The Tutor.com Blog

“Working for Tutor.com for the past five years has made me a better teacher”, says Russell C.  Learn why tutoring with Tutor.com for the past 5 years has helped Russell stay at the top of his game in the classroom, both virtual and physical. His dedication to teaching and student achievement is why he is Tutor.com Tutor of the Month.

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I live in the Triad area of North Carolina with my wife and 3 year old daughter. Born in Indiana, I lived in Michigan for a little while, but have lived in North Carolina for the last 32 years. I attended the School of Education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and graduated with a concentration in Secondary Mathematics. (Go Heels!) For the past 16 years I have been a high school mathematics teacher while also coaching football and track & field on the side.

How did you find out about Tutor.com?

While studying for my National Board exams, a fellow colleague mentioned she worked for Tutor.com as a social studies tutor and explained how it worked. I was immediately interested and checked into it the next day.

What makes it a great fit?

I love the freedom to schedule my hours to fit my schedule. It is also very convenient to walk into my office and tutor from my own home, and the extra income is a great supplement to my teaching salary.

What is your favorite part of tutoring?

I love connecting with the students. They get to experience success in solving programs and it seems to boost their self-confidence and interest in mathematics. I also love the variety of question students “bring to the table.” They keep me on my toes. Working for Tutor.com the past 5 years has definitely made me a better teacher.

Do you find the 1-to-1 feature of Tutor.com important?

Definitely! All of the students’ needs are met. We can go at their pace, stopping when necessary for clarification, and can give the immediate positive feedback when they succeed.

What do you like to do for fun?

I am an avid woodworker and have built everything from a porch swing to a storage shed. I also love to fish during the warmer months. My family lives on a 125 acre farm with access to 4 fully stocked ponds!

Whether she is reading up on molecular orbitals or gazing at the stars with her astronomy club, Leah S. is always fascinated by the world around her. And with her Master’s Degree in Biology, we’re happy she is able to bring that excitement to students each week as a Tutor.com tutor. The appreciation and passion for knowledge is just as important as mastering a concept itself. And Leah’s passion makes us proud to call her the Tutor.com Tutor of the Month!

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

My name is Leah S, and I live in Arizona. Next year my husband and I will celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary.  We are proud of our three grown children, and two adorable granddaughters. I have a Master’s Degree in Biology.  But choosing my major in college was a difficult decision, as I found all fields of math and science to be fascinating!

When did you first hear about Tutor.com? 

I first heard about Tutor.com from a newspaper article about online tutoring, and realized that this format would fit in well with my schedule and other responsibilities.  It enables me to tutor whenever I have some free time.  I have been tutoring with Tutor.com for five years now.

What is your favorite part of tutoring? 

I love tutoring because of the opportunity to help the students understand their schoolwork, and sometimes -to help them feel better about themselves in general.  Being a tutor means being part teacher and part cheerleader.  It’s a great feeling to be able to take the student from “I don’t know where to begin this problem” or even “I’m not good at math” to “I get it!  It makes sense to me now!”

Why do you like tutoring with Tutor.com?

I think the one-to-one connection on Tutor.com is an important feature.  It enables us to make sure that each student understands the concepts, and all the student’s questions are answered.  It doesn’t replace the classroom, but is an important supplement to make sure that each student is understanding the classroom material fully.

Another thing I like about Tutor.com is the challenge, because questions can come up from so many different topics.  I tutor math (elementary, mid-level, and algebra) and chemistry; and each of these includes a very wide variety of topics.  In one evening I can go from sessions on adding fractions, to balancing equations, determining pH, graphing a parabola, or solving distance or mixture problems.

What is your number one piece of advice for students?

My best tip for students is:  Practice! practice! practice!  That’s how you learned the “elementary” math topics and science facts that you already know.  Don’t think that you’re “not good” at math or science.  If necessary, get help from Tutor.com to better understand the logic behind the concepts and then do lots of practice questions.  And soon enough, the new concepts will become familiar to you, and you will be able to add them to the growing list of things that you already know!

What are your hobbies outside of work?

