Does your child need tutoring?
Most parents are conflicted with the decision of whether they should send their child to receive some extra academic help. If you’re a parent, here are some questions that you should be asking yourself…
1. Does your child struggle in school?
While some parents believe that a struggle in a particular class or school, in general, is an automatic indicator of the necessity of a tutor, a private instructor or “extra help” can make the child feel inadequate. Therefore, it’s important to understand why the child is struggling. We will point out some specific factors that go into a child’s struggle with academics.
Often times because the teacher is forced to cover a large amount of material throughout the year, there is not enough time to focus on enough practice for a subject or for the teacher to explain at the speed that some students need. In this case, we highly recommend obtaining a professional that can break down the material well enough for the student to have a thorough understanding of the material and enough practice to truly perfect the topics covered.
Some students feel disinterested in the material, feeling as though the material is not stimulating thus causing poor results on exams and homework assignments. In this case, we recommend going to the child’s school and asking if the school can provide more intensive classes to stimulate the child. If switching classes/programs is not a viable option, we provide a variety of workshops to motivate the student and teach them well beyond their current grade level. It will allow them not only to obtain interest and obtain great confidence in the subject, but hone in on his/her strengths.
Lack of motivation or “Laziness”
While many parents believe that brute force and punishment are the immediate answers to Laziness, often there is a more specific underlying issue. Often times it has to do with friends. Thus, Environment is so crucial to the learning process and an integral part of academic success. If the child is surrounded by highly motivated individuals, then the child will adapt and thus become someone who is highly motivated and push themselves forward to achieving any goal necessary. Laziness or a lack of motivation is not something that can be fixed by hiring a tutor because those same habits will simply apply toward the tutoring session, thus wasting time and money. We suggest sitting down with the student and understanding where the lack of motivation comes from and how it can be fixed.
Organization and Time Management
With so many different classes and assignments, one of the most crucial concepts for a student to master is how not to procrastinate. Students need a highly regimented schedule and a thorough understanding of time management in order to succeed. Students can complain about their excessive homework, but teachers are very good at assigning just enough homework to make the class effective while not forcing the student to spend all of his/her time on one subject. Thus, it is important to complete homework in an efficient manner, spending 2-3 hours maximum per night. All of our programs and tutors spend time organizing a study plan for the student to succeed and manage with all of his/her studies.
2. Are there specific exams that need to be prepared for?
There are a variety of exams at various ages that students need to do well on. These are called “Benchmarks” and indicate the student’s overall progress throughout the year. The best way to determine whether or not your child needs tutoring for these specific exams is to evaluate the child by doing a mock exam. If the child scored well enough, then there is nothing to worry about. If not, then we would recommend signing up for one of our programs. It’s important to be pre-emptive here and not wait until the last minute.
3. Do you simply want your child to get ahead?
Although the obvious answer for most parents is yes, it’s important to understand the strengths and weaknesses of your child first before signing up for various courses and programs. Some children need a nudge, some are very willing, and others will just be resentful toward forceful enrollment. We suggest having a conversation with the child and explain the benefits so that he/she could arrive at a reasonable conclusion, thus eliminating any sense of strife. The child has to want to be in the class or there will simply not be a benefit to the process.
