Maybe it’s my homeschool background; when I think of a “tutor” I think of the “old-fashioned” sort of tutor — the kind you have instead of a teacher.  That is not the type of tutor referred to by Marina Koestler Ruben in How to Tutor Your Own Child.  Rather, the type of tutor she describes is the after-school-and-weekends type that helps with homework and assists when a student isn’t fully comprehending his lessons.

As a result, there isn’t anything here about choosing courses of study.  It’s also more heavily “academic” than what most homeschoolers require.  (After all, one huge benefit of “homeschooling” is that we can choose to avoid doing “school at home” and, instead, adopt a lifestyle of learning.)  However, with that said, there is a lot that many homeschooling parents can glean from this book.

The author calls tutoring the “academic word for parenting.” That’s a huge key here.  There is a lot here about how to communicate effectively with children/teens.  How can I ask about his day and actually get something out of him?  How can I respond positively when he says he hates math?  These are the types of questions homeschooling parents (and, indeed, to a large degree, all parents) encounter on a daily basis.  I think a lot of people who work well with children use certain tactics instinctively, but some of us missed out on that instinct.  Some of these tactics are explained in How to Tutor Your Own Child.

There is other information here, too, though, like how to use technology, helping children to organize their work, and helping motivate your student(s).

Ultimately, it’s important to recognize that if you’re a homeschooling parent looking to use this resource for homeschooling purposes, How to Tutor Your Own Child wasn’t really written for you, exactly — and take what you can use and leave the rest.  Of course, if you aren’t a homeschooling parent, but need to help your children with homework, this is for you, and hopefully it will meet your needs exactly!

I certainly consider it a worthwhile read.

Disclosure: The author provided me with a copy of the book above to facilitate this review.  As always, all opinions expressed here are entirely my own.