This may not seem like such a difficult assignment, but the performance of these kids during that moment of testing will determine whether they get into a chosen school. Children are moody, their behavior is unpredictable, and if they experience a temporary mind blank on the day of the test, their parents believe that their baby scholars will have to say bye-bye to the Ivy League. The parents will do almost anything to avoid this fate. That's where I come in. So when it comes to dragging their kid away from a favorite Disney video to teach them how to write their name, the child throwing a tantrum all the while, it helps to make it someone else's fault.
Children are smart.
They know the difference between Mommy and teacher, and to them, these differences are black and white. The parents don't want to be the bad guys, so they hire me to drill their kids for private school. I was used to tutoring older children who needed help with homework and projects. Hiring someone to teach a child the alphabet seemed absolutely ludicrous. The moment I arrived, the mother handed me a list of what was expected of a child entering kindergarten at several of the private schools in the Los Angeles area.