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Scenarios and Potential Problems 

• Tutee Thinks You Can Work Miracles
• Tutee Blames You for Bad Grades
• Student Lies to You About What They Know, Understand, etc.
• Student Talks About Personal Problems Instead of School Work
• Student Comes to a Session Under Influence of Alcohol or Drugs
• Student Doesn't Think You are Competent

Tutee Thinks You Can Work Miracles

PROBLEM: The student does not want to take responsibility for his/her own actions.
TUTOR RESPONSE:  Be patient with the student.   Continually stress the need for him/her to find the answer independently.   Remember to give control back to the tutee.  Have him/her hold the pencil,  and look up information himself/herself.   De-emphasize your role and highlight his/hers.   Stress what the tutee is doing that is contributing to his/her success. 

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Tutee Blames You for Bad Grades

PROBLEM:  The student does not want to take responsibility for his/her own actions.
TUTOR RESPONSE:  Don't argue. Let the student know you are there to guide him/her, but are not ultimately responsible for his/her academic performance.   To avoid this situation, you should only give earned reinforcement during sessions.   Also remember to not exaggerate improvement.  Over exaggeration will lead to false test expectations.  During sessions, point out things that will need to be reviewed and worked on in order to perform better on tests.

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Student Lies to You About What They Know, Understand, How They Did in Class, etc.

PROBLEM:  The student is too proud or defensive to let you know the truth. He/she is afraid to let you down after both of you worked so hard.
TUTOR RESPONSE:  Don't force the issue.  Look for ways the student can demonstrate his/her knowledge on the subject.

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Student Talks About Personal Problems Instead of School Work.

PROBLEM:  1.) The student may have many serious issues and concerns; or 2.) the student is avoiding the work involved with tutoring.
TUTOR RESPONSE:  1.)  If the issues seem intense and repeatedly distract from a session, refer the student to a TASC staff member or 2.) Focus on the tutee's areas of concern in school work, and develop guidelines for both of you.

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Student Comes to a Session Under Influence of Alcohol or Drugs.

TUTOR RESPONSE: Politely terminate the session.  Ask one of the TASC staff for help, if needed.

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Student Doesn't Think You are Competent

PROBLEM:  The student may be used to another tutor.   People don't like changes.  The student may also be in denial of the real problems he/she is facing academically.  If he/she can convince himself/herself that you can't help him/her, he/she can then use coming to tutoring as an excuse for not doing well:   "You wasted my time".
TUTOR RESPONSE: Don't take it personally.  Be prepared to discuss your qualifications in a matter-of-fact way.  Also, you may have to call the student's bluff.  After discussing the problem, ask if he/she would like a referral to another tutor or to a member of the TASC staff.