?? 6 Must-Have Qualities of a Great Tutor

?? 6 Must-Have Qualities of a Great Tutor 6 Must-Have Qualities of a Great Tutor Behind many successful students is a nurturing tutor. Mentorship is a huge responsibility and noteveryone can do it well. It takes a large amount of compassion, generosity, and commitment to begenuinely invested in someone else’s growth and help them make progress in the right direction.After all, when you are just finding your feet in school, university or kickstarting your career, it helps to havea guiding light â€" someone who challenges you, advises you and helps you chalk out your path to success.Apart from knowledge, there are several other personalitytraits that are crucial for being a great tutor.If you're on the lookout for a great tutor, here are 6 traits you should definitely look for:Willingness to ShareIn a nutshell, tutoring is all about sharing knowledge, insights and experiences, isn’t it? An excellenttutor is one who proactively shares his wealth of knowledge and skills with you. They are able toidentify gaps in your skill set and don’t shy away from sharing th eir wisdom and learnings in order topush you to do better.You wouldn’t want a tutor who is uptight and arrogant. They might be extremely well-read andexperienced but none of that matters if they aren’t willing to share it with you for your own good.Exhibits a Positive AttitudeThere is a lot of power and responsibility that lies on the shoulders of a tutor. A cynical mentor willgive rise to an under-confident and anxious tutee. Similarly, encouraging tutors will leave a positiveimpact on their tutee. Hence, your success is largely dependent on the attitude and approach of yourmentor.Having a positive attitude does not comprise of mollycoddling and ignoring pitfalls. In fact, a positivetutor will ensure you don’t lose hope and will support you through the ups and downs you face inyour journey. Sometimes when it’s difficult to look at the bright side, having a positive mentor by yourside, who can help you bounce back does wonders to your motivation.Good ListenerAnyone who has a one-sided approach to mentoring is doing it wrong. Tutoring is a mutualrelationship, with listening being a very important aspect.Listening comes from a place of sincere interest and commitment. When someone is actively listening,they are engaged and invested in the conversation. It reflects in their body language and the way theyrespond to you. So, ensure you choose a mentor who actively listens to what you have to say ratherthan one who merely hears you out.ApproachableThere can never be love and respect where there is fear and intimidation. You need to be able to share agood rapport with your tutor and not be afraid to ask questions in order to make the most of thismentoring relationship. Approachability stems from the fact that your tutor takes tutoringseriously.If you constantly find yourself running behind your tutor asking for their time or are made to feel likea burden â€" it’s time to look for a new tutor.Provides Constructive FeedbackConstructive feedback is one that he lps the person grow and do better next time. While sugar coatedfeedback never helps, it’s also important to not be discouraging and vague while imparting feedback.Giving feedback is a skill â€" your tutor needs to point out areas of improvement, substantiate withexamples and also help you find a solution. At the same time, you should never take feedback personally because a tutor with good intentions is always on your side. Without constructive feedback, there cannever be progress.TrustworthyAn effective tutor-student relationship is one wherein both the parties are honest and transparentwith each other. Find someone who you can wholly trust and count on. When there is a sense of trustand confidentiality, you will be able to have more honest conversations which helplay the foundation of asuccessful tutoring relationship.* * * * *Author BioAdela Belin is the Head of Digital Marketing for a New York-based company, with a passion for education and the benefits of tuition.