In recent years, I have become an amateur astronomer.  Arizona is known for its beautiful clear skies and I belong to a local astronomy club, where we give “star parties” at schools and other public places.  We bring our telescopes and show people the beautiful and fascinating objects that they can see in the sky.  (To find similar events in your area, just google “astronomy club” and your city or state.)

Check out more of our Tutor of the Month blog posts here!

Tutor.com has a network of 2,500 tutors spread across North America, and about 10% of our tutors are affiliated with the military. Since our tutors are remote, we rarely get a chance to meet them face-to-face. That’s why our Tutor.com for U.S. Military Team was thrilled to meet Lara P., a tutor and military spouse, at the 63^rd Army Reserve Support Command (RSC) Yellow Ribbon Reintegration event in Los Angeles. Our team was there to introduce Army Reserve families to Tutor.com’s one-to-one, online tutoring service, which  military families have access to 24/7 at no cost thanks to funding by the Department of Defense.

Lara is a busy Army Reserve spouse, mother of two and an English and essay writing expert for Tutor.com. A former middle school teacher in both public and private schools, Lara wanted to find an education position that would match her mobile lifestyle due to her husband’s military position and allow her to spend more time with her young son. Lara found out about Tutor.com from a friend. Now her commute is up her home staircase, to an office where she works one-to-one with students online.  Lara’s older son, a college freshman, used Tutor.com to get help with high school geometry and chemistry. Lara spoke to us about the challenges she had encouraging her teen son to use the program and why Tutor.com is a great service for adults too.

Tutor.com: After spending 14 years teaching in a classroom setting, why did you decide to become an online tutor?

Lara:  I love teaching, but as a military spouse I need a flexible career.  My family has moved twice in the past five years due to my husband’s military career.  My husband, an Army Reservist, was deployed for the past year and I wanted to be home with our two sons.  Now, my husband is back from deployment, but we live on a pretty remote military base. A friend told me about tutoring online with Tutor.com and I loved the idea of working with students from my home. I set my own hours and just go upstairs and log on my computer when I’m ready to tutor. It is a great fit for me and my family.

Tutor.com:  Besides the flexibility, what else do you like about being a Tutor.com tutor?

Lara: In a classroom setting it’s hard to reach everyone on an individual level.  When I tutor online, I have the opportunity to reach a student right when they need help and to work with him or her directly with no distractions.  I feel very successful when I’m able to connect with a student and help them. It’s a great feeling!  And I especially enjoy knowing I’m helping other military members and families.  (Note: Tutor.com is an anonymous service.)

Tutor.com:  What types of students do you help?

Lara:  I’d say that about half of the students I work with are in college.  Some are adults who are going back to school.  People think that Tutor.com is just for middle school or high school kids, but it’s really for everyone.

Tutor.com:  Why did your son start using Tutor.com?

Lara: My son was always a good student and any help he needed I or my husband could provide.  That all changed in high school. When he started taking tougher math and science courses, I realized he needed extra help, and it wasn’t going to come from me!  At first, he was resistant to trying Tutor.com. I think he was a bit intimidated by the idea of tutoring. That all changed after his first session with a tutor.  He loved it!  Soon he was using Tutor.com regularly to get help with geometry and chemistry.  He liked being able to select his favorite tutors so he could see which tutors were online and plan his schedule around them.

Tutor.com: What advice would you give other parents whose children are wary about trying online tutoring?

Lara:  I’d encourage parents to help their child log-in the first time, even if they are a teenager!  Once your child uses the program and understands how the tutors can help him or her, they will love it and probably not ask for your help again. You just need to get them to try it that first time.  It is also a great tool for military families who are often moving and need a resource that is available 24/7 and all around the world.

If you are a member of a military family, please go to www.tutor.com/military to find out if you are eligible for the program.  The Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families program is funded by the Department of Defense MWR Library Program, Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program, Navy General Library Program and Army General Library Program. Tutor.com is proud to be a member of the Military Spouse Employment Program.  Approximately 10% of Tutor.com tutors are military spouses or military affiliated.

