Because tutors can have a major influence on the students they serve, it is important to discuss the ways that impact might manifest. Tutors influence the academic growth and achievement of students, as well as the self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-esteem of students. The first two parts of this blog series focused on the self-awareness and self-confidence of students. In this final part of the discussion, we focus on how tutors impact the self-confidence of students.
Self-confidence and self-esteem are often thought to refer to the same concepts, but they are only related. It is easy for people to confuse self-confidence and self-esteem, but they are different in that self-confidence centers on belief and trust in one’s abilities and judgment, while self-esteem has to do with feelings of personal worth. Self-esteem refers to how one values himself or herself.
Student self-esteem can be developed or diminished over time. How students view and understand themselves is influenced by parents, teachers, and peers. They develop positive or negative feelings about themselves based on self-reflection but colored by their interactions with others. They think about whether they feel loved and appreciated, understood and respected, etc. and it feeds into their self-concept—who they are. Having a positive opinion of themselves leads to greater self-esteem, while a negative opinion leads to diminished self-esteem.
For many students, high self-esteem is inherent to who they are, naturally a part of their personalities in a fundamental way. But for students who struggle academically, even if they are generally confident in their ability to eventually learn the material, the responses from others can chip away at self-esteem; their self-esteem often takes a major hit as their self-confidence fades in the face of lost confidence from others. This is where tutors can help via individualized attention and instruction. By interacting with students in a positive, non-judgmental way, students are given the chance to focus on comprehension of the academic material without feeling like their initial inability to grasp the concepts in some way reflects on who they are at their cores. And when they succeed academically, their confidence levels rise, and their self-esteem improves.
For students who are struggling, a patient and a compassionate tutor can help. Tots ‘N Tutors, a professional tutoring company that serves students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade and college, employs tutors who help students gain the skills they need to achieve their academic goals and to grow in self-awareness, self-confidence, and self-esteem. The Tots ‘N Tutors team is ready to provide quality educational services through structured tutoring tailored to every student that seeks out their assistance. Our tutors serve as learning guides, meeting with students individually or in small groups to help them with comprehension of information in all subject areas. Contact Tots ‘N Tutors today to discuss the in-person and virtual availability of tutors who are dedicated to the whole student and committed to helping them stay on track throughout their educational journeys.