Back to School Fears

I can’t believe that August is already here and two of my three children will be back in school at the end of the month.  Where did June and July go and why do I feel like I haven’t spent enough quality time with my children this summer?

As much as they need structure, education and time with friends, I’m going to miss having them home all day.  I’m going to miss them waking up without being woken up by me and coming downstairs to give me a good morning hug.  I’m going to miss the nights we stay up late to watch movies.  I’m going to miss not having to spend two hours each night on homework.  But what I’m not going to miss is the fear of one of my children coming home crying because they “don’t fit in”, or because there is someone who is bullying them, or even because they made a bad grade.

I’ve never really had to worry about grades.  My oldest child has always done well is school.  She excelled without much effort.  Straight A student and always the teachers pet.

Until last year!

She seemed to be struggling in math and no matter what I did or how I tried to teach her, nothing worked.  For the first time in her young life, she brought home a grade lower than an A, and to be quite honest, I didn’t know how to respond, how to help or how to make things better.  Nothing I was doing was working and I was frustrated, sad and scared.

We thought about looking for math tutors but we didn’t even know where to start.  Living out in the country, in a little town of 1,200, you really don’t have many options.  Determined to help our daughter, we spent hours each night, just trying to help her understand math.

As many of you know (if you are a regular reader), towards the end of the school year we moved and changed school districts.  Both of my children adjusted really well in the new school and made friends right away.  They both loved their new teachers and their teachers loved them.  I was incredibly thrilled for my children and but still determined to find a way to help my daughter.

During the first few weeks of being in the school, I didn’t want to focus on math but rather on making sure she was adjusting so I wasn’t really paying close attention to her math scores.  It was only when I received a progress report that I was made aware of all her current grades and saw that her math grade was getting better.  She finished third grade with all A’s.

While she probably could have benefited from the use of a math tutor, it’s clear that some of her problems were the school, teacher or other classmates.  I don’t think I’ll ever fully know what happened and why her math scores plummeted, I’m just happy that for now, she’s good.

While I didn’t have to get a math tutor for my daughter, just having the option, if she starts having problems again in the future, brings a little bit of peace of mind.

Tips for Selecting the Right Tutor for Your Child:

Identify Your Needs and Know What You Want:  Carefully identify the subject or the topic of help needed. Does your student want help with reading and comprehension? Mathematical problem solving? SAT or ACT problems? Writing? Language? Be specific and establish firm and reachable goals and objectives based on the needs you perceive. Before committing to a tutor, be sure that you have a clear understanding of fees, the schedule of activities, and cancellation policies.

Assess the Tutor’s Communication Skills:  Can your child and the tutor communicate effectively? Observe how they interact. Are difficult concepts discussed in an easy to understand manner? Does the tutor “connect” with your student? Does the tutor clearly explain his or her approach to tutoring? Good tutors should be able to clearly tell you and the student how the sessions will be organized and conducted so that your questions and concerns are identified and addressed to your satisfaction.

Assess the Tutor’s Technical Skills:  Great tutors will have recently been knee-deep in the content you will be covering. It is much more important to make sure that the tutor’s knowledge is fresh and recent, than if someone received good grades in, say, calculus back in college. A tutor who recently took calculus and is still actively doing mathematics will be much more valuable than another who received an “A” in the course 10 years ago back in college. Determine if the tutor will tailor the tutoring sessions to meet the child’s learning style. Ask: Have they worked with children the same age? Are they familiar with the textbooks and other materials your child is using in school? Carefully review the tutor’s profile and credentials. Inquire about the tutor’s academic background, grades received, and course rigor.

Assess Personality and Teaching Style:  Is the tutor someone that your student will enjoy working with? Do they command respect and maintain the student’s interest and admiration? Are they willing to work within the students’ time constraints? Are their personalities and communication styles compatible? Monitor and assess the outcome and tone of the sessions to ensure that the learning environment remains effective, amicable, and fruitful.

Run a Background Check and Check Qualifications:  Review the tutors’ credentials carefully. Verify experience, test scores and transcripts and references. If appropriate, run a criminal and sex offender background check. Ensure that the person has represented themselves truthfully.

Monitor and Assess Results:  Improving academic achievement requires strategizing, hard works and patience. Good tutors will make the best use of time to learn the student’s strengths and weaknesses, how they learn, and what they respond to. Then they will quickly develop and deploy an individualized learning plan. Tutoring sessions may be conducted once a class, once a week, or on an as needed basis. Once the tutoring begins, request periodic reports from both the tutor and your child’s teacher. Ask your student, “how’s it going?” and pay close attention to what they say. They should express enthusiasm. You should also find a noticeable academic improvement within a few months.

If you feel your child could benefit from the help of a tutor, Varsity Tutors is currently in 14 cities nationwide and has been named the Best Tutoring Company by the Houston Press. They offer tutoring in a wide variety of courses in Math, Science, English, Test Preparation, numerous Foreign Languages, and Social Studies.

The above tips were provided by Varsity Tutors.   All thoughts, opinions and stories are mine.