In 2009, Ohio University Lancaster Campus (OUL) set out on a mission. The faculty identified the need to provide tutoring to OUL’s 2,000+ students, but struggled to figure out how to staff such a center. Many of OUL’s students transfer to Ohio University’s main campus after two years, so the students who could potentially be tutors were transferring by the time they reached the appropriate level. So with the challenges addressed, OUL set out on its mission of finding an accessible, easy-to-use, and effective tutoring solution.

What developed from there is OUL’s successful Tutor Tracks program. Designed by one of their own, Dr. Giorgi Shonia, Assistant Professor, Mathematics, Tutor Tracks is a three pronged web-based solution. Included in the program is a database of faculty resources, the ability to connect to a live tutor working out of the OUL’s Learning Center and lastly, access to Tutor.com. Adding an outside resource to the plan was crucial to provide the 24/7 support OUL hoped for. Chosen for its special features, reporting and data evaluation, and competitive pricing, Tutor.com fit in perfectly with the two other legs of the program.

While the program is still in its early years, it’s clear that the students receiving help are already calling it a success. 100% of student users are glad that OUL is offering Tutor.com and report that it is helping them to improve their grades. And its popularity is growing, not just for students. According to Debora Smith, Assistant Professor, Health Technology, when the program first launched in the 2010-11 academic year online education wasn’t as widespread –or respected –as it is now. But just two years in and professors who were hesitant at first have become the programs greatest supporters. Deborah added, “Online tutoring isn’t just effective, it’s essential. This is a tool that can teach people how to learn. Online tutoring increases confidence in students’ ability to learn.”

Read more about our partnership with Ohio University Lancaster Campus here.

Twenty seven of our library clients have been partners for ten years! To celebrate, we’re featuring their unique stories and how Tutor.com has impacted their diverse communities.  

Founded in 1903 as a Carnegie Library, Charlotte Mecklenburg Library opened with just 2,526 books. Today the library boasts a rich collection of 1.3 million books, digital resources, and much more for their community of 900,000 people. Tutor.com caught up with them to discuss the changes the library has experienced in the last 100 years as well as the last decade of offering online tutoring and career services.

Tutor.com: Being over a century old, we’re sure the library has seen plenty of changes! Have there been a lot of adjustments just within the last 10 years?

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library: In our newest buildings we‘ve sacrificed book shelves for more room for meeting spaces and technology, especially PC’s. This is our future, as it is for most libraries, as we go deeper into digital materials and see more need from the community for technology.

Tutor.com: What are some of the favorite programs or events the library has hosted?

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library: We offer so many programs! One of our favorite events is “Study Zone Sunday” where students can drop by any Sunday during the school year for the event. The goal is to provide teens with a place to spread out and get some school work done, study for tests, work on group projects, etc.

We’ve also worked with  outside organizations. We teamed up with Queens College to create digital literacy programs that taught seniors anything they needed help with, from email to digital pictures. Charlotte Parent Magazine also partnered with us for a Young Author Contest that we judged and orchestrated. Another favorite was when our professional Basketball team collected donations for the library throughout their season with a “Block for Books” campaign.

Tutor.com: Those all sound exciting. Your Library has provided Tutor.com for 10 years now, what is some advice you have for other libraries that might be looking to kick off a homework help program?

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library: Promote often. If folks don’t need to use the service right away, they can often forget it is available through the libraries. It is also helpful to work with sponsors who can help promote and fund the program. They like the idea of getting involved in helping the community’s students.

Tutor.com: What are some of the tactics your library uses to promote often?

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library: Many times we will use some of the student comments in our promotions and advertising. At the beginning of the school year we also give the schools a list of our services, including Tutor.com.

Tutor.com: Great idea! Do any of those comments stand out as a favorite?

Charlotte Mecklenburg Library : “I LOVE LOVE LOVE it more than chocolate”

We’ll be featuring one of our ten-year library clients each month.  To learn more about our homework, career and reference support services for libraries go to www.tutor.com/libraries

Twenty seven of our library clients have been partners for ten years! To celebrate, we’re featuring their unique stories and how Tutor.com has impacted their diverse communities.  

