The Minimalist Educator Podcast
A podcast about paring down to focus on the purpose and priorities in our roles.
The Minimalist Educator Podcast
Episode 067: The Power of Personalized Tutoring with Craig Rudolph
Discover how personalized tutoring reshapes lives and builds pathways to success in this engaging episode of the Minimalist Educator Podcast, featuring Craig Rudolph, owner of School is Easy Tutoring in Edmonton. With a background in banking and a passion for education, Craig transitioned to tutoring, highlighting the critical human touch in learning experiences. In a world increasingly reliant on digital interactions, Craig underscores the importance of face-to-face guidance that fosters rapport and engagement.
This episode delves into the motivating factors behind parents seeking tutoring services and reveals insights into the tutoring process—ranging from academic support for struggling students to enrichment opportunities for high achievers. Craig shares the unique framework of his tutoring business, focusing on individualized learning plans tailored to each child’s needs. In addition, discover the significant impact of parental involvement during tutoring sessions and how those interactions contribute to a positive educational consulting experience.
This candid conversation addresses pressing concerns within education today, including the limitations of classroom settings and the increasing necessity for supplemental instruction. Craig’s commitment to quality education shines through as he discusses the qualities he looks for in tutors, emphasizing genuine passion for teaching and a thorough understanding of the curriculum. This episode not only provides practical advice for parents and educators alike but also inspires learners to seek out opportunities for growth. Tune in, engage with our content, and explore how humanity in education makes all the difference. Join us as we learn from Craig’s expertise—subscribe, share your thoughts, and leave a review to connect with the journey of learning and growth in education.
Find more information about Craig and School is Easy Tutoring:
School is Easy Edmonton is a home based tutoring franchise that has helped over 800 students in the 8 years we have been in business. We can provide in-person tutoring around parent’s schedules by one of our thoughtful, compassionate teachers.
Web: http://www.schooliseasy.com/edmonton
YouTube: https://youtu.be/u1wZUti34rM?si=FnDVICwb4Cgp3nes
Instagram: school_is_easyedmonton
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The Minimalist Educator Podcast is a Plan Z Education Services adventure.
Welcome to the Minimalist Educator Podcast, a podcast about paring down to refocus on the purpose and priorities in our roles with co-hosts and co-authors of the Minimalist Teacher Book, Tammy Musialski-Bornemann and Christine Arnold.
Speaker 2:In this week's episode we speak with Craig Rudolph. Craig is the owner of School is Easy Tutoring in Edmonton, so we get to have a think about what tutoring is like and how it can enhance what we do in education. School is Easy Edmonton is a home-based tutoring franchise that has helped over 800 students in the eight years they have been in business. They can provide in-person tutoring around parent schedules by one of their thoughtful, compassionate teachers.
Speaker 3:Hello everyone and welcome to today's episode of the Minimalist Educator Podcast. Today we are talking to Craig Rudolph, who is the owner of School, is Easy Tutoring and someone I've known for a long time, like 30 plus years, so it's nice to have someone from the past on the show. But before we get started talking to Craig, how are you today, christine?
Speaker 2:I'm doing very well. I'm excited to be interviewing today and to meet one of your old friends.
Speaker 3:Yeah, me too. How are you doing, Craig?
Speaker 4:Very well, I have the same sentiment. It's nice to see you again.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure. So I mean a lot's gone on since we've seen each other. Like what, 30-ish years ago?
Speaker 4:That's impossible.
Speaker 3:I know it's crazy because we're like 29. But besides, you know, seeing each other on Facebook and that kind of stuff, you've done a lot with starting a business and during was it during COVID or when did you start?
Speaker 4:school is easy tutoring yes, it was 2017, so I bought it in April 2017, but was up in operational September of 2017 okay so we had a couple years under our belt before COVID.
Speaker 3:Oh, that's good. And so what made you to decide to go into the tutoring business?
Speaker 4:Well, funny thing, I was in banking and I wasn't really enjoying it anymore. So I thought I had to make a major life change. So I sold my ATB agency but I always used to tutor math on the side. So I really found out that I loved tutoring and I was enjoying it more than my real job. So I'm like, well, maybe I can find something you know in the tutoring industry. So I went to like a franchise page, looked at all the different franchises and opportunities and I saw school's easy read kind of their mantra, what they're all about, something about the original owner, and it was fascinating. So I got in touch with her and all the pieces kind of just fell together after that and I can see you guys offer online and in-person tutoring as well.
