You asked and you shall now receive. It’s only fair for us to share all of this stored up knowledge about big kids and their physical, social and emotional development as they grow. We now will answer, in a very public forum, all of those burning questions about big kids – children five and up. Each month, we will tackle a commonly-asked-question from the point of view of a parent with a big kid. Chiming in to give feedback will be an expert (you know, someone who does this for a living). Earmark, share and add your own input to today’s question; it’s good karma.
How do I know if my child needs a tutor?
As someone who taught and tutored for many years, the question of how to know if your child needs a tutor is a great one! Once the school year is under way, your child’s class teacher may recommend some level of tutoring. My advice to parents when this happens is to ask that teacher as many questions as you need to be crystal clear on why they are suggesting this and what areas the tutor should focus on. For example, some great questions to ask are:
- What areas does my child need support in (reading, writing, math, etc.)?
- How many times per week of tutoring is ideal (tutoring can be very expensive so the “ideal’ may not be practical, but as least you have an idea of how much support is recommended)?
- Is the tutoring temporary or does the teacher envision it to last all year?
- Would my child benefit from a “homework helper” or “learning specialist” as the tutor?
I also found these “signs that your child may need a tutor” written for Mommybites by Dimity Kirwan, CEO & Founder of Beyond Teaching, very helpful.
Here are some more clear and less obvious signs that your child might need a tutor:
- Your child receives failing or poor grades (curricula often build on earlier units, so getting a tutor after the first quarter/trimester can help your child for later concepts).
- Your child makes excuses about why homework isn’t getting done or gets easily distracted while doing it.
- Your child takes an unusually long time to complete a basic homework assignment.
- Your child seems unhappy in school or expresses frustration with a subject or teacher.
- A teacher communicates with you about your child’s behavior or grades (students tend to act out when they’re struggling with a subject).
- Your child seems to work hard, but still receives mediocre grades.
- Your child says he is bored in class (this means he needs to be challenged, or she is struggling and translating this into boredom).
- Talking about standardized tests or exams triggers stress and anxiety in your child.
- Warnings: high grades don’t always mean a student understands the work. Kids who are sensitive about their grades can find ways to make it up through extra credit, retaking tests, etc.
There are always ways for parents to help their child, even if it’s subtle!
- Talk with your child about his/her work; ask if he/she needs help (car rides are always a good time to do this – you have a captive audience).
- Check homework everyday (assigned by the school and the tutor).
- Structure time to do homework.
- Provide a quiet place to study.
- Be available to help, but don’t do the work.
For more information, check out the full article on children and tutoring.
Ultimately, better performance in school translates to higher self-esteem and success later in life, and sometimes all students need is for an adult to reach out and ask if they need help!
For information on how to find a tutor, visit www.gobeyondteaching.com or email Dimity at dimity@gobeyondteaching.com.