In 2008 Skokie Public Library was awarded a National Medal by the Institute of Museum and Library Services in recognition of their exceptional programs and multicultural services. This included their annual Skokie Festival of Cultures, their Young Steinway Concert Series, and their multitude of multilingual resources. The best libraries are often reflections of their communities needs. And the library is doing just that as 43% of the population in Skokie is foreign born and over 70 different languages are spoken in homes across town. We checked in with Skokie Public Library to see what they were up to now and why Tutor.com has been a successful program for their community.

Tutor.com: Tell us a little bit about your library.

Skokie Public Library: Our library serves our community of 64,784 through a single building and a Bookmobile. Last year there were over 848,000 visits to the library and an annual circulation of 2.1 million. Programming is also very important as in our FY 2012 we had over 54,000 attendees.

Tutor.com: Wow! That is a lot of visits. Which department runs your Tutor.com program?

Skokie Public Library: That would be the Youth Services Department. They offer programs, services, and a vast collection of print and digital materials for children from infancy through eighth grade. Some of those library features include our Computer Lab and Youth Media Center, our Parent-Teacher collection of books and journals which address childhood development and learning, and the library’s ‘Come On In!’ program for children with disabilities.

Tutor.com: Those all sound like great resources for your community’s students. What are some of your favorite programs or events that you’ve hosted?

Skokie Public Library: Some popular and successful programs include, ‘Coming Together in Skokie’, a reading-based program with a six week focus on one of the local cultures. Another is the ‘Young Steinway Concert Series’ for outstanding pre-professional young musicians. This summer we also hosted another year of ‘Booking with a Buddy’, a summer program which matches volunteers with students who have completed kindergarten or first grade and want to keep up their new reading skills over the summer.

Tutor.com: Awesome! With so many different offerings and programs, how do you also fit in promoting your Tutor.com service?

Skokie Public Library: The Live Homework Help graphic and hyperlinks appear prominently on every Youth and Teen Web page and elsewhere throughout our website. We also feature a linked graphic on our opening web page for several weeks during the back-to-school and testing seasons. Youth Services staff members visit schools, classrooms, and faculty meetings to talk about and demonstrate Live Homework Help for students, teachers, and parents. We have arranged real-time tutoring demonstrations with remote assistance from Tutor.com staff and local assistance from student users.

Tutor.com: Thanks for those great ideas. Do you have any quotes from students who have used the Tutor.com service through your library that you would like to share?

Skokie Public Library:

“they should never stop this program ))”

“Great service! I love to use this because it’s hard to work some of my homework problems, but knowing this is here and that it can help me, I feel much more confident in my studies.”

“This place, 100%, gets my answers answered, but also explains how to derive them. Thanks Online Homework help. ”

We’ll be featuring one of our ten-year library clients each month.  To learn more about our homework, career and reference support services for libraries go to www.tutor.com/libraries

Twenty seven of our library clients have been partners for ten years! To celebrate, we’re featuring their unique stories and how Tutor.com has impacted their diverse communities.  

When you visit the city of Park Ridge, IL’s official website the headline notes “Park Ridge -A Wonderful Place!” And that it is. With a community of over 35,000, their door count many days is over 1,500. But even with all those visitors, they still found some time to touch base with us to share a little about their library and how their Tutor.com program has developed over the past 10 years.

Tutor.com: Tell us a little bit about your library.

Park Ridge: The Park Ridge Public Library serves residents and businesses in the City of Park Ridge, a Northwest suburb of Chicago. We serve a top-rated high school district and elementary school district. Our patrons are very supportive of the Library and use it frequently. Our door count is over 1,500 many days! The Park Ridge Public Library opened to the public on December 6, 1913. We will be celebrating our 100^th Anniversary next year!

Tutor.com: Congratulations! What an exciting time. What are some of your favorite programs and events your library has hosted over the years?

Park Ridge: Summer Reading Club encompasses children from infants to adult. We generally have almost 5,000 people sign up for Summer Reading Clubs! Park Ridge Reads is a community-wide reading initiative where everyone is encouraged to read a selected title. We were fortunate enough to have the author Scott Turow come and speak about his book, Ordinary Heroes.

Some other programs include the Summer Lawn Event which ties in with our Summer Reading Clubs. We have games and entertainment for all ages on the library lawn. We also offer Job Seeker Workshops and Job Hunting on the Internet classes. These programs assist job seekers with advice and resources to aid them in their job search.  Teacher Programs provide continuing education credit for preschool and elementary school teachers on a variety of topics including making bulletin boards, using online resources, and creating story props for the classroom.