Speaker 2:What do you think are the main benefits to the two different types of tutoring that you can offer?
Speaker 4:Well, pre-covid there was a lot more online. Post-covid, obviously, with most of learning being online, there's been a switch to almost exclusively in-person. But being honest, I don't really even like offering online to grades one through six. I think it's somewhat of a disservice because it's really tough. We've seen how tough it is where kids are getting pushed through grades and maybe they weren't ready, you know, through the COVID years. Those kids are really struggling.
Speaker 4:So I mean, mean, if a parent's really got their heart set on it, we can still do it to the best of our abilities. But, um, you know, for high school age kids they're so savvy, you know, with technology and whiteboards and you know they can do online and it's not a huge issue. Um, but most people we find from parents they want in person, they want you right there, they like the human touch, they like you know they, then they can observe and cause. Our rule is if you're under 18, a parent has to be present. Unless you're in a library or like a social setting, then they can go and buy groceries or whatever and come back. But for anything in home the parents have to be present, which is good. And yeah, that seems to be probably 85. I think last I checked it was about 85% of all our tutoring is in person.
Speaker 3:Wow, that's awesome. But yeah, particularly because of the having lived through the pandemic and being so disconnected from people for such a long time to know that people are really wanting to be together in person.
Speaker 3:It changes the experience for sure. So I was going to ask you a business question, but I'm. But then you mentioned that the parents are at the in-person sessions, for you know if they're at home, or whatever. You mentioned that the parents are at the in-person sessions, for you know if they're at home, or whatever, and so I wondered if. How does that change the experience for the students? Because or are they just sitting there passively? I'm interested.
Speaker 4:Passively. Yes, yeah, so they just have. Just legally they have to be in the same room, ok, so I always, like some of these families, get so comfortable with the tutor. They've been there six, seven years, but we can't deviate from having a parent there. That's a legality. And I mean, typically the parents are on their phone or watching TV or something, or you know the.
Speaker 4:The. They're not actively, um, interfering with the lessons, maybe with the younger kids. The parents will help, you know, with the interactions or whatever they're doing. You know grades one, two, three or whatever, and the tutors don't mind that. Really We've never seen where the tutor have come to me and say, oh, this parent's just poking their nose and do all their lessons. And you know they've already. Typically they've already tried tutoring their own child and it's failed. So they're happy to step back and let somebody else do it. And in that same vein we get I always find this comical, but we'll get math teachers that are incredible math teachers and you know they can't teach their own child math because they just fight the whole time. So a math teacher will phone me to get a math tutor.
Speaker 2:I just find that ironic oh yeah, that makes that makes total sense to me. It's such a different relationship, dynamic, isn't it? Between parent and child and teacher and so on. For sure, absolutely. I'm wondering. You know I'm still in a school, full-time. I'm teaching as well as working with curriculum. I'm wondering what is the impetus for people coming to you to seek out tutoring for their kids? What are the main reasons why people want something more than just school for their children?
Speaker 4:Okay, that's a loaded question. I can give you a lot of reasons. I would say, for the younger kids it's reading and writing. They're behind a couple of grades in the most basic of you know linguistics and literacy, um, then you'll get to grade 12 where it's we need a certain mark to get into university or trade school. We're at a 75. We need an 80.
Speaker 4:Help us, um, we have people that just want an ongoing tutor 52 weeks a year, once, once a week, just for maintenance. Their students may already be excellent students, but the parents want to keep them excellent and you know we're there every week, year round, without fail. And then there's the student that is failing, that needs to pass to move on to the next grade. So you're bringing them from a 45 or whatever. If you just get to that 50, everybody's happy. You know, maybe it's not a subject they need to move on in whatever they're doing in future, but they got to pass that class. So that's vital.
