Tutor-Private Teaching and Learning

Human relations can safely be said to be a basic human necessity. In most cases it is regarded as one of the social or spiritual needs of the individual.

A good teacher – a good speaker.
The profession of a teacher obviously implies the ability to speak in public: to pupils, parents, colleagues. Is this ability inborn/ Can a person acquire it through training? There are teachers whose speech is fluent and they can make their listeners mesmerized. There are others and you drop off or get bored while listening to them even if the things they are talking about are extremely exciting. We have met both types and cannot help agreeing: the way of speaking and introducing the facts is even more important than the facts themselves.

How to communicate effectively?
Public speaking is difficult. Even one pupil is already public for a good teacher. If a teacher can seize the attention of one person, he will manage to do it if his audience is quite big. The aim of communication must be absolutely clear. An old saying goes: if you don`t know where you are going, any road will lead you there. In a world where there are many side paths – both to speaker and listener, a teacher must be sure just what message he is taking to his pupils. The kind of message transported makes a difference. There are messages of information, of persuasion, of suggested action and these are often combined. It`s important for a teacher to reinforce a message. Every message that is read, listened to, viewed has some value. But it is the reinforced message that will be remembered and acted upon. A key idea must be repeated in varied settings, be exhibited from varied points of view, with different instruments of communication. The old message in a new setting prevents boredom.

Both parents and teachers want children to behave. Do children really know what is safe and what is dangerous, what is socially appropriate and what is not.

Ways of disciplining children.
Both parents and teachers can take privileges away, remove their attention, tell the children off, scold and even smack them. Such ways of disciplining children don`t require much effort and usually have an immediate effect. A negative one. Children start solving their problems by punching and hitting others. Raising a voice only works, if a child is doing something really dangerous. But if a teacher shouts all the time, a child takes little notice. ”Telling off” is only successful if a child takes seriously what teachers or parents say and if they have a child`s full attention. In this situation both a teacher and a parent should be clear, firm and confident. One of the most effective means of disciplining children is removing attention of the adults. It really hurts a child. It`s cruel to use this method too long. As for the punishment, the situation seems to be contradictory. Are the parents and teachers always waiting for a child`s misbehavior to happen?

Rewards.
Another question arises: why not catch a child being good? The adults are much better at recognizing bad behavior than at noticing the good things. Certainly, it`s more enjoyable to be rewarded than punished. The most effective of all rewards is parents` and teachers` attention. Even a few seconds of it make a child really happy. The adults are quick to criticize and slow to praise. Both parents and teachers shouldn`t be afraid to over praise a child. The whole world will tell him what is wrong with him. It will be done loudly and frequently. The people, who surround a child should tell a child what is right about him.