Will a tutor help my child?
Parents usually turn to tutors when their child is showing signs of struggling in class, whether that be through failing grades or not handing in assignments. However, tutors aren’t just for students who need immediate support with improving their grades. Even students who perform well in class may benefit from tutoring.
Still unsure if your child would benefit from tutoring? Here are 7 signs indicating that you should consider hiring a tutor.
1. Falling Grades
One of the most common reasons tutors are hired is to improve a student’s grades. Tutors can help your child by identifying why they are underperforming and where they need support.
For example, many students struggle in class due to lacking prerequisite skills from previous grades. A tutor can assess their knowledge to find out which prerequisite skills they’re missing and bring them up to speed so that they’re able to meet or exceed expectations for that course.
2. Low Self-confidence
Your child may understand the material well but instead struggle with their self-confidence.
Issues in self-confidence can impact class participation as well as their ability to answer questions on an assessment. If they’re not confident that they’ve correctly understood the material before a test, they could get overwhelmed and underperform.
A tutor can improve your child’s self-confidence by praising them when they have correctly understood and solved a question. Positive reinforcement reaffirms their strengths and can improve their self-esteem.
They can also coach them on how to reduce test anxiety. For example, by teaching them how to check their answers on a math test to remove any doubt.
3. Incomplete or Late Assignments
Is your child putting off assignments or handing them in late? Procrastination is a cause of many factors. For example, they could be handing in assignments late or might not even attempt the assignment if they’re not comfortable with the material.
A tutor can sit down with your child one-to-one and identify why they’re struggling to turn in assignments. From there, they can help them develop strategies so that they’re able to overcome that roadblock and hand in assignments on time.
4. Struggling to Reach their Full Potential
You may not think your child needs any tutoring if they are performing well in class. But with the right support, they could be capable of achieving even higher grades.
A tutor can help by assessing how well they understand the material with respect to course expectations and provide more complex examples to improve their knowledge and skills.
They can also identify if barriers are limiting their performance. For example, they may tolerate learning through text-based lessons but excel with more visual lessons.
5. Issues with Time-management
Many students struggle with effectively balancing their various commitments, especially if they’ve just started working part-time or picked up a new hobby.
Tutoring provides more structure to their schedule so that students can effectively prepare for school. For example, a student may plan to finish an assignment before their tutoring lesson so they can review it with their tutor.
Tutoring also helps students learn how to effectively prepare for a test by breaking down the material to avoid cramming the night before.
6. They have a Learning Disability
Students with learning disabilities such as ADHD or Dyslexia may struggle to keep up with their peers. They usually need more support, especially with identifying strategies for effective learning.
A tutor can support them by understanding their learning style and pinpointing what does and doesn’t work for them. For example, someone with ADHD can struggle with processing information; a particular note-taking system that makes it easy for them to separate topics and emphasize points can be highly beneficial for them.
7. Not Enjoying School
Is your child not enjoying their classes? They could be losing motivation or struggle with understanding the practicality of the course they are taking.
Oftentimes in class, more emphasis is placed on the theory of a concept rather than its application. Tutors can provide relatable examples so that the student can understand the purpose of the topic and how to apply it in real life.
Additionally, tutors can inspire your child by serving as an example of where they could end up after high school. This can motivate them to excel in their classes and develop a new goal to work towards!
Bottom Line
Whether your child is struggling to pass their assessments or is meeting expectations, you may want to consider hiring a tutor.Â
By providing one-to-one support, a tutor can confirm their understanding of a topic, bridge any gaps in their knowledge, help them reach their full potential, and develop their time-management and organization skills.