How to keep them interested?

As a tutor, one of the hardest thing to do is to keep your student/s interested in the subject/s.
I teach English, but specialise in SAT English (for college bound students). With tutoring, you give special focus on your student, 1 on 1, so you have to get to know them personally.


Good thing, I found some tips that are helpful, and just want to share it with the rest of you:
http://www.soyouwanttoteach.com/how-do-you-keep-them-interested/
http://www.soyouwanttoteach.com/how-do-you-keep-them-engaged/


Currently, I have 3 SAT English students. Actually, 4, but I will have to demote him to sophomore English
(let's see if he can handle it tomorrow) since he is having a hard time in SAT English. Oh, and he has been demoted to 6th grade Maths. What puzzles me is that his family is from the Dominican Republic (from Caribbean Islands), the nation beside Haiti. Yet, he was born and raise in New York, and attends Lincoln HS in Brooklyn (not a magnet school). This is how the US school system fails people.
He's 18, and will be in his senior year this Sept.
Well, based on his SAT Diagnostic Score, he obtained a 19%. To be honest, I don't think that such grade will be sufficient to enter a junior or community college. Although, he said he plays varsity basketball and baseball, which might mean that he may get some offers of athletic scholarships. On the other hand, he will still need to meet some criteria to qualify for the scholarship. My apologies, but I can read a face when I see a player, bonehead, sex-starved, full of sex, or a plain a******. My intuition rightly tells me so.


Since he is demoted and we will be reviewing stuff on verbals: gerund and infinitives, I'm hoping he will be able to answer well and that would boost his confidence.


Meanwhile, my other student who lives on the next street of my house, has been conditionally accepted to UCSD. Just needs to complete a year of community college prior to UCSD.
She's been studying advanced Maths and English to prepare her for the rigours of the college life.
She's engaging when she asks questions, but her writing is off. I expect more from her because I know she's smart.


I forgot to tell her that English 1-3 are all about writing activities. From grammar to composition,
there is a need to master writing. We'll see what happens tomorrow.