TUTOR SPOTLIGHT

Behind the Screens with John Daykon

Tutor Insights into Student Success

At Tutor.com, our greatest assets are our rigorously vetted and highly qualified tutors. We are thrilled to spotlight our talented tutors and share their insights into student success and online learning.

Tell us about yourself. Why did you join the Tutor.com team?

My name is John Daykon, and I have been working as a tutor with Tutor.com for nearly six years and as a quality specialist for four years. My educational background includes an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and a graduate degree in business administration. While I’ve also worked for a large software company for the past 18 years, I have nearly 20 years of teaching experience as an adjunct professor in business and mathematics, a role that illustrates my love of teaching. When working as an instructor, I have always truly enjoyed the one-on-one interaction with students, and I often work with them before and after class to help ensure they understand the concepts being taught. In fact, it was this activity that made me consider tutoring to share my knowledge and help students.

I define success, when working with a student, on how the student’s demeanor is at the end of the session. When a student is struggling, they often seem down on themselves and reserved.

By joining Tutor.com, I was able to help students on my own schedule. I started as a statistics tutor, and quickly added subjects such as mathematics and technology (Microsoft Excel® and PowerPoint®). Today, I work with kids as young as first grade all the way through graduate school students—it’s never the same day twice at Tutor.com, and I find that to be amazing! As a quality specialist, I’ve been able to continue tutoring while working with other tutors to ensure that we all are delivering a great experience to the students who seek our help.

How do you define student success in your role as an academic tutor?

I define success, when working with a student, on how the student’s demeanor is at the end of the session. When a student is struggling, they often seem down on themselves and reserved. When a student is having success, they are more upbeat and positive. It is always my goal to help students and make them feel positive about their learning.

How do you support and guide students in setting and reaching their academic goals?

It’s so important to talk to the student at the beginning of the session to see what they need help with so you can set expectations upfront. Sometimes students come to us with more work than we can cover in a session, so being able to set an expectation with them early on and say, Let’s try to get to a certain point, is key. Also, when you circle back around and ask the student if they have any questions, it’s a great time to ask if they feel they got what they needed in the session.

How do you address and support students who may be struggling or facing obstacles on their path to success?

This is a common occurrence with students who are seeking help in statistics and math. It’s important to let the student know that you’re their partner and there to help—when there’s a difficult concept, you’ll work on it together as a team. Making sure that the student realizes that we (tutors) are a partner in their education is key.

What is the most rewarding aspect of working with students as an academic tutor?

Seeing students have that aha moment is the most rewarding aspect to me personally. Everyone learns differently, and as tutors we must figure out what is the best way to connect with the student. When the student has a breakthrough, and something just click, it’s rewarding to know that you helped!

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