Speaker 4:And some students with learning disabilities, a lot of students have autism, dysgraphia, dyslexia, so they're looking for experts that can help with that. Some of our classroom sizes are over 30 students now. So there's no one-on-one extra help from the schools, and I don't blame the schools, I don't blame the teachers. It's pandemonium right now here. I hope I don't get in trouble for saying that, but it's extremely difficult for the teachers. I'm very empathetic to them. So the parents need extra help because I mean they just can't provide that extra help for so many students of so many different learning requirements. It's impossible.
Speaker 3:Yeah, for sure it's too much. There's not enough teachers in the system to be able to. You know we need smaller class sizes so teachers can get to know their students well and provide the support that's needed. And you mentioned that you have a number of students with diagnosed learning disabilities or on the spectrum, and so how do you navigate that as like an outside provider, um, with the schools? Do you have a relationship with the schools or is it very separate? Do you have contact, because there's a lot of stakeholders, that at play or school community members, because you're working with the children, the parents, the finding out what's happening at school and then you know if they have a document that's attached legally, and then you come in as a, as a outside source. So what's that like kind of navigating all that?
Speaker 4:Okay, well, I will say this um like, we hire tutors as subcontractors so I'm not really their boss per se, but I find them the students. But if they say they're an expert in, say, dyslexia, I need a reference related to tutoring that they are. For starters, I'll send them out on a student and I really have a one-strike policy. If they say they're an expert in it, they better be an expert in it, have at least two years of experience, impeccable references, you know, do what they say they can do. But yeah, they have to have the experience and get the feedback from the parents right away. You know, after a couple lessons typically you know if they really can do what they're talking about. But, um, it hasn't been a problem.
Speaker 4:I find just being really honest with the tutors and them being really honest with me, you can kind of filter out who's who's you know, kind of over expanding on their resume or embellishing a bit on the resume, because you I mean parents and students will know they they're the greatest um decider of that. So almost all our tutors, they'll have some kind of experience. It's just so prevalent in the school system with diagnosing learning disabilities that I would say the vast majority of ours have at least worked with ADHD, most with autism, some of the more complicated ones, like dysgraphia, maybe not so much. That would take an expert that we only have four or five of those. But yeah, we do our best and if it's certainly not a match, we refund their money and find them another tutor right away.
Speaker 2:I'd love to hear a little bit more about the tutors themselves. Are they people that are, you know, working full-time in schools and doing this on the side? Are they doing just the tutoring? What sort of people are doing it and what's the benefits for them?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I mean, it's essentially supplemental income for them. Yeah, I mean, it's essentially supplemental income. So our minimum requirement is two years experience. Past criminal record check of course we don't want to send criminals into people's homes. At least two references from a student they've tutored or the parent, and then two references, educational references. And then they got to meet with me too. So, just trusting my own instincts, meeting them. So that's our criteria. But what do all these teachers do? Okay, yes, current teachers, for sure. Some of them do it because they love it and they just want a couple students a week. Some do need a supplemental income. Times are tough in Alberta. Tammy probably hears it from everybody.
Speaker 4:I do yeah, it's been tough here. Inflation I mean inflation is tough everywhere, but it is really. It's been a pinch. So lots of the teachers do want to work for the extra income. And then in the math department I get a lot of engineers and brilliant, brilliant math teachers. Um, some have 20, 30 years of math experience, know the curriculum inside note, they can teach a little bit of chemistry, physics, general science. But my engineers are awesome math tutors.
Speaker 4:My tutor of the year this year, david, is a six-year chemical engineering student and he just wants to start paying off his student loans and he loves tutoring. So he takes on like 20 30 hours a week of tutoring. I don't know how he does it. He's an amazing guy plus his studies, um, but he loves tutoring too. So it's not a job to him, he loves it. But he must work 60, 70 hours a week, counting his homework and everything, because he's in a tough program as well.
Speaker 4:So we do let students, but they have to be at least third-year university. We don't really want anybody too young. To be honest, that's kind of our criterium. I had retired teachers teachers, fantastic, and most of them just do it because they love it too right, um, we have up until a 70 year old lady, cynthia. She's she's an amazing tutor. She's good at the younger kids um literacy. They've been very comfortable around her. You know, she's just a warm, welcoming person in your home. So, and then everything in between, for you know people that are exceptional in that subject matter. So maybe it's biology, it's a biologist, or you know, you don't necessarily have to have an education degree to teach, as you know, but they have to know the curriculum. That's without fail. You have to know the curriculum. That's, that's without fail. You have to know the curriculum. Ultimately, we're trying to get the students either how to read or better marks, or you know something tangible, um, but yeah, I, we've had tutors from all backgrounds. We certainly don't restrict it.
