Judi Newman’s Math Tutoring Policies
These policies are my way of ensuring that working together will be productive and pleasant. When we all have a common understanding, things go better.
My policies pertain to the areas of:
- Communication
- Fees and Methods of Payment
- Cancellations
- "Getting Started" Policies - Just for New Clients
If a client has any questions or concerns about these policies or about specific situations as they arise, I will be happy to discuss them by phone or by email. My intention is to be reasonable and fair.
I appreciate your business and your trust in me to help you with math!
Communication
This communication policy spells out how I like to stay in touch. If a student or parent ever wants to talk about how things are going, I am happy to talk on the phone or in person. My home phone number is 630-357-4544. I am not easy to reach by phone, so I recommend that you start with email or text to set up a good time to talk.
I do read text messages. My cell phone number (to use for texting) is 630-222-4055.
For anything involving scheduling, I strongly prefer email or text communication. My email address is MathTutorJudi@gmail.com. (You might also see emails from my other address judin00@aol.com.) I must be able to reach someone in your household by email or text. I need to be able to get a reply back within a day if I am asking for scheduling information. So in order to work with me, you need to give me the email address or cell phone number of a person who checks messages regularly. I do not write often, but when I do, I must have an answer in a timely manner. I also need to have a phone number that I can call when a student has not shown up or if I have a last minute change of plans.
I am willing to get in touch with teachers. If you want me to do that, please write an email to the teacher, with a copy to me, giving us permission to interact. This will give us both the email address of the other person and will take care of any concern about the student’s privacy.
If there is anything about your child that I should know in order to help them better, please tell me. I want to know about learning disabilities, emotional issues, and anything else you think is relevant. I have experience interacting with people who have all sorts of issues, such as anxiety, depression, ADD. We need to be on the same team working to make the best of the situation.
Fees and Methods of Payment
I accept checks payable to Judith Newman or cash. For most middle school and high school math subjects, the hourly rate is $75. The hourly rate for Calculus and ACT or SAT Math Test Prep is $90. (See ‘Rates’ for a Test Prep package rate.) For a college math course, ask for a quote.
Payment is by “six-pack”, for six hours of tutoring. I keep track as we use the time, and I give you a reminder as the time to pay for the next six-pack approaches. You may stop at the end of any six-pack. Please be considerate and let me know as soon as you can if you are planning not to begin another six-pack. Otherwise, we assume you will continue.
Six-packs are generally non-refundable. In the middle of a six-pack, you are expected to continue until you use the hours. The one exception is if the student drops their math class. In that case, provide a record of the withdrawal. I will calculate your refund for the unused hours.
Cancellations
This cancellation policy is intended to provide a good balance between being fair to the client and fair to myself. My aim is to make sure that people will do their best to stay on top of their calendars so they will not take up tutoring slots that they are not going to use. My other purpose is to find out early about openings in order to let you, the clients, have a chance to book them when you need extra or changed dates. Any time a cancellation is in agreement with these policies, that hour of tutoring remains in your bank of unused hours.
- I require 24 hours notice for a cancellation. (If less than 24 hours, see consequences below.) (For sudden illness, if you tell me as soon as you know, there are no consequences. (e.g. If your child stays home sick from school, send me an email or phone message right away, not several hours later.)
- I allow one cancellation per "six-pack" without any consequences as long as you give 24 hours notice. (For more than one per six-pack, see consequences below.)
- Rather than save the hour, you might wish to schedule it later the same week. I will try to accommodate you, but often, you might need to just wait a week.
- If you wish to change your session to get ready for a test that falls before your regular session, I will do my best to accommodate you. That can replace your usual time slot or could be in addition to the regular slot. Be sure to communicate which you want to do. If rescheduling happens often, we might look at changing the time slot.
- If a student cancels a whole week in advance, as we are confirming our next lesson, that does not “count” as a cancellation. (If this happens a lot, I might need to move the student into a time slot that is less in demand.)
These are the situations where a cancellation has consequences:
- Cancelling with less than 24 hours notice.
- Cancelling two or more times within the same “six-pack”.
For either of those, I will "count" a HALF hour of the missed lesson by deducting it from your prepaid time. - When canceling with less than two hours notice (or worse yet, a "no show"), that whole lesson counts. You will use up one whole hour of your prepaid time.
“Getting Started” Policies - Just for New Clients
There is a free initial 20 minute visit. This is our chance to figure out if we are a good match. The parent is encouraged to come in and ask any questions related to making a decision about continuing (or this can be done by email or telephone.) After that free visit, you will need to be in a pack starting with your next visit.
In case you need to start more urgently with a full hour, you can choose to skip the free 20 minute visit. Because you did not have the shorter visit, I have designed it so that you can continue or end after this full hour visit. At the end of this visit, if you want to continue, you would pay for the six-pack and this first visit would be number one of six. Also your time slot will be reserved. If you are not continuing into a six-pack, you would instead pay the fee for a diagnostic visit, $125. You will get a diagnostic report based on our hour together. If you later decide on a six-pack, you begin the next visit as number one in a new six-pack. A time slot is not reserved until you buy a pack.
A six-pack is non-refundable unless the student drops the course. I sometimes consider other payment plans for families that need it, but the commitment to six hours still holds.
What I offer is steady weekly tutoring. I expect to see the student “just about every week” with any cancellations handled according to my cancellation policies. The approach that I use requires regular meetings, establishing a relationship, forming good math work habits, filling in old gaps, and working ahead if possible. Cancellations need to be for reasons other than the student coming home and saying they do not need help that day. We always have valuable things to do including working on issues in their foundation, working ahead, starting to get ready for a final
I am not a tutor who works with students who need an occasional visit every few weeks to get ready for a test. There are tutors who do that, but that is not what I do. So before you sign up, figure out whether what you need matches what I provide. For non-six-pack clients who need occasional tutoring, the rate is much higher, and I am not always able to fit them in. If that is what you need, I would prefer to give you the names of other good tutors.
Only bring students to me if they want to come for help. If you are pushing your child into tutoring and they have not bought into the concept, I am not the right tutor for you! My students are almost always glad to be coming because the help that they receive makes their lives easier. If they are fighting it, we will both realize very soon that it will not work! Please do not make us find this out the hard way!
So, in summary,use the initial visit (and phone and email communications) to get all the information you need to feel comfortable making a commitment to continuing. Read the policies, ask me questions, think about what you need, check out my tutoring. Then if it is a match, let me know and we will get you into a regular time slot and start you in a six-pack.
