into the mix. It’s possible your child’s teacher may feel that you’re seeking outside help because you think the teacher’s not doing a good job.

Focusing on your child’s specific needs can help keep the tone positive. It can also keep the tutor and teacher focused on the same goal as they work together to help your child succeed. Emphasize to the teacher that right now your child needs extra help outside the school day — and that the teacher can provide useful information to make it as effective as possible.

3. Set clear expectations for the tutor.

Ask the tutor how they typically share information (and what type of information) with classroom teachers. Tell the tutor what you’d like them to share with your child’s teacher — and how often. For instance, you might ask that the tutor contact the teacher every eight weeks to check on your child’s progress. Be sure to tell the tutor if there’s information you don’t want them to share, too.

Talk about how you’d like to be kept in the loop. For instance, you can request that the tutor and teacher copy you on all email communications. Or maybe you just want the tutor to let you know whenever they communicate with the school.

It’s important to stay flexible, though. See how well your child responds to tutoring and how much progress your child’s making at school. There may not need to be as much communication as the tutor gets to know your child and after the tutor and the teacher have collaborated for a while.

4. Help work through differences in approach.

Some teachers object to a tutor using a different method than what they use in the classroom. But it’s not always a bad thing to use different methods.

That’s because there’s no single method that works for every child. Giving kids a different way to approach a challenge can be key in helping them work through their struggles.

Still, your child’s teacher may be concerned about this. If so, listen to the teacher’s concerns, and encourage the teacher to talk with the tutor about them. They can work together to create more overlap between the two settings. They can also agree to stay in touch with each other as your child progresses to monitor how things are going.

5. Keep the information flowing.

Your child’s teacher and tutor may be in touch, and on the same page. But you’re still the key link between them.

You get all types of important information about your child throughout the year. That includes report cards, testing results, progress reports, and more. When you do, it’s important to share them with the tutor.

Each of those items will help the tutor stay current on what’s happening in class. That allows the tutor to adjust the approach based on your child’s performance. It also lets the tutor know when it’s a good idea to reach out to the teacher for more information and insight.

How well your child’s teacher and tutor work together has a lot to do with how well you work with each of them. Get tips on what to look for in a tutor if your child has dyslexia or dyscalculia. See a list of questions to ask potential tutors. And look into free or low-cost tutoring options.