With increasingly large class sizes and competition to get into the best
schools, most students need a little help at some point in their academic
careers. If your child is struggling to keep up or is losing confidence,
getting them effective academic coaching can help to restore their self-esteem.
If your child is doing well, but they need to improve their grades to
get into the right college, having personalized academic help will improve
their grade point average.
More school is not the answer
Avoid situations in which your child is simply moving from one school to
the next. If you have an after-school learning center with a high student
to teacher ratio, you child will not get the help they need. If your child
is struggling with school, more school isn’t going to help. They
need personalized attention so they can discover the gaps in their foundational
knowledge and work to fill them.
For many children, struggling academically affects their self-esteem and
they may begin to feel too shy to ask or answer questions in class, further
inhibiting their growth. Putting them into a classroom situation with
a tutor will do little to overcome these feelings of inadequacy.
However, one-to-one tutoring (preferably in the comfort of your home where
your children will feel more secure) will help them to verbalize what
they don’t understand so that the tutor can effectively bridge the
gaps in their knowledge. As their abilities grow, so will their confidence.
Start with a consultation
Ensure that your child is tested by the tutor or institution so that the
academic requirements are clear. You don’t want to be paying for
tutoring sessions that aren’t focusing on the right areas. It’s
also imperative that you select an agency that teaches study and organizational
skills. If your child is falling behind, it may just be that they lack
study skills. Learning the skills they need to succeed will enable them
to be effective independent learners in the future.
Make sure it’s a match
When selecting a tutor for your child, make sure that it’s a good
match. Opt for compassionate tutors who really care about your child’s
goals. Tutors must be firm enough to get children to study and do their
homework and kind enough to encourage them to express themselves. Tutors
who nurture curiosity and encourage children with positive rewards are
better. If you aren’t happy with your tutor, say so!
More work isn’t better
If your child is struggling at school or if they want to get better grades,
giving them more outside work to do is not a great idea. Avoid learning
centers which have a prescribed curriculum that doesn’t match your
child’s. Instead select a tutor who helps your child with their
homework and assignments and who sticks to the curriculum.
It’s also vital that your tutor has the right qualifications for
the job. Ensure that they are not only familiar with the curriculum and
the requirements of your area, but that they are experts in the subject.
Pic by Intel Free Press
