Tutors have been aiding in education for hundred of years.  Their purpose has always been to help individuals with their education.  Merriam-Webster defines tutor as a verb meaning “to teach or guide individually in a special subject or for a particular purpose.”

You see a tutor has always served a purpose throughout history.  In ancient times, a tutor was strictly utilized for educating the upper ruling class.  As we progress into more modern times, a tutor’s role took on two distinct possibilities.  First, a tutor is a specialized instructor.  This means that when the parent(s) of a child felt it necessary for individualized instruction, either for aid or for education in a unique subject area, a tutor was hired for a segment of time to specifically fill this void.  The second role a tutor historically has taken on was that of the governess.

It is the governess that fills the second aspect of the action of tutoring; fulfillment of a particular purpose.  She would literally become the school from which a child was educated.  Therefore, a tutor fulfilled two distinct yet related roles with the primary focus on educating an individual; on guiding a child into young adulthood through specific and specialized knowledge.

I would argue however, that presently the role of a tutor has been distorted.

To clear up any possible confusion or lingering questions, the aim of this editorial is not to compare teachers with tutors.  For this author see them as two distinct entities fulling two unique and necessary roles within the historical field of education.

• Learning Logs Often, for many different reasons, students forget the lessons taught to them. As a teacher, you might be frustrated with it simply because it affects...
• Golf Glossary Continued 4 Kick - This is usually caused when a ball lands on a strange area of turf or when it hits an object. A kick is...
• DISTANCE EDUCATION There are so many people who are disappointed by the fact that they could not complete their studies for various reasons. The reasons may be...
• Review: Back to Basics - A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills by Abigail R. Gehring This book, Back to Basics, covers all of the basic living skills that have been employed by our forefathers before us. The full color tome...