By Christine Schmerheim

• Get Organized. Be ready before you start your job.
• Keep all pertinent information with you, as you may need to call/contact various people while you are on the road.
• Keep track of every assignment for every student, as well as attendance, and dates and times of tutoring.
• Write detailed reports, and include positive statements about each child in the “Additional Comments” section.
• Communicate with OLE the minute you have a problem, and ask for help. They will help you if it is in their purview.
• Get to know the production staff. Respect their time, space, wishes, and goals. They will appreciate it and so will you.
• Make time to speak to parents, and keep them up to date on their children’s progress.
• Phrase everything in the positive, and smile. It’s contagious.
• Err on the side of caution and pay attention to potential problems.
• Be flexible and expect changes.
• When students have to send work back to out-of-state schools, keep track of daily assignments and put them all in one folder, ready to be sent home. This way the student won’t lose them and they will be ready to go at the end of the week, or the end of the project.
• Make homework slips for the students to take home with them each night. Otherwise they may forget what they need to do.
• Completing more work in the classroom and assigning less homework is better for the students.
• Be punctual and set a good example for your students.
• Allow students some flexibility; this is a tough work schedule for them.
• If the students are on task and on schedule, play a game with them every once and a while to reward them. They’ll really enjoy it.
• Bring plenty of supplies with you every day. At some point you may need paper, pencils, pens, liquid paper, paper clips, staples, folders, a pencil sharpener, a calculator, and a dictionary for the students. They tend to forget these items.
• Have fun!