With flexible scheduling and access to a wider range of tutors, personalized learning, and the comfort of a familiar environment, virtual tutoring continues to be a great option for many families.

In 2017, our current Operations Director Staci Stutsman joined our team as a 1:1 in person tutor in the San Francisco Bay Area. She lived in Oakland but worked mostly with students in San Francisco, creeping through bridge and city traffic or hopping on the BART (San Francisco’s public transit system) to meet with students. Once in a while, she would get lucky and have an East Bay student to work with but, mostly, she was bopping around San Francisco to work with middle and high schoolers on their humanities skills. At one point, though, a South Bay student wanted to work with her and the commute was just a bit too far. So, Staci began working with that student online, meeting weekly around that student’s very busy school and robotics schedule to help improve her high school writing skills. Because it was online, Staci was able to easily flex her time to fit this very busy high schooler in on a flexible schedule. Simultaneously, a few of Staci’s San Francisco students were requesting more frequent check-ins between sessions. While Staci wanted to give these students as much support as she could, she was limited by how often and when she could cross the bridge to help them out. So, she began suggesting online check-ins for 15-30 minutes between sessions. It was great. Students got the support they needed on a flexible schedule and Staci was able to maintain relationships over longer periods of time, even if she or the students moved (in fact, to this day, Staci will still work with these same students on a one-off basis 6 years later when they need essay help, even though she’s now moved to Oregon!). 

When Staci joined the Tutor Corps team as a full-time staff member in 2018, she had a goal: how could we use online tutoring to expand our impact on student learning outcomes? How could we replicate what she’d developed with her own students? So began our quest to launch the strongest online tutoring business, just 2 years before the pandemic was going to necessitate it. We trialed several platforms before finally deciding in fall 2019 that the emerging Zoom technology would be the best fit. We curated a wealth of resources (both digital and physical) to promote hands-on learning, even while working virtually. We also worked to closely replicate the “shoulder-to-shoulder, same-side-of-the-table” feel of in-person tutoring by researching the very best document cameras so that students could share their work in real time. As such, when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, we were in the very lucky position to continue to support our students at the highest level possible, even at a time of great stress for so many families. 

During early phases of the pandemic, families and their children found themselves abruptly thrust into remote learning. Although virtual learning enabled students to continue their education, it didn't work for everyone. Unfortunately, many students found themselves struggling with distractions at home and an overall lack of structure, not to mention the anxiety and uncertainty that our young people were feeling along with the rest of the world. 

As in-person learning and activities have slowly returned, it's natural that some families may feel reluctant to seek virtual academic support. When they think of “online learning,” they think of crowded, distracted 30+ student Zoom classes. But, that’s not us. While in person tutoring is the right fit for some families, we firmly believe in the strength of online tutoring, not as an unfortunate necessity of the pandemic but as a vital component of student success and learning in the 21st century. Our online tutoring program, guided by Staci’s early-adopter experiences, has been designed to truly serve student needs. 

Our students and families tend to find that online tutoring works for them for the following reasons: 

Flexibility and Convenience

One of the biggest advantages of virtual tutoring is the flexibility it offers. With virtual tutoring, students can attend sessions from anywhere, at any time, as long as they have an internet connection. This eliminates the need for students to travel to a specific location (hello, traffic!), and it also allows for more scheduling flexibility. For example, if a student has a busy schedule with after-school activities, they can still attend tutoring sessions without having to worry about transportation.

More Personalized Learning

As with all 1:1 learning, virtual tutoring provides a personal learning experience for students because the tutor can easily customize the session to meet the specific needs of the student. But, with online tutoring, tutors are able to more easily develop this customized relationship over several years, even if life changes move them out of your child’s immediate vicinity. We have many students who’ve been working with the same online tutor for 4-5 years! 

A More Comfortable Learning Environment

Another advantage of virtual tutoring is that it can provide a more comfortable learning environment for students. Students who feel shy with new people or confined in a sterile classroom may take more time to be receptive to tutoring sessions. The virtual setup allows them to build rapport and learn in a familiar environment. This can help students feel more relaxed and engaged, which can ultimately lead to better learning outcomes.

Access to a Wider Range of Tutors

Here at Tutor Corps, we work with almost 200 tutors all across the country. When geography isn’t a factor, we can truly hire the best of the best tutors from across the country. Working with a tutor virtually also allows us to find the very best tutor fit from our pool, regardless of where they may be located. We are able to prioritize matching you with a tutor who specializes in specific subjects or who has a particular teaching style and personality that works best for your child.

Increased Engagement and Interaction

Finally, virtual tutoring can also increase student engagement and interaction. Our virtual tutors can use a range of multimedia tools to enhance their student’s learning experience, such as screen sharing, interactive whiteboards, and chat features. This can help keep students engaged and motivated throughout the entire session, which will ultimately lead to better learning outcomes.

We understand that the experiences that many children had during the remote learning period can make them apprehensive about virtual tutoring sessions. We encourage you and your kids to give us a try. If after three sessions you decide Tutor Corps is not a good fit for you, Tutor Corps will refund your registration fee and credit up to those three tutoring sessions. Throughout the entire tutoring engagement, our team will be in close contact with you to make sure that your child is getting exactly the support they need. 

Tutor Corps was in the virtual tutoring space long before the Covid-19 pandemic, and we know that it can be a great option for many families. Virtual tutoring is here to stay, and Tutor Corps is prepared to make sure that our students are successful in this post-pandemic era.