<p>Have you ever seen cases of reciprocal tutoring (i.e, A tutors B in subject C, B tutors A in subject D?) If so, the question is irrelevant.</p>
<p>But in cases where there is one sided tutoring (e.g. most of the cases), is it almost always the case that the tutor is smarter than the tutoree? If you have tutored, do you often feel that this is the case? And if you have been the tutoree, have you felt that it is the case? Even if an age difference exists? (remember that those who have potential in Subject X are said to have mentors; those who struggle in Subject X are said to have tutors)</p>
<p>Joking aside, I’ve never personally encountered a “tutoree” that I felt was smarter than me, and I’ve never been tutored. That said, a good friend of mine (that goes to Harvard now) was pretty candid about tutoring a kid he considered considerably smarter than himself. Granted, that admission came in the regional Science Bowl when said-kid was mopping the floor with us.</p>
<p>Not tutoring per se, but I absolutely have taught numerous kids who are smarter than me. The thing is I have more education than they do and I have more knowledge than they do.</p>
<p>Purely in terms of intelligence, absolutely they are smarter than I am.</p>
<p>Well, it depends on which type of tutoring you mean. If you mean tutoring for the SATs, this is certainly possible. In my school, though, if you’re tutored in a specific subject, it’s because you struggle in it. Only those who are the most skilled in a subject area are asked to tutor those who struggle. I don’t see any way that someone who teachers have recommended be tutored could be smarter* than someone who teachers have recommended begin TUTORING in that subject.</p>
<p>*I mean, smarter in THAT subject. It’s possible that an excellent English student could struggle in math… But, I don’t think that the tutoree could ever be better than his/her tutor in the subject BEING tutored!</p>