Tutor.com: What are some of the different ways Park Ridge Library has promoted the Tutor.com service to the community?

Park Ridge: Our website, brochures for students [see below visual], schools visits, one on one with students and parents in the Library, bookmarks placed in books used for homework assignments. We find that many students discover Tutor.com by talking with other students.

Tutor.com: Who uses the service the most?

Park Ridge: We have children, teens and adults using Tutor.com. While we expected the greatest number of users to be students in elementary level grades, we have discovered that the largest number of users are the high school students, especially in math and sciences.

Tutor.com: What words of wisdom do you have for other libraries looking to kick off a Tutor.com program?

Park Ridge: Promote in-house and at school visits.

Tutor.com: Do you have any favorite comments from your student users?

Park Ridge: “I really loved my tutor, Oliver S. She was great. She explained everything so well and was really friendly!!!!!!!!!!!!”

“Steve S. should receive a bonus for his great work with my questions!! schmanky thanky”

“The tutor spent a lot of time with me and went through everything. Really helpful!”

“I know exactly what to do on my paper because of [my tutor].”

The Bednar family has moved four times in their nine plus years as a military family.   Cesar, who just completed seventh grade, must adjust to different schools, curriculum and teachers every few years.   His mom Wendy works hard to choose the best school district in the area while still keeping her husband, a Second Lieutenant in the Army, close to his work.  This past year, a transition to a top-rated Florida school district was tough. Differences in the school districts’ curriculum meant Cesar was at least a semester behind in his new school.  Tutor.com was able to fill that gap and bring Cesar’s math grade up from a D to a B in just one semester.  Here’s how the Bednars were able to learn better with the help of Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families.

Tutor.com :  How long has your husband been in the military?

 Wendy:   My husband served in the Army for eight years.  He took a break from service and then came back as an Officer about a year and a half ago.  He’s going through nine months of EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) training.  The training has two phases in different locations.  We moved to our new town in Florida this past year.   We were lucky to enroll Cesar in one of the top ten school districts in the state.  

 Tutor.com:  Was that transition hard for Cesar?

Wendy: Yes.  We quickly realized that he was almost a semester behind in his pre-algebra class.  By the third or fourth week into the semester, I realized his grades were going down and he wasn’t learning the concepts.  My husband and I couldn’t help him.  We both took Algebra about 20 years ago and we just weren’t communicating effectively with Cesar.  He kept telling me that I wasn’t doing it the same way his teacher did in class.  I started looking for help, mostly relying on talking with other parents.  I was getting very frustrated when another mom told me about Tutor.com.  At first I thought there was no way we could afford the help.  Then I realized it was free for military families. 

 Tutor.com:  Was Cesar interested in online tutoring?

 Wendy: Well, I created an account and told him to try it.

 Cesar:  At first I didn’t think I needed a tutor.

 Wendy:  I explained that there was no reason to be frustrated when a tutor was right there online and could help him.  He realized that my husband and I weren’t able to help and that he needed someone who could ‘speak math’ to him. 

 Cesar:  I really liked that the tutors would not give up on me.  They helped me until I understood the problem.  I used the favorite tutors feature and worked with those tutors the most.  They really helped me get my homework done.  I also connected to tutors for help studying for tests.  I’d review my old sessions too. (Note:  Students can save all of their Tutor.com sessions for later review.)

 Wendy:  We saw an immediate, dramatic improvement once he started using Tutor.com for Military Families. Even his teacher commented on how much better he was doing.  By the end of the school year he raised his grade form a D to a B. 

 Tutor.com:  Would you recommend Tutor.com to other students?

 Cesar:  Yes.  I’d tell other students to try it.  The tutors are there to help you and they are really good at what they do.  I used Tutor.com about three times a week after school to do homework or in the evenings to study. Anytime I had a question that was bugging me, I’d just go on and get help.   

 Wendy:  I hope other military families find out about the program before they and their children get frustrated with school.  I found out about it through my mom network, but I think the community services and family support groups should help families and get the word out.  It would have been great for me to know about the program earlier. 

