Student/Family FAQs
Why Commonwealth Education?
We take your educational goals seriously. We also take the headache of vetting tutors out of your hands. We fully screen our instructors, both for their academic abilities, and for their personality match with our students.
What subjects do thetutors teach?
We cover a wide range of subjects including math, science, English, and many foreign languages. Many of our math tutors are engineers; our English tutors have vast experience in composition and literature; and our foreign language tutors are fluent, native speakers of foreign languages. If you or your student has a specific subject that you have questions about, please contact us.
How often do you recommend tutoring sessions?
While all students' needs differ, we have found that two 1 to 1 1/2 hour sessions per week are ideal. This allows continuity during the week and over the weekend, while not overwhelming the student. We find one session per week is not enough, as too much time is spent each session recapping the work of the previous week, as opposed to building on that previous week's work.
Onthe other hand, we find that having 3 or more sessions per week provides diminishing marginal returns for ourstudents and tutors, as it provides too limited an amount of time to absorb thematerial covered before new information is introduced. Of course nothing is set in stone as individual circumstances may differ, but we have found that these guidelines are a good starting point.
We are uncomfortable having someone we do not know come into our home. Can we meet with our tutor somewhere besides in our home?
While some trepidation about having someone else in your home is understandable, we recommend students meet with their tutors in their home and with a parent or guardian present for the first 3 sessions. We believe that a quiet space where the student is most comfortable is the optimal environment for students to learn.
Our tutors go through an extensive application process, a formal in-person interview, and educational and criminal background checks. We are very confident in our tutors, and believe that you will be as well. Of course, if the relationship does not seem to be working out or you have questions please call us.
Why does a parent or guardian have to be home during the first 3 tutoring sessions?
Our reasoning is two-fold:
1) The first session is typically a "get to know you" session for both the student and his/her family as well as the tutor. We've found that the associated tension of the first meeting is relieved more easily when a parent or guardian is present.
2) The "silent partner" theory. While not actively involved in the tutoring session, the parent or guardian that is in the home during the session is surely able to glean insight into the effectiveness of the sessions for their student, and we ask for and welcome feedback on our tutors. We ask for monthly feedback reports from our students and their families to make sure that the sessions are moving in the right direction.
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