As a parent, I know that there are many questions that come up about our children. How are they doing in school? Are they happy? Do they have friends? I am a certified teacher, a tutor, and a mother of two boys ages 15 and 12. This question comes up frequently in conversations with other parents.
1. How do I know when my child needs a tutor? There are many signs that your child may need a tutor.
A young child (4 or 5) may be having difficulty with reading or remembering letters. Those children can definitely benefit from extra support which you may not have the time or patience to do yourself.
A struggling student - Has your child ever complained about not getting something even after the teacher explained it? If the homework is sloppy, incomplete or just wrong, this may be a sign that the child needs a tutor.
Take a look at the confidence level and/or anxiety about school. Are they ever complaining that they are usually the last one done with classroom work or that the teacher is going too fast for them to grasp the concept?
There may be an undiagnosed learning challenge such as ADHD or another specific learning problem. You may want to consider getting your child evaluated for a possible cause for his/her problem. However, please be advised that even though your child may have a problem, he/she may not qualify for extra services. If this is the case, then tutoring is essential!
When you go to parent/teacher conferences, listen to what the teacher is saying. If they indicate to you that they are having difficulty in a particular area, this would be a sign that the child needs a tutor.
If a child has an IEP or a 504 plan, it usually would be beneficial for the child to have a tutor.
Other reasons to have a tutor might be that you want your child to be challenged more than they are at school. You could use a tutor as an enrichment program. Due to budget cuts, many school districts have cut some of the extra programs that they once had.
To summarize, a tutor can be beneficial to regular education students as well as students that need extra support. If you would like to contact me about tutoring your child, please visit my profile http://www.care.com/r/tutor/lindal284. I would be happy to answer any questions you may have.
This is the first in a series of questions about tutoring that I will be discussing. Please check out my blogs weekly.