 If you are part of an Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, Navy, National Guard or Reserve Family, please go to www.tutor.com/military to check if you’re eligible for free online tutoring and homework help.  Tutor.com for Military Families is funded by the Department of Defense MWR Library Program, Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program and Navy General Library Program.

Marine Corps Reservist, Lieutenant Colonel Brad Lanto has been part of the military for 20 years. While he works in the Pentagon as the Marine Corps Liaison for the Yellow Ribbon Reintegration Program (YRRP) in Reserve Affairs, his wife and two children are back in North Carolina. We caught up with the Lt. Col. and his wife, MaryBeth, who is a middle school counselor, to see how Tutor.com has been making a difference for their seventh grade son, Zac. We also learned how the challenges Reservists face may be different than other military members. While Reservists don’t move nearly as much, they too face long deployments, which put many miles between them and their families back at home.

Tutor.com:  Lt. Col. Lanto, how long have you been away from your family?

Lt. Col. Lanto: I left for the Pentagon last October and I expect to be here for one year. While I’m gone, my wife is the primary caregiver and has to help with school work for our two children on her own.

MaryBeth:  Our son is a great student, but this year he’s in an advanced, honors math class and the pace is very fast. I’m never sure how to help him or if I’m offering the right techniques.  We’re glad to have access to Tutor.com.  Our son connects to tutors and also uses the resources Tutor.com offers, including the videos, worksheets and recommended websites.

Tutor.com:  That’s great. Sometimes we forget to talk about all the resources in the SkillsCenter Resource Library. When does he use those?

MaryBeth:  He likes to use the mobile app and check out the resources from his iPhone when we’re driving and then at home he uses his laptop to connect to one of the tutors for help.

Tutor.com:  We love to hear that kids are doing school work even in the car! With the app he could connect to a tutor from his phone too. Are there other features your son likes about getting help online?

MaryBeth:  Yes, he likes to review the videos of his own sessions that he has had with a tutor when he’s studying.  And it helps him with the math skills he needs. He’s a very busy student with a full course load of challenging courses and he plays in two soccer leagues.  So having help available 24/7 is really beneficial.

Tutor.com:  Lt. Col Lanto, how do you think Reservists will use Tutor.com?

Lt. Col. Lanto:  Many Reservists are going to school on the GI Bill and need help with their own work, such as having a paper proofread. Reservists who aren’t deployed may be working, going to school, and doing their drills for the military. Having tutors available around their schedule helps them get everything done.   Many Reservists also have families and multiple children who benefit from online tutoring.

MaryBeth:   Tutor.com offers so much and really is a relief for parents.  There are so many different  ways for children to learn – videos, worksheets and live tutoring.  It’s a great resource.

To learn more about Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families and how it supports families of Reservists and National Guard service members, please go to www.tutor.com/military.

Working with the U.S. Military has led our team to some exotic locations (Hawaii!), but most importantly as we travel to events across the country we always meet amazing people. One of these inspiring individuals is Patty Barron, the Director of Family Programs for the Association of the United States Army (AUSA). Patty’s energy and enthusiasm for supporting military families is legendary. It’s no surprise that she has a great family, including a son who regularly uses Tutor.com. Patty and her son Joe squeezed us into their packed schedule to share some thoughts about online tutoring, Eagle Scouts and what it means to be a military family.

Tutor.com:  Besides your role at AUSA, what is your connection to military families?

Patty:  My husband (Col. (R) Michael Barron) recently retired after spending 30 years in the Army. In some ways I grew up in a military family because I was just 22 years old when I got married and my husband’s first assignment was in Germany. We had our first child there and we learned quickly to depend on ourselves and our friends. We didn’t have family close by, but our military friends were there for us. I love how diverse the military is, and yet we share many of the same values, including pride of our country and of our families and the importance of education.

Tutor.com:  So Joe, you are growing up in a military family. How does that affect your school life?

Joe:  I’m in 11^th grade and I’ve moved five times.

Patty:  My older children moved eight times! They went to four elementary schools, two middle schools and three high schools. That’s a lot of change. When you move so much you can’t request your teachers and you don’t know the lay of the land.

