Tutoring today is a $4 billion industry (yes— billion ) with companies like Sylvan Learning Center and Kaplan Tutoring cashing in. So, what are parents of today’s overextended students to do? Top professional tutor Marina Koestler Ruben empowers you to take a do-it-yourself approach to your child’s after-school enrichment. As a parent-tutor, you will learn how provide holistic academic support for your children and create an intellectual environment in the home—strengthening your relationship and improving parent-child communication in the process.   Ruben’s accessible guide shows you how to balance big-picture curiosity with the academic nitty-gritties of homework assignments, organization, and electronic resources. Building on her proven “Six-Step Session” format, Ruben shares the secrets to tutoring children in any subject from kindergarten through high school—all with a warm, entertaining tone that will inspire you to inspire them . “begins with tips to engage children in the learning process and proceeds to ideas to make education fun and creative. ...Parents who have trouble motivating their children will find this book (which considers K-12 students, with a particular focus on teens) useful and will appreciate Ruben’s organization and chapter summations.”  —Library Journal, 6/1/11 “Marina Ruben uses wisdom, experience, and laser-sharp intuition coupled with support and concrete tools and strategies. This is a must-read book for parents of every school-age child.” —Dr. Fran Walfish, Child Psychotherapist and Author, The Self-Aware Parent   “A thoughtful, humorous, and practical guide for parents and anyone interested in child enrichment. Reading and discussing this book will be time well spent.” —Dr. Lea Ybarra, Executive Director, Center for Talented Youth, Johns Hopkins University Marina Koestler Ruben works for Sidwell Friends School as a writing teacher, for the Johns Hopkins University as a course developer and instructor of undergraduate and graduate writing courses, and as a freelance writer, editor, and writing consultant. She has written for Smithsonian Magazine , CNN , Education Week , McSweeney's , and the Washington City Paper , and has worked as an education writer for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  Foreword   Parents, let me tell you two things. First, your children think you’re amazing. Seriously. You may not think so and they may not say so (at least until they turn twenty-five or thirty) but they do. Second, you were your child’s best teacher. You taught them right from wrong and how to tie their shoes. I say were because around first grade you were replaced. Replaced by Ms. Dunbar in the first grade or Mr. Silver the hip English teacher—and that’s okay. It provides you with the opportunity to take on another role in your child’s education, that of tutor. Your child listens and pays attention to everything you say or do. So it’s only natural that your child learn about Ptolemy, practice quadratic equations, and recite Shakespeare’s sonnets with you. Marina Koestler Ruben wrote this book to show you how.   At our 826 tutoring centers, we have over five thousand volunteers who work with our students every day. They help students with math, reading, and writing. For various reasons, many of our students’ parents don’t have the time or the capacity to help their children. Our volunteer tutors provide these students with a caring adult willing to spend a couple of hours of their time working with a young person on their homework. It means the world to our students to have someone spend that much time where the spotlight is on them, what they are working on, and how they can be helped. We provide training to our volunteers because tutoring can be scary. Having that young face look at you hoping you have all the answers can be an intimidating experience. We work to make tutoring fun and simple so that the tutor and the student both have the best experience possible.   I remember my first tutor. I was (and kind of still am) horrible at math. I scored a 275 on the math portion of my SATs. 275. I wasn’t going to get into a good college—in fact, I worried I might not even get into college. My school assigned me a professional math tutor, a stodgy, socially awkward man—who smelled. But he was a great tutor. He was knowledgeable, very tough, and very patient. After two months of tutoring, I scored a 400. Not perfect, but a score that got me into a great college. I know the difference tutoring can make in a life.   This book empowers you to become the tutor, that additional teacher your child may need to achieve educational success. It provides you with positive reinforcement to let you know that you don’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar to help your child prepare for a chemistry test. You just need the time and the desire. I know you have both. This book provides you with the tips and tools you’ll need to make tutoring your child an enjoyable exp