Is It Time for a Tutor? A


by Rachel Gulling


s the first grading period comes to a close, parents as well as students begin to feel a certain trepidation when it comes to report cards. Sometimes, the results on paper are a surprise to parents. After a bad grade, what happens


next? Most parents will seek a tutor for their child, but how can a parent tell when their child really needs a tutor?


Many parents immediately


assume that their child simply does not understand the mate- rial presented in class. Howev- er, sometimes poor classroom performance can be attributed to missed or incomplete home- work assignments. To determine whether a child’s performance problems stem from misunder- standing a subject or simply need- ing to re-adjust priorities, some- thing as simple as a conversation with your child’s teacher can help. Kathleen Kinney, a language


arts teacher at Solon High School, recommends gathering as much information as possible before deciding on hiring a tutor. “Making informed decisions is


critical to helping the student. I would gather information from my child’s classroom teacher, guidance counselor or any other adult who supervises my child. Lack of motivation on the part of the child, learning disabilities, medical conditions, social or fam- ily difficulties — so much can affect a child’s academic perfor- mance,” Kinney says. Often times, speaking to a


student, as well as his teach- er, can provide answers regarding a student’s per- formance. If your child is completing all of his homework assignments but still receiving poor grades on their tests or other assessments it may be a sign you’re your child needs extra help. Many schools offer an online grade book to help parents and


12 FAMILY MAGAZINE X


students keep track of assign- ments and performance on tests and quizzes. An honest assess- ment can help determine if a student simply needs to become more organized and more focused or if a tutor really is necessary. If a child is putting forth serious effort both in the classroom and on assignments at home, a tutor may help your student better compre- hend the material. When a student does need a


tutor, the perfect place to begin looking is at their school. Many schools offer lists of tutoring labs run by teachers based on subjects, as well as a list of honor students who volunteer to help their peers. Many teachers also have lists of adult tutors that they recommend to parents looking for help for their child. Whatever tutoring option you choose, one of the big- gest mistakes a parent can make is to leave their child’s teacher in the


dark about what extra steps are being taken to help the student at home. “As a teacher, I have extra mate-


rials I can provide for the student to work on. Or I may be able to give them their test review guide a day early, so they can work on it with a tutor,” says Ryan Smylie, a math teacher at Avon Lake High School. “If I don’t know that a stu- dent is getting extra help outside of the class, I can’t really provide insight as to if it’s working or if they are even working on the right stuff.” While there is no specific “prob- lem age” where students begin to


D- “Lack of


motivation on the part of the child, learning disabilities, medical con- ditions, social or family dif- ficulties — so much can


? ?


affect a child’s academic


performance.”


struggle and fall behind in their school work, teachers begin to see a change in students during their freshman year of high school. In many communities, students come to the local high school from various middle schools and have to adjust to being in a much different environment. The social pressure along with increased academic standards can be over- whelming. “[Students] are so used to get-


ting so many ‘free’ points for… doing lots of homework. When they get into my class and I explain that tests make up 75% of each quarter grade, I see lots of panic,” Smylie says. Parents as well as students


should be aware of the change from the lower grade levels to the high school level, as it is where many problems with foundation skills can be found. It is important after finding a tutor for your student that the


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