It depends. Each has its purpose and role. While many roles of a teacher and tutor overlap, one difference between each is that the teacher presents curriculum and guides the student through the curriculum to help the student learn about a particular subject. Teachers may guide students through more than one subject.  

A tutor will help break the learning down further, making sure the foundation skills are in place and then focusing on areas of learning or skills the student may struggle with. A tutor will spend more or less time on an area of learning, depending upon the difficulty grasping the learning. A tutor will additionally personalize, or individualize the learning beyond what can be done in a classroom setting.  

As a coach, I work with students, parents, or teachers to help them reach personal or professional learning goals. For students this might mean learning to organize information, assignments, or how to prioritize tasks. Coaching might include developing mental skill sets such as problem solving, planning, analyzing, memory, or mental flexibility. We call these executive function skills. I often coach parents in trauma informed parenting and teachers in trauma informed teaching. Understanding the impact of stress and trauma is critical in raising strong, stable children, and in being strong and stable ourselves. When we look at individuals through a lens of trauma (or stress), we see their behavior, or who they are, as a result of their experiences and genetic makeup. We are all what our experiences have shaped us to be. Knowing and understanding this on a deep level helps us be more accepting and supportive of ourselves and of others. This is probably some of the most valuable information we could learn, individually for ourselves and our children, and as individuals in a collective society. During this last year, most everyone has experienced some level of stress. For many, this has resulted in trauma. By learning about stress, trauma, and resiliency we can alleviate the long-term effects of trauma on our health and well-being. 

I find that when I am teaching or tutoring students, I often find myself coaching parents.  Parenting can be tough. Meandering the world of parenthood, work, a pandemic, and your child’s learning can be overwhelming. Coaching parents can be an effective means of supporting your child’s learning and behavior.