From Classmate Volunteer to Full-Time Tutor
Steve Washko’s path to becoming a private tutor began long before he launched Private Tutoring by Steve. "I started tutoring some of my classmates on a volunteer basis when I was in high school and college when I saw that they needed help doing their homework and studying for exams," he recalls. After a successful career as a software developer and project manager, the opportunity arose to focus on his true passion. Today, he tutors math from elementary through college level, statistics, reading, and Python programming.
His approach has evolved significantly since those early days. "When I first started tutoring, I only had a handful of educational games and workbooks, and I also wasn’t familiar with many of the fantastic online resources that are out there," Steve explains. His sister, a professional teacher, contributed games and materials, and Steve has since built a robust toolkit. He also learned a crucial lesson early on: *"It’s critical to tell each student numerous times right from the start that he or she is really smart, and that working together as a team we will absolutely be able to master whatever subject."
Adapting to Every Age
Steve works with students from kindergarten through college, and his teaching style shifts to meet each age group’s needs. For younger students, "fun educational games make the time go quickly, and we take a couple breaks during each session so they don’t get overwhelmed." He notes that his elementary students are "extremely competitive, and they have a great time trying to win against me in the educational games we play, which helps them learn quickly." In-person sessions often work best for this age, allowing for physical games like "Fishing for Sight Words."
With high school and college students, "the sessions are more serious but we still quickly develop a rapport." Steve offers both in-person tutoring—driving to the student’s home or local library in the Fort Worth area—and online sessions anywhere in the country. He has tutored students in California, Illinois, Indiana, New York, South Carolina, Wisconsin, and even Brazil.
Common Misconceptions About Tutoring
Parents often worry that their child is too far behind to catch up. "The student often feels that he or she isn’t intelligent, and that he or she will never be able to understand the concepts," Steve observes. He counters this with a powerful analogy: "I often use the example of Michael Jordan. I ask the student whether it’s true or false that Michael wasn’t allowed to play basketball at first at his high school because he wasn’t good enough. They’re shocked to find out that it’s true." He emphasizes that *"it doesn’t matter where they start; the only thing that matters is where they end up."
Steve shares a success story: *"One of my tutoring students was failing long division and was having a crisis of confidence. After tutoring the student a short while, my student's guardian called me one evening and put the student on the phone with me to tell me that his teacher told him he was now the best in his class at long division."
What a First Session Looks Like
Every first session begins with two discussions. First, Steve asks about the student’s hobbies—"to get to know them since we’ll be working together, and also so that I can use analogies to things they’re interested in such as video games or sports to make lessons more interesting." Second, he explains his role as a coach: "A good coach is someone who accepts you wherever you’re at without judging you, even if you’re behind your fellow students, while at the same time a good coach encourages you and helps you to achieve higher and higher levels of mastery." After that, the session focuses on assessment or homework, depending on the student’s needs.
Independent Tutor vs. National Chain
When families ask whether to choose an independent tutor or a national chain like Mathnasium or Kumon, Steve offers balanced advice. "It really depends on the needs and goals of each individual student," he says. Chains often use group settings and standardized worksheets, while Steve works one-on-one and builds each session around the student. He also highlights flexibility: "I drive to the location of the student's choice, and I also offer online tutoring sessions." However, he acknowledges that some franchises offer similar advantages. Ultimately, *"I want the student to be in the environment that will help them thrive the best, even if it means the student chooses someone other than me."
For more on the benefits of one-on-one instruction, explore resources on personalized learning. Steve’s dedication is clear: "I care a lot about all my students, and I’ve experienced many of my students not only grow by leaps and bounds in their knowledge, but because of their hard work and perseverance, they increase in confidence so much that it changes family dynamics and even their whole lives significantly for the better."