ESOL Students and Tutors: An Important Bond

In recent years, it is estimated that over 10% of students K-12 are speakers of other languages, immersed in an English-speaking school system.

The number is climbing, and the majority of these students are in lower grades, with almost 13% of kindergarteners speaking a language other than English as their first language or their primary language at home.

These students are faced with special challenges, and special challenges require a customized, professional approach to ensure their academic success. For many of these students, 1:1 tutoring is the factor that allows them to fully reach their potential in school.

One-on-one time with an experienced tutor can give ESOL students a substantial advantage when learning a new language. These students need an instructor who can address questions and problems immediately before a child has a chance to feel left behind.

Allowing a student to stop and ask for specific information or receive immediate feedback on skills like pronunciation improves language acquisition skills faster than passive time in class listening to the instructor with all the other classmates. The student who can ask a question and get instant answers is going to get more information and get it quickly.

But for an ESOL student, a tutor is much more than a person who can answer questions about vocabulary or improve pronunciation.

There is also the cultural contribution and confidence that tutors can accord their students. Many ESOL students feel out of place, somewhat like outsiders in the classroom with native English speakers.

With 1:1 tutoring, that outsider feeling is less prominent; the focus is on this one student and their progress. They can learn about cultural expectations in a safe place, and have a session to learn in which their language skills do not make them feel singled out. Rather, the focus can be on the lesson at hand and how to find solutions and make academic improvements.

Sometimes, a trusted tutor can privately answer questions about cultural gaps that very young students have trouble navigating all by themselves. When learning in a new place and in a new language, a little boost in confidence can mean the world to a young child.

Skooli works hard to provide students with tutors and sessions that not only lift them up academically but also socially and emotionally.

ESOL students are one example of students who face great challenges in the educational landscape of public school, but of course, they are not the only ones. 1:1 tutoring with experienced teachers is a meaningful way to provide a student with not only study skills to succeed but also the confidence and trust they need to believe in their own abilities.