Speaker 3:So that's awesome to be able, because there's just so many different needs too, right, you have a lot of families coming to you with, you know, all kinds of needs, all kinds of like you had mentioned before, just like the little bumps up or the enrichment and all of that. So it's awesome to have such a wide range of people to choose from and have in your bank. Um, I'm going to switch gears a little bit, because I'm also a business owner and Christina and I talk a lot to people about their systems and like how to keep track of everything, because I mean, you know you're navigating families and their needs and then you have that business aspect that you have to take care of too. So do you have a couple of main things in your system or like kind of a streamlined way of doing things to make sure everything that you're on top of everything?
Speaker 4:You darn right, we do. It's done through our franchise. So it's a website called Opus and it will. So once we enter the parent and the student and the teacher in there, um, when we make a match, we can link the, the student to the teacher, and the parents can enter, you know, their credit card information in there. And after every lesson it's incumbent on the tutor to write a lesson report Was a student engaged? Was progress made? What were we working on? Was homework assigned? So instantaneous feedback that gets sent to the parent. If it's an older student, then you know they can be involved with that process too. Or they get a student note that the parent doesn't necessarily have to see. And then we bill them right after the lesson um, build their credit card, send them a receipt, um, cause we do have a pay-as-you-go program where they don't have to sign a long-term contract, which differentiates us quite a bit from other places, cause typically some other businesses you have to buy a 40 hour block or you know a two month term to start, but we find what? If people just need some cramming before a final exam, you know they might only need four or five hours and that's it, but then they might refer you down the road to their neighbor, or you know that student has a sibling that needs help later, so it's a good service to do that.
Speaker 4:Um. But yeah, everything's streamlined. So as long as my tutors enter their lessons into opus um, payrolls are really easy because it's already tracked all their hours that they've entered um. I can pull out my revenue versus um what I've paid the tutors and get an idea what I made that month. Yeah, there's like 169 reports on there, so I think I only use 15 of them. But yeah, it's a. It's a very efficient system. That's where it's nice having a little bit of it help Cause I am by no means an it guy. I'm. I'm a marketer, essentially.
Speaker 3:Really, I was just going to say it's helpful to have a franchise. Then right, because those pieces are built in for you. It's like my business is not, and so it's like I had to figure everything out I'd be doomed, yeah yeah, like just just figuring it all out, still honestly after a few years.
Speaker 4:So anyway, thanks for sharing that, bill craig no, of course, and I should say this they like, they're not intrusive on us, they're an awesome franchise. We have a marketing guy, we so, anyway, thanks for sharing that, bill Craig. No, of course, and I should say this they're not intrusive on us, they're an awesome franchise. We have a marketing guy, we have an IT guy, but they let us run our own businesses. So somebody in Dubai is going to have a way different business model than me here in Edmonton, even to Vancouver, to Florida. So all they're doing is helping, but they're not telling it, which is awesome. Um, that's good we just work in unison together.
Speaker 4:There's no um hard fast. There's rules and, obviously, regulations and representing the company well, but um, you know, they just give you guidelines that'll make you be more successful and I'm happy to follow them.
Speaker 2:They're the experts yeah, sounds like there's so many cool things going on there, you know, with your systems, and having that one the opportunity to do one-on-one, giving the parents feedback and the kids feedback straight away, you know, all of those systems are awesome. I'm wondering, what do you think is the special source that makes a tutoring situation really, really successful?
Speaker 4:I would say that we're very human. Lots of these companies you can only contact them by text or email. You can't get a person on the phone even even which is insane to me, because is there anything more personal than your child's learning like? I can't imagine my son's me booking a tutor without ever meeting the tutor or talking to the tutor or having a consultation with the tutor and breaking down exactly what you want. I don't want to go back and forth on email or texting, doing that like. I want a face to the company.
