How to Know If Your Child Needs Private Tutoring
Every year when the school year begins, parents have a lot of worries. Parents still have several obligations to fulfill about their children’s school activities even in the middle of the year. Monitoring their kids’ academic success is one of their top concerns. Concerns about whether to hire a home tutor arise frequently after they receive their first report card. However, how can you tell if your child needs a private tutor?
It’s easy to tell that your child needs a home tutor after seeing the low grades in their report cards, but that shouldn’t be the reason alone. Remember that other factors affect a student’s learning. It can be their peers’ influence, their after-school activities, or even their teachers.
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What are the benefits of private tutoring?
Private tutoring is especially beneficial for students who are struggling with different subjects or topics. Home tutors provide 1-to-1 learning that is tailored according to the single learner’s needs so students will not have to fight for attention or have their doubts unanswered. Additionally, they are also given other pointers in areas like note-taking or preparing for exams effectively. Some home tutors are also in possession of previous exam papers that students can use to practice before taking their exams. But aside from academic skills they will gain and strengthen from private tuition, they will also learn other skills that will be helpful in their development such as critical-thinking skills and confidence building.
How to know if your child needs a private tutor?
In this article, we’re going to talk about the right reasons and signs to tell if your child needs private tuition.
1. Grades are beginning to drop
The most obvious warning sign to watch out for is this one. There is an issue if you observe a progressive or abrupt decline in your child’s academic performance. The child as a whole may not always be the source of the issue. Numerous variables can lead to a drop in grades. While a “C” on a report card once in a while is okay, it raises severe concerns when it appears frequently.
Speaking with the student’s teacher is the best course of action in this situation. The teacher will likely maintain a record of the student’s quizzes, homework, projects, and exams. While it is against the law for some teachers to show you this information without the student’s permission, others are prepared to comply. You can discuss with the teacher the areas in which the student is struggling and what steps you can take to support their improvement by meeting with them.
Keep in mind that there are a variety of underlying variables that can contribute to low grades. If a student’s behavior changes along with their grades, you might also consider the student’s educational environment. If the school is unable to take any more action, hiring a private tutor can be a wise decision. To help the student catch up before the next report card is released, it will be beneficial if you communicate with the private tutor as soon as possible as well.
2. Slacking off with their schoolwork
Compare the number of times you have witnessed your child using their phone to the number of times you have witnessed them completing their homework. Your child may also struggle with time management if they spend a lot of time on extracurricular activities and recreation, which interferes with their ability to do their schoolwork.
Activities outside of the classroom are common among students. They will divide your child’s academic time if they participate in more extracurricular activities. It’s a good idea to have a thorough discussion on time management with them. Certain students tend to have lofty expectations of themselves, believing they can manage all extracurricular activities and still find time for their studies. For some people, this may be the case, but not for others. It will have an adverse effect on them academically as well as physically. Time management is quite challenging, particularly for students who are still learning.
It is advisable to get a home tutor for your child if they struggle to balance their extracurricular activities and academics. Sessions for home tutoring typically run for one and a half hours. During such time, tutors plan their lessons to optimize learning. They will support children’s learning and assist them work accurately and effectively. They are also generally good at managing their time. Who knows? Maybe your child will also learn this skill from their home tutor.
3. Losing motivation and disliking subjects
Not every student learns in the same way as others. Some students may excel in language learning but struggle miserably in math. While some students do well in science, others struggle with notes and kinesthetic skills. It is not uncommon for students to excel in certain areas yet still require development in others. Students can grow to despise the subjects they find challenging. The student will eventually lose interest in the subject and most likely not participate in discussions, therefore this is not helpful for them. They will receive lower grades and scores in that subject as a result.
Some students’ inability to learn stems from their inability to feel at ease among their peers. When there is something in the lesson that they don’t understand, some people might be reluctant to ask questions. Once more, they get nothing from this. It is advisable to find out what your child believes to be lacking in a subject if they are consistently struggling with it and showing no interest in it. Parents can support their children even if they don’t open up right away.
The student will receive more individualized and focused instruction on the subject and its challenging themes if they work with a home tutor who specializes in the area or subject in which they are having difficulty. Because of this, students who are too shy to address questions in class can get clarification and answers from home tutors. A competent home tutor can instruct students from a variety of educational backgrounds thanks to their vast and incredible resource library. By doing this, the learner will presumably regain interest in the material and easily grasp challenging concepts.
4. Lacking confidence
This has more to do with the culmination of all the other factors and is related to them all. A child who consistently struggles academically, struggles with time management, and shows little enthusiasm or motivation in the subject matter is likely to lack confidence as well.
When they realize that they are falling behind their classmates, their self-esteem will crumble. Even if they may not be able to apply what they have learned because they are afraid of making a mistake, your child might have at times taken in the lesson from school.
Students’ fear of learning anything new is normal, but the wonderful thing about learning is that it never ends. Students will benefit greatly from home tutors to help them comprehend this. If students are unable to keep up, they shouldn’t give up. With the help of the parents and a home tutor, you can assist your child in regaining confidence in their skills and qualities.
5. Material is also unfamiliar to parents
The fact that parents themselves have difficulties is another aspect. Since education is always changing and growing, parents might not be familiar with new ideas that emerge. This will now present a challenge to the parent as well as the child. Hiring a competent home tutor may help elevate this issue if parents are not comfortable with these new notions. The majority of home tutors stay current with the most recent syllabus, curriculum, and methods of instruction. While some parents might view this as a stopgap solution, the student gains from it in the long run.
6. Complaining about their teachers
It’s possible that the teachers are the issue rather than the child. A school has a large number of teachers, but not all of them are excellent educators. Some teachers work well with one group of kids but not well with another. Additionally, some educators might not have a favorable outlook on their kids. This may interfere with a student’s education and prevent them from developing or rekindling an interest in the subject. Some institutions refuse to take specific actions for a single student. In this situation, your child can benefit from having a home tutor.
7. Showing signs of learning disability
Parents may find this to be a difficult decision, but you should also take into account whether your child exhibits any symptoms of a learning problem. If your child is having difficulty in school and teachers are finding it difficult to get their attention during class, take this into consideration. Learning disorders such as dyslexia, ADD, and ADHD are common.
Though there are numerous ways to treat learning disorders, the first step—and maybe the most difficult—is to even entertain the idea that they might have one. It’s advisable to schedule an appointment with a specialist and get a proper diagnosis if the child consistently exhibits symptoms of a learning problem. It is in your child’s best interest to receive the appropriate treatment and a diagnosis of the disabilities as soon as possible. Since one-on-one instruction works best for kids with learning difficulties, you may also consider hiring a home tutor who specializes in working with students who have learning challenges.
Conclusion
There will occasionally be difficulties in school for a student. It’s normal, and there are a few things parents can do to support their kids when they’re struggling. In light of this, working with a home tutor could be a smart move to assist the student in overcoming obstacles and growing.
Carelle
Carelle is a teacher who has been through the ups and downs of the teacher and learner life. She wishes for every learner to gain educational satisfaction that will help embody the people they want to be in the future.
