One student’s parents want to stop tutoring after his exam but i think he needs to continue as we’ve only really just begun and i feel he will just forget everything and go back to how he was before.
This is a really common situation. There are two main things you need to do here:
- Understand the goals of the client
- Educate the client about what it takes to achieve their goals
Some parents are only concerned about their child passing an exam instead of being focussed on learning and academic success. If this is the case there is little you can do besides voice your concerns for the student’s long term academic success which is being put in jeopardy with such attitudes. However, many parents are so far removed from the experience of study that they have forgotten what it’s like. They may not be aware of the damage caused by extensive breaks, or inconsistent tutoring in general.
As a tutor it’s your responsibility to advise clients about what’s best for them. If you feel that tutoring over the holidays will benefit him or that you’ve “just started” as you said and stopping now would undo all the progress, it’s your responsibility to communicate this to the client. You can also bring this up with the student and see if they are open to suggestions. Maybe the client is open to it and the student is not, maybe it’s the other way around?
The best way to communicate your suggestions is in relation to the student’s goals. They will not want to do tutoring over the holidays just because you think it is worthwhile, but they may be willing to do so if it will help them achieve some perceived benefit/goal. Explain why it will help them and make sure that you understand what they want to achieve from the tutoring first.
There are some good points here: https://www.ezymathtutoring.com.au/blog/tutoring-during-holidays-or-not/
Make sure you thoroughly explain your reasoning and that your suggestion is in their best interests. Work with them to create a solution that they will be happy with. For example they may wish to do 1 lesson per fortnight until the next term; that way all won’t be forgotten, further progress will be made and it won’t cost them too much. Alternatively, you may want to offer a supplementary structured revision schedule for homework over the holidays. Be creative. There exists a solution which will work for them; you just need to find it.