A recent report from the Department of Education showed that the reading and math levels of students across the nation declined during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a new online platform is offering parents a solution to help their kids with their unfinished learning and assist students in achieving academic success.
Teachers1on1 is a new online platform that allows parents to choose from a wide selection of certified teachers and tutors to help their children with learning and school work. The platform boasts that over 500 teachers have been approved. All teacher applicants are extensively vetted, which includes a background check and proof of license to teach.
Cicely Woodward, who is a member of the advisory board for Teachers1on1, points to "high quality" educators as the reason the platform stands out.
"Teachers1on1, I think, is very distinct and different from some of the other tutoring platforms that are out there. And the reason is because the high quality instruction is delivered by teachers who are qualified, vetted and licensed," Woodward told Fox News Digital. "They've been in the field. They understand what it means to deliver high quality instruction to students. And I think that it's so important that we uplift and empower teachers."
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Woodward, who has been teaching since 2003, noted the importance of parents being able to choose the teacher best suited for their child and how the one on one aspect really makes a difference.
"The instruction is very personalized. And the students get to experience these top tier teachers because Teachers1on1 does a beautiful job of recruiting teachers from a variety of teaching settings. And so they get teachers from all over the country. They get their pick. And then they get to work with these teachers on a one on one or small group setting that really makes a difference and impacts learning," she said.
A parent named Jeff who used Teachers1on1 for math tutoring for his daughter, echoed the positive impact the one on one time had on his child.
"This allowed her to have a really good one on one experience with a teacher. And I don't know if we got really lucky or if all the teachers are as great as the one we had, but she was super engaging and fun and, you know, our daughter isn't a huge fan of doing math, especially after she's already done online class and all that. So it was a good experience for her," he told Fox News Digital.
When asked if he and his wife would recommend Teachers1on1, Jeff responded that he has already referred it to other parents.
"Yeah, definitely. So I have actually referred it to other people," Jeff said. "The teachers are just super engaging and because they can be one on one, I think it allows them to really cater to that child and make sure that they're keeping that child engaged. So I do think that even if a kid is struggling with remote learning and things like that, this would definitely be a good platform for them to enhance their learning, just because it is a lot more personalized and the teacher can be a lot more engaged."
Once a parent selects a teacher for their child, the tutoring sessions use the web product provided by Teachers1on1 which includes live chat, video and voice calls and, what they describe as their "flagship feature," their real-time collaboration tools. Those tools are a virtual interface that includes a whiteboard, screen and file sharing.
Jessica Christenberry, an educator who is listed on the platform, praised the Teachers1on1 interface, complimenting the ease of access it provides when tutoring a student.
"The nice thing about the Teachers1on1 platform is you're able to upload documents, and then you can write right on the document and the student can write right on the document. And as you're scrolling through the work that you did, let's say on problem number one for math, it stays with that same problem," Christenberry said. "Whereas on other platforms and on Zoom, you can't even write on the document with them. But other platforms that I've been with, when you scroll, the work doesn't scroll with it, so then it covers up the next question. You have to erase it, and then you can't go back to see what the student did or what you wrote. So, yes, this platform is a lot more intuitive for this type of work that we're doing."
Every session is recorded and accessible by the student, parent or teacher, a feature that both Jeff and Christenberry praised.
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The COVID-19 pandemic forced students and educators to remote learning which many, including Jeff's family and Christenberry, found challenging. Both said the Teachers1on1 interface and the more personalized settings make it a different and better experience than the tools that were typically available under COVID.
"When I would have multiple students in the classroom and then some at home, it was really hard to be able to tell or to make sure that everyone was engaged. You know, being on a screen, especially when their volume's muted, unless I was looking at every single student at one time, was kind of hard when I'm trying to share my screen and all that kind of stuff," Christenberry said. "So, yes, having one student is much easier for the management piece and to make sure that they're understanding and staying engaged because they're expected. They're the only one that is responding versus, you know, half the class that's responding."
Fox News Digital asked Jeff, Woodward, and Christenberry if elected leaders and schools should be pursuing programs like Teachers1on1 to help students who have fallen behind due to the pandemic. All were in agreement that programs like Teachers1on1 would help and that elected officials should enact policies that offer resources to schools or families to pursue this type of one on one tutoring.
"If this was somehow school sponsored and parents didn't have to pay for it, or maybe got a subsidized rate or maybe got a certain dollar amount to use each school year or something like that. That would be amazing," Jeff said. "I think every parent should be using it because they can help with the kid's homework. They can help them really learn deeper in certain areas. I think it would be amazing."
