Archive for the ‘Education for Expat Kids’ Category

Guest blogger Rebecca Zook writes on how to find a good tutor when living overseas.

Trying to find a qualified tutor while living abroad can sometimes leave expat parents feeling lost. Whether you’re searching for a precalculus tutor in Beijing or a reading tutor in the UAE, here are some tips on how to find a good tutor while you’re abroad.

Ask your support network. Ask for recommendations from your kid’s teacher, guidance counselor, or school. Ask fellow expat parents for a referral. Try your local embassy or consulate. Send out a tweet, update your facebook status, and post a query on your local expat online message board. Someone you already know might know someone great!

Ask the internet. A lot of independent tutors have websites that include their contact info as well as information about their tutoring experience and philosophy. (Also, lots of tutors also post on craigslist, though markets outside of the US tend to have fewer listings than major US cities.) Look for tutors who put some thought and effort into their website or ad, and keep your eyes peeled for someone who you feel might click with your kid.

Look for individuals. Tutoring works best as a one-on-one mentoring relationship. Look for tutors who promote themselves as individuals, since they’ll have more invested in their work. If you choose to go through an agency, ones that post bios and pictures of their tutors are a better bet than most.

Consider online tutoring. Working with an online tutor from your country of origin can allow you to connect to a much wider selection of potential candidates. If you’re having trouble finding someone locally who is experienced and whose accent your kids can understand, consider working online with a tutor from back home. If you find an online tutor your kid likes, you can continue to work with them through multiple relocations or even after repatriating.

Make contact and ask questions. Once you get a list of potential tutors, call or email them. Ask about the tutor’s experience helping kids with a particular subject, grade level, learning style, or learning disability. You can also inquire about their methods, philosophy, credentials, references, and reasons they became a tutor.

Pay attention to how the interaction feels. Does the potential tutor listen to you carefully? Do they ask you good questions? Do they seem to have a sense of humor? Would you feel comfortable working with them one-on-one? Trust yourself.

Try out the tutor. Try the tutor out for one paid session to make sure they’re a good fit before making a final decision. Make sure your kid takes some recent work so they can go over the parts that are confusing. By the end of the initial meeting, you should have a clear sense of whether or not your kid wants to continue.

Things to look for: Does the tutor pay attention to whether or not the student understands? Do they adjust their approach if the student doesn’t understand? A good tutor will explain things different ways until they find the way that clicks for your kid.

Does your kid feel comfortable with the tutor? The more honest your kid can be about what they don’t understand, the more effective the tutoring will be.

Is the tutor helping? It may take several sessions before you start to see improvement in grades as a result of tutoring, but your kid should feel like they understand things at least a little bit better after the first session.

The bottom line: Trust your own instincts and feelings. Every tutor has their own style, and you want to find someone who works with your kid’s style. The best tutors not only know what they’re talking about and can help your kid understand it, but they’ll also help your kid feel good about the whole process.

Bio: Rebecca Zook is an American online female math tutor who has been helping students get math into their brains for seven years. She blogs about learning at Triangle Suitcase.

Did you know that of the 466 graduate counseling programs in the United States, only 42 degree programs offer a course in college counseling? And that only one program in the nation, Long Island University, makes that course mandatory? I was shocked when I read that. The source of this statistic is Patrick O’Connor, the former president of the National Association of College Admissions Counselors, who wrote for Diverse Magazine: Issues in Higher Education (see p. 17 for his op-ed piece, “Inadequate Counsel”).   Lynn O’Shaughnessy, one of my favorite bloggers on college, wrote about this in her latest post on Money Watch using the provocative title “Why High School Counselors Are Failing.”

The library at Vassar College took my breath away during my recent visit.

Defending the High School Guidance Counselor

These two pieces caught my interest because this cuts to the heart of my profession and what I do. First of all,  I am disappointed that graduate programs do not offer more instruction in college counseling. That should be changed. However, I also will defend the work that current high school counselors do. They handle huge case loads, juggle scheduling, proctor tests, intervene in student crises, listen to and assist with students’ problems, and then – on top of it all – need to meet student and parental expectations for college counseling. Many school based counselors are my friends and I know how hard they work. There just aren’t enough hours in the day.

Furthermore, a school counselor is based in the school. They rarely are able to leave the building, except to maybe attend a staff meeting somewhere else. Occasionally they can attend a conference – when the budget allows. But they rarely have the freedom to be able to go out and visit campuses during the school year; nor can they possibly spend much time with each individual student. Different schools have different student-counselor ratios, but suffice it to say that it is rare that a counselor can spend hours and hours with any individual student or family.

The Importance of Quality Guidance for all Students

Post secondary guidance is critical to insuring our children’s futures. Not all students are ready for college, or have that as their ambition. Other students have more potential than they give themselves credit for, and with proper guidance, can channel their energy and interests towards a brighter future. Still others need help finding out about their own talents, interests, learning styles, personality, and aptitudes. In an ideal world, this would be funded by public school systems and every student would receive quality guidance. Even in private schools or international schools, this is not always a need that can be met.

Why Use an Independent Educational Consultant?

There is a reason why educational consulting is a rapidly growing profession. Independent Educational Consultants (IECs) fill an important need. Contrary to the impression that media stories often misleadingly present, IECs are not about “getting a kid in” to college. Independent Educational Consultants help students to find direction that will hopefully set them on the right path for the rest of their lives. Additionally, an IEC will also answer the hundreds of questions that come up during the application process. In fact, many consultants are former school counselors and educators who enjoy the freedom of spending more time with students and families than they could when working in the school setting. It’s not “better” work – just different.