Tutor.com:  Joe, how have you handled all of the moves?  

Joe:  I make sure to be really active and join a lot of after-school events to meet people and make friends. I’m not a great runner, but I joined the cross country team. I’m also part of the stage crew for school plays and I’m working on becoming an Eagle Scout.

Patty:  I have to interrupt and brag a little about his Eagle Scout project. He just finished a 64-foot bridge to connect the Wounded Warrior Trail to the wildlife refuge to help extend the hiking experience. He was actually very sick that weekend. We had him in the Emergency Room on Friday and on Sunday he was out building a bridge!

Tutor.com:  That’s worth bragging about! Joe, we know when you’re not building bridges, you’re getting ready for the SATs or finishing homework for your tough schedule of Honors English, German, Pre-Calculus and AP Biology and History classes. Why did you start using Tutor.com?

Joe: My mom told me about Tutor.com, and for the first two months I didn’t think I needed it. Then during my final math exam I decided to get online and work with a tutor to study. I had the tutors help me with all the problems I got wrong during the year. I got an A on that final. Now I use Tutor.com pretty regularly for help with pre-calculus, and I work with English tutors to proof my papers and help with grammatical mistakes.

Tutor.com:  What do you like best about online tutoring?

Joe:  The tutors help show me the process to use and break down the problems. I like having one-to-one time to ask direct questions. No matter where I am, I can just get online and get help. I also like connecting to tutors on the iPad.

Patty:  My older kids were very bright, but they were at the mercy of what I and their father could help them with, which is mostly writing. Neither of us was great at math. Tutor.com would have really helped my older children.

Tutor.com:  We are always impressed with how military children seem to handle themselves and excel at school. Do you think there is something about being in a military family that supports this?

Joe:  All military kids are proud of their parents. We are so proud of our family and we never want to let them down. We want to make them proud.

Patty:  You have to be very well educated to move up in the military and our kids see that. We really value our families and a great education.

Tutor.com:  What advice would you give to parents and students who may be struggling a bit with school?

Patty:  I learned a lot from the experience of raising my two older children (now 29 and 27 years old). Parents need to know that their kids will be just fine. If they don’t go to Harvard, that is okay. You need to know your children and what they can do and really push them to be their best. I have a nursing degree and a master’s degree in counseling, and I always gave my children one mental health day a quarter. Just to give them time to sleep or catch up on homework or whatever they needed.

Joe:  Talk to your teachers and let them know you are trying. They will help you. It’s good to figure out the best way you learn. For me, working with a tutor online is the best way for me to get help.

Patty: I just want to add that it’s an enormous benefit for students to have access to Tutor.com to get help. I really love the program!

If you’d like to learn more about Tutor.com for U.S. Military Families go to www.tutor.com/military .

Every week millions of teachers spend time planning out lessons that will engage a classroom of students. Mat Doty, a ninth grade teacher at the Crossroads Center, an alternative education center that is part of the Baltimore County Public School System, is one of those teachers. But, Mat doesn’t have to plan alone.  Mat has been participating in the MyLivePD™ Online Coaching Service pilot program since September 2011. Thanks to a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, several school districts, several Teach for America (TFA) regional districts and National Education Association (NEA) members have enjoyed free access to experienced Algebra coaches online.

Mat uses the service regularly to connect to a coach during his prep period or after-school hours to collaborate on lesson plans especially for upcoming high stakes exams. Here’s how MyLivePD is helping Mat every week.

Tutor.com: Mat how long have you been teaching?

Mat: I’m in my fifth year of teaching at the Baltimore County Public School System. Right now I teach Algebra to classes of 18 ninth graders, who all have different challenges when it comes to school and school work.

Tutor.com: Ongoing professional development is an important part of your profession.  What types of professional development programs have you participated in?

Mat:  I’ve done a lot of professional development (PD) since I started my teaching career. I’ve attended conferences, workshops and I have even provided PD to other teachers, as well.

Tutor.com: What type of PD were you providing?

Mat: I focused on helping teachers make math relevant to their students to help really engage the students in the classroom. The program also brought the elements of urban culture to suburban teachers.

