IS IT TIME TO HIRE A TUTOR?
10 Signs a Little Extra
Help May Help.by Michele Ranard, M.Ed.
950 words
A few years back, my first-grader stepped off the school bus
in tears. The words he squeaked out in between sobs cut me to the soul. He
said, “My teacher hates my reading ‘cause
I’m stupid.”
It was the start of the school year, and he had been placed
in a tutoring group of five students to receive specialized instruction with a
reading specialist. Testing revealed that for reading, he ranked 19th
in his class of 21 (these rankings were obviously not shared with students).
By the end of that school year, tutoring royally paid off as
his rank soared to the second highest in the class! This journey with our son
who through the primary grades wrestled with low self-esteem and achievement,
led me into a career of professional tutoring where I have helped dozens of
students to thrive.
I share the following advice not just as a seasoned educator
but as a parent of a struggling student. I understand well how it feels when teachers
appear hopeless about your child’s progress. I understand feeling consumed with
worry and doubt your child will ever catch up. I understand willingness to do
anything to spare your child the agony of repeated failure.
It May Be Time to
Hire a Tutor If…
1. Your child’s teacher suggests it. If your
child is underachieving and her teacher thinks extra help will be beneficial, it
may be time to seek help outside of the classroom. As a professional tutor, I
love collaborating with teachers and mapping out a customized plan to optimally
increase learning and achievement.
2. You suspect or have been told your child is
lagging developmentally. It can be frustrating when they are simply a
little behind their peers, but don’t lose hope! Time really does heal a lot of
wounds, and extra practice and encouragement from tutoring are healing too. If
your child feels discouraged by a developmental delay, remind him of a skill he
once could not master yet now does with ease (i.e. tying shoes or riding a
two-wheeler). He’ll get there eventually!
3. Your student is muddling through a rough
patch. Sometimes life just happens and brings with it: hormones, moving, a
new baby, unemployment, illness, etc. Since children are not immune to stress,
they may fall behind in school work or be distracted in class. Tutoring can
provide a safe haven to study and learn new strategies to navigate the rough
patch.
4. You find yourself hiding under the bed
during homework time. It can be emotionally traumatic for both parent and
struggling student when school work is too confusing or difficult. An alternative to climbing into the dryer (I
suppose there are other more comfy escapes) and hoping for the best is to contact
an expert. Don’t feel guilty when a teacher demands parents be involved at home.
Tutoring involves patient, mindful, and sensitive measures to empower your
child without bribes, yelling, or guilt trips. Sometimes I will receive a desperate
call from a parent at the height of a parent-child homework meltdown when
actual wailing can be heard in the background. It’s okay and normal if what
your child needs is anyone other than you to help.
5. Your student struggles with a teacher. Like
their students, teachers aren’t perfect, and not all student-teacher matches
are made in heaven. My own son is oversensitive to whether a teacher likes him,
and if he perceives dislike, he shuts down and misses instruction. Our other
son struggled with a teacher who frequently raised her voice. Tutors may be
able to reach students who are shut down by earning their trust in friendly, upbeat
to sessions. It’s much easier to be funny, gentle, and attentive with just one
student—far more challenging with 30 students in the room! Often teachers are
stretched thin across a varied group of learners with multiple learning styles.
Your student may benefit from a one-on-one arrangement where they feel joined
and heard.
6. The classroom is overwhelming. Not
everyone learns best sitting at a desk indoors with a group of distracting
peers. While some students come alive in a given environment, others may feel
overstimulated or anxious. While it’s tough to control a classroom’s dynamics,
some tutoring help may fill gaps where understanding breaks down due to
distraction or disruption.
7. Your child says the issue is boredom. Boredom
can affect learning, but students may attribute underachievement or failure to
boredom when they are actually overly-challenged or behind. Since your child
may not be able to diagnose or articulate why they are struggling, a tutor may
be able to determine if extra support will help.
8. Your child has fallen behind due to absence.
If your child has missed school and is struggling to complete make-up work
and learn new material, a tutor may keep him on task and teach missed lessons.
The students I help in this capacity are often quite stressed about the
accumulation of work to complete, and it truly helps to partner with someone
with a plan to get back in the game.
9. You want to keep new skills anchored in
memory over the summer. Learning can be rewarding and fun during the summer
when everyone is more relaxed without the pressure of grades. Enrichment can
also give students an edge when school resumes, leading to a confident and
robust start to the year.
10. Your child has test anxiety. Tutoring
encompasses more than flashcards and quizzing; it can be a valuable source of
emotional coaching for students who feel anxious, defeated or discouraged. The
right tutor will be able to advocate for your child, equip them to perform to
their full potential on exams, and help them cope with worry.
