Dabbling with Distance Education

Going to college, I had the opportunity to take some of my classes online. I enjoyed those class as it allowed me to work according to my own schedule. Even now that I am an educator myself, I still fulfill some of my required staff development via online classes. I think now it is time for me to move on the the next step with my distance education. Now I am teaching online!

It all started when my mother mentioned that my youngest brother was needing some help with math. She wanted to send him to a summer class, but had a hard time doing so without having to cancel their summer vacation. So, I offered to tutor my brother online. She liked this idea because it would give my brother the much needed review with missing out on summer vacation (not to mention cheaper too).

Soon after that, one of my former student's parent contacted me with questions about where to find a tutor. I mentioned to her that I was tutoring someone else online, and that I would be happy to tutor her son as well. Then the idea came to me that tutoring online is a great way to meet individual student needs, and because there are so many free or low cost tools on the web I could offer my services for low rates. (Ideologically, low cost education is important to me. In my opinion, the more people know the better off everyone is. I have seen tutors asking as much as $100/hr! I am all for being compensated for my time, but that is outrageous. Currently, I am charging only $15/hr.)

So, I very recently decided to go public. I put up a website, registered with some online whiteboard and appointment booking sites, and set up a PayPal account. Not only has this experience been a lot of fun, but I think it will also allow me to sharpen some of my fading teaching skills. Teaching at a large high school is interesting, but it really lacks the one-on-one attention that I would like to give my students. Tutoring online will give me the opportunity to practice the art of one-on-one teaching.

Oh, and if you are interested in a tutor, feel free to check out my website.