Tutor.com: How is MyLivePD different from other PD programs you’ve done?

Mat : It’s a completely new way to get help. Before MyLivePD, if I had a question about a teaching technique or wanted to try something new in my classroom, I would have to wait for a larger workshop or seminar that may be weeks or months away. Now I can get help from one of the coaches right when I need it, which is really exciting.

Tutor.com: How often do you use MyLivePD and what types of topics do you discuss?

Mat: I started using the program this past September. I have been using it pretty regularly. In the fall I used it to get my courses fully planned and to tweak some of my lessons. I also connected to coaches to prepare for my observation. Now, I’m using the service for suggestions on engaging my students to prepare them for the Maryland High School Assessment (HSA). Our recent benchmark tests were not as high as I’d like and I want to find innovative ways to prep them for the test.

Tutor.com: What do you like best about connecting to a coach for PD online?

Mat: I like how immediate the help is and how personal it is. I get to ask a specific question and get a very personal experience and response. Not long ago, I prepared a lesson and it didn’t work out as well as I had hoped. That day I was able to connect to a coach online during a prep period and work through some other options. I had a new lesson plan ready to go for the very next day. Other PD doesn’t work like this.

Tutor.com: How would you recommend other teachers use MyLivePD?

Mat: There are many ways teachers can use MyLivePD. I recommend it for planning lessons to help make them more exciting and to better engage students. When you are planning alone you can hit a wall sometimes. It’s great to have a coach to share ideas. The service also helps teachers take more risks and try something new like inquiry-based lessons. And I like that I can have a great new idea and lesson plan in 30 minutes or less. It really saves me planning time.

If you or your school district would like to check out MyLivePD go to www.mylivepd.com to watch a video and read more about this new, teacher-driven PD.

In 2006 the College of Coastal Georgia realized it had a problem. As a 2-year college at the time, it was running out of on-campus tutors to satisfy their students’ need for extra academic support. With its tutoring centers daily at capacity, the College of Coastal Georgia realized it needed a program that could augment what the on-campus center couldn’t supply. That is when they decided to partner with Tutor.com.

Brought on initially to provide on-demand, one-to-one support during the evening hours and weekends, Tutor.com became an instant hit. Students appreciated the extra hours of support that better fit their busy schedules. Even better, they could connect to a tutor online from the comfort of home. For many students who commuted and were not on campus every day, this made tutoring truly accessible.

In 2008 the College of Coastal Georgia began moving forward with some exciting changes as it became a 4-year college. Throughout that transition, Tutor.com provided them with the flexibility to grow their program as the demand for academic support increased. Between the additional students and the campus’s own promotion of their tutoring and instruction services, the school decided to offer Tutor.com 24/7. Students responded and campus usage of the service during the 2010-2011 academic year was 750% greater than the year before. Anywhere, anytime access was giving students the support they needed.

With about 3,500 students and over 13,000 one-to-one tutoring sessions under their belt, here is what College of Coastal Georgia students who have used the service have to say about Tutor.com:

• “I am more confident going into tests because this website is offered to me at anytime during the day. I love it!”
• “I had never heard of a service like this before, it was refreshing to have someone right there in my house that could help me with what I needed exactly! I would definitely recommend this service to others!”
• 99% are glad the College of Coastal Georgia offers the Tutor.com service*
• 96% are getting help completing their assignments*
• 96% are improving their grades*
• 97% are more confident about their school work*

Throughout the six year partnership the College of Coastal Georgia has expanded to be a 4-year school, increased its matriculation, and developed innovative programs to assist students with coursework. During that busy time, in order to make a good partnership a great one Tutor.com focused on what it does best, providing additional support. The Coordinator of Academic Tutoring and Instruction at the College of Coastal Georgia, Niki Schmauch, noted, “Our relationship with Tutor.com has been so successful because of the caliber of the company. Between the high quality of the tutors, the constant technological innovations and the responsiveness of the client services team, we have found the perfect partner in Tutor.com.”

To find out more information on Tutor.com for Higher Education, click here or call 888-888-6726 ext: 258.

*Survey results complied from post-session surveys during the 2010-2011 academic year