Speaker 4:We're just, we're like a family business. We're out I do events almost every weekend. Me and my family are out pounding the pavement, doing door knockers. We visit schools all the time. Um, lots of our contents family-based, because we essentially we are a family business. This is, this is all we do. It's our only source of income, so it's, uh, extremely important, to say the least.
Speaker 4:Um, so, yeah, and our program is obviously good because we don't make you sign, like I said, those long-term contracts. So we're one of the few places that do pay as you go, um, and we just sit back and let the parents tell us what they want. It's not, you know, some places have their own curriculum and you have to be at a certain place at a certain time teaching a certain thing. We just sit back and I just close my mouth and I let the parents tell us exactly what they want, when they want us, where they want us, what they want to work on personality traits of the student. You know you'll hear where you. You know the student came home they were crying and they got a bad mark and they want to get into university and it really humanizes the business and you really want to help these people.
Speaker 4:You know it's it's trying to find the right tutors that care, you know, that are thoughtful, they're going to be patient. It's a certain type of person that I would say we hire and you can tell if people aren't genuine in it. The first thing they're asking me is how much do I get paid? When do I get paid? When do I get a raise? How do you pay me? You know red flag alert. Of course, money's part of it, but I have to know that they genuinely care and they're going to, you know, do the best they can to help these students and be prepared and show up and, you know, have a game plan and know the curriculum of course is vital.
Speaker 3:Yeah, we're kind of getting near the end of our episode and at the end of our episodes we always ask our guests for a pare down pointer and I feel like what you just said kind of is already that. But the pare down pointer is like essentially what's like one tip or strategy in all that you do that just makes you guys successful.
Speaker 4:Well, answer the phone, I mean things like that. Or people come up to you at a show and stuff like be available. It's huge because lots of these places don't get back for you for two or three days. Instantaneously. Get back to people. So if I get an online inquiry, if I can't get to it, I'll get to it as soon as I get home and respond to people. Be genuine. I mean there's times you can't help people. We don't get to it as soon as I get home and respond to people. Be genuine. I mean there's times you can't help people. We don't have the, maybe we don't have the tutor, but I'll always point them in another direction, even to a competitor, if I have to. Just try to get them the help, because they'll appreciate that and they may circle back to you regardless if the student ended up learning and having a good experience. That's really all we want and you show that that's always good.
Speaker 4:Um, I don't see a lot of other companies out in the community doing things and give you know, giving stuff back and doing farmers, markets and stuff. I do a zillion of them. Um, it's pretty fun. I love it. You meet, then you're meeting somebody in person, maybe the student or the parent or a tutor that you hire. So it's kind of nice. It's like a first meeting right away and you just have a discussion and more just listening to what people want instead of telling them what they want. I think that's massive. And then being able to make that match right away. So we say within 48 hours we can have somebody in place with you. If we can't, we'll try to guide you in the right direction. But 99 times out of 100, we're able to do that.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's awesome. Thanks, that's. That's a lot of great tips, like the listening, the being available, because you do. You know it's clear that you want to make sure that people's needs are getting met. So, um, I did remember what I was going to mention. It was the um, your, your family related posts, I think, are really a great way for people to connect to you, right as a business owner, and just sharing, like your little ones are like I forget your kids names, but it's like so-and-so, is like answering the phone today, I guess really cute. So, yeah, thanks for sharing that. Christine, did you want to say anything else as we wrap up?
Speaker 2:No, I just you know we talk to so many different people in the field of education, doing lots of different roles, and it just it's amazing how it always keeps coming back to relationships and communication, like it's always the same sort of themes coming out, no matter what roles people have in education. That human touch, that, um, you know, being trustworthy and extending trust to people is is just at the heart of so much of what we do, and we're hearing it again here today.
Speaker 3:So thank you for that, craig yeah, thanks so much, craig, for being with us today.
Speaker 4:Yeah, you're welcome, absolutely.
Speaker 2:This episode is brought to you by School is Easy Edmonton. Discover the difference a tutor can make in Edmonton. Find out more at schooliseasycom backslash Edmonton.
Speaker 1:Be sure to join Tammy and Christine and guests for more episodes of the Minimalist Educator podcast. They would love to hear about your journey with minimalism. Connect with them at planzpls on Twitter or Instagram. The music for the podcast has been written and performed by Gaia Moretti. Thank you.
