TUTOR SPOTLIGHT

Behind the Screens with Tamara Thurber

Tutor Insights into Student Success

At Tutor.com, our greatest assets are our rigorously vetted and highly qualified tutors. We are thrilled to spotlight our talented tutors and share their insights into student success and online learning.

Tell us about yourself. Why did you join the Tutor.com team?

My name is Tamara Thurber, and I have been tutoring with Tutor.com for over eight years. I am also a Quality Specialist with Tutor.com. I have a bachelor’s degree in English, secondary education and a master’s degree in theological studies. I have had a variety of teaching experiences, including teaching writing and literature in both public and private schools and in a homeschool group. I also taught as a dual-credit writing teacher at the college level.

Eight years ago, when my husband’s job changed and it appeared we would be moving often, I decided to apply to Tutor.com so I could have a flexible schedule and continue with the same job no matter where in the USA we lived. That’s when I joined the Tutor.com team. I tutor English Language Arts for grades 3–12, college essay writing, async college essay writing, and async essay writing. [Editor’s note: Async is short for asynchronous, i.e., drop-off writing review.] I truly enjoy working with both the students as a tutor and with the tutors who are on my Quality Specialist team.

How do you define student success in your role as an academic tutor? Are there any key factors you feel contribute to student success?

The most successful students are those who desire to learn—not just get the right answers for an A. Therefore, as a tutor, I think a student has succeeded when they have grasped a new concept and are able to reproduce the concept in a new situation.

How do you address and support students who may be struggling or facing obstacles on their path to success?

One of the struggles that I see with students is when they feel like they cannot do an assignment, especially a writing assignment, because it feels too overwhelming. In these cases, it is important to have the student step back from viewing the assignment as a too-big-to-accomplish project. Instead, I help them break down the assignment into manageable pieces and ensure the student is equipped to tackle each piece as it comes.

From your perspective, how does online learning affect the relationship between a tutor and their students? Are there any unique advantages or challenges?

Online learning can be challenging because it can be difficult to keep a student’s interest or gauge their understanding since there is no face-to-face interaction. Therefore, it is important to create relationships quickly as we empathize with their frustration or excitement about an assignment. One of the advantages of tutoring online is that often students are eager for interaction with the tutor because they are invested in getting an assignment done or getting feedback.

What is the most rewarding aspect of working with students as an academic tutor?

The most rewarding aspect of working with students as an academic tutor is helping them feel successful. Often students are frustrated and overwhelmed, but helping them feel like they can do the assignment, they do have the ability to accomplish the task, and they are not a failure is what makes tutoring rewarding for me.

How do you work to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment for all students?

We all have various levels of academic ability, and we must realize that everyone is talented at something, even if they are struggling with the subject we are tutoring. Because we do not have the goal for every student to get an A on every assignment, we can focus on accepting each student where they are academically and striving to help them get to the next level of understanding in the subject.