How do you know if you've found the right tutor?

When I was much younger, I started learning how to play the flute. I was in the 7th-grade band, and most of us were learning to play band instruments for the first time. However, I wanted to get better by taking private lessons. At the time, the only musical person I knew in that town was my band teacher, Mr. Johnson. I asked him if he would give me private lessons. He agreed.

After a while, I realized that I had learned the basics and was not progressing as well as I was when I first started. If I recall, he himself recommended that I switch to another teacher named Anne. He gave me her number, and for a while, I studied with her.

At one point, however, I learned of a professor named Leslie who pushed me to the next level. My mom had to take me to lessons, and although it was a bit of a sacrifice to drive there, it was worth it.

My last flute teacher was Anita Ford. She was known for being a ruthless taskmaster, but she was the one who took me from a mediocre flute player to winning at the state music festival. Was it worth it? Of course it was! It was worth all the effort and investment my parents made to take their daughter to her highest potential.

Good teachers, mentors, coaches, and tutors are rare treasures. The best ones motivate, encourage, and inspire you while providing constructive feedback on how to improve.

If/When you find a good one, value and appreciate them. You may not always like working with them at the beginning, but if you get results, keep going with them and by all means, recommend them to others who could benefit from their expertise.

• Accent Reduction

• ESL (English as a Second Language)

• Business English

• Spanish

• Portuguese

• Test Preparation (TOEFL, IELTS, TOIEC, etc.)

• Writing

• Proofreading

• Public Speaking

• Spelling