Lastly, many of the IECs whom I like, know, and respect have engaged in the professional development that both Patrick O’Connor and Lynn O’Shaughnessy have urged. Many have completed coursework (as I have) in college counseling certificate programs such as offered through UCLA and UC Irvine.

I would love to see a world in which each student had a publicly funded counselor who could work with them individually without time constraints. I bet high school guidance counselors would love to see that, too. Contrary to the title of Lynn O’Shaugnessy’s blog, I don’t think high school counselors have failed our kids at all. The system has. But in private enterprise, people step in to fill needs. If you are considering using an Independent Educational Consultant for your child, you will find it a worthwhile investment in his/her future.

Rebecca at Scripps College

This last year alone, I did over 100 campus visits. That’s a lot of time and expense spent on travel! So why do I do it? Because there is no better way to get a feel for what an educational institution is all about. And for my families living outside the U.S. who can’t so easily travel, I become their “eyes and ears”.

When I talk to students about boarding school or college/university, they are usually interested and engaged. They know this is a huge step in their lives. However, I often feel like I am talking in abstracts because the student really cannot visualize or imagine just what it is that I am trying to describe. When I ask what they want out of college, the setting they may want, or the number of students that might be ideal for them, they usually have no clue what I mean unless they have done some visits. Far too often, their boarding school or college list is based solely on the well-known rankings, but there has been no thought as to whether or not that school may be the right fit for them. They gravitate towards name recognition and what is known. So I often spend a lot of time trying to give them a sense of the huge array of opportunities and differences that are out there.

My own campus visits are the number one way I learn about colleges. When I visit a campus, I am doing multiple assessments as I appear to be “just walking around”. So please allow me to explain ­­­­7 most important things I’m looking for during the campus visit.

Susan Sykes, my friend and colleague, and me at Miami University

1. Setting. Where is the school in relationship to the world? Especially for students coming from abroad, whether they are American Third Culture Kids(TCKS) returning “home” or international students, where they study is extremely important. Such things as access to a major airport, rural or urban settings, and surrounding neighborhoods tend to be significant factors in whether or not the student will adjust. Campus safety is also extremely important, so I want to know what kind of neighborhood it’s in and what the student will pass through to get to and from campus. I always ask myself how I would feel if MY child were going there.

2. Campus atmosphere. What does the campus “feel” like when you walk around? The best campus visits are made when students are present. What image do they project? Do they look happy and relaxed? Are they friendly? Stressed? Where are they hanging out? Are they interacting with each other? Where and how are they studying? Are there signs up for activities?

3. What Students Have to Say. Whenever I have a chance, I always talk to students. These may be chance encounters, a student panel, or the student tour guide. Through our conversations, I can get a lot of information about the student body and their values, activities, campus life and campus culture. I ask about how they feel about their instructors/professors, projects, availability of classes, class size, advising, where to go for help, college or career guidance, study abroad, internships, other students, presence of other TCKs or international students on campus, the food, activities, weekends, what kind of student would be happiest there, who wouldn’t be happy there, what the “party scene” is like, what they like best, what they would change, etc.

Upham Hall, Miami U

4. What Instructors/Professors and Staff Have to Say. How do they talk about their work? Their students? Why do they love (or don’t) love teaching/working there? How many adjunct/part-time faculty do they have? What is the teacher/professor turnover rate? What special programs do they offer? What are the strongest departments? What new initiatives are being undertaken on campus? What are they looking for in students (admissions)? How selective is the boarding school/college? What is their retention/graduation rate? Have they experienced any pain due to budget cuts? You can tell a lot about a school when you ask someone to talk about their work!

5. How Residential is the Campus? If it’s a boarding school, I want to know how many students live on campus as boarders relative to the number of day students. If there are boarders, are they 5-day boarders who go home on weekends? If it’s college, is it mostly residential or commuter students? Is it a “suitcase college”, i.e. students go home on weekends? If students live on campus, are they guaranteed housing all 4 years? If not, what is the local housing market for students like? These questions are a huge factor in building campus culture.

6. Physical Plant and Facilities. I call this my “mulch test”. Are the grounds well-kept? Is maintenance being done on schedule? How does the campus look and feel? What are the buildings like? Dorms? Food services? Recreational facilities? Athletic facilities?  Studios for the arts? Library? Where do students do most of their studying?

Students hanging out between classes at Miami U.

7. Understanding of TCK or International Student Issues. I saved this one for last. I want to know – would my student coming from abroad, a long way from home, with a wealth of different experiences to share, feel welcome and valued on this campus? How strong is the institution’s commitment to helping international students adjust? What countries are the international students coming from? How are they recruited? How does the institution view the TCK (or do they even know what that is)?

By the end of the campus visit, I usually have a good sense of the kind of student that would do well at that boarding school/college/university. Most of my families find it hard to travel to visit even a few boarding schools or colleges, let alone all 9 or 10 that may appear on the customized list I prepare for a student. So during the family meeting when I’m explaining why I am recommending certain schools, I can speak with confidence about why the school will probably be a good “fit and match” for that student’s individual needs.

This thought is always in the back of my mind – if this student chooses the school I recommended, and the parents take their precious child to the campus on the first day to drop them off, based in large part on my recommendation, are they going to be happy with their choice, or want to kill me for suggesting such a place for their child? I want both students AND parents to feel comfortable and happy, knowing that they have considered all their options and made the right educational choice!