Picture a family whose middle-school child has come to dread French. They have tried tutors before. Everyone was kind, but the dread stayed.
For a student like this, the right tutor can matter more than the method: someone who laughs along when the past tense comes out wrong, instead of making a mistake feel like a big deal. Feeling safe to get things wrong is often where real progress starts.
Over a school year, a student like this might start to find French interesting rather than something to survive. Better grades can follow, but the bigger change is the attitude.