Three messages a tutor sends parents

Parents are glad to say something kind. They just need to be asked at a good moment, in a few plain words, with a promise that their child's details stay private. Here are three messages you can copy and change.

After a grade comes back

Hi, I saw the grade came back. Congratulations to your son, he worked hard. If you have two minutes, I would be grateful for a few lines about how it went. You can leave out his name and his school. Here is the link.

Send this the day the result arrives. The parent is pleased and the progress is fresh.

After a course of sessions ends

Hi, that was our last session in the set. Thank you for trusting me with her. If you would write a few lines about what changed, it helps other families decide. Her name and school can stay out of it. Here is the link.

Send it within a day or two of the last session, not a week later.

When a parent is happy but has not said so

Hi, you mentioned last week that homework is going better. That made my day. Would you put it in a couple of sentences on my page? No names needed, your child's or the school's. Here is the link.

Use the parent's own words when you can. They already said it once, so writing it down is easy.

Keep it short and make it easy

Put the link in the message. Say how long it takes. Say that nothing is posted until you approve it. If a parent does not reply, leave it. One message is polite and a second is pushy.

Ask about progress, not about you. "What changed after working together?" gets a specific answer. "Was I a good tutor?" gets a yes.