The reasons that bring someone into tutoring may depend on the individual. These reasons often arise from situations that many students are facing now that lead to them needing some extra help. Below are statements we’ve heard from families searching for assistance this school year.
- “My child just doesn’t like math.”
This is one of the most common statements math tutors hear. Sometimes this is given as reason alone, but more often this is said along with one of the others. With younger students especially, we tend to find that they don’t like math when it is difficult. When the tutoring offers them more confidence, sometimes we find students saying math really is not so bad after all.
- “They really want to go into a science major in college and will need math”
STEM fields are increasing in popularity these days, but the classes, the training, and the careers are all very math intensive. Many of these students have the capacity to succeed in the courses, but need the extra support to reach their full potential. They also need a strong understanding for a base to use as they go through their later courses.
- “They used to be so good at math, but now their grades are dropping and they don’t seem to understand the class.”
It’s become increasingly common for students who are in accelerated programs to start out strong with in elementary math, but somewhere along the line they hit a roadblock and the class doesn’t come as easily anymore. This often occurs somewhere between Pre-Algebra & Geometry, although it can happen at any time.
- “They go to class, take notes, do homework, but their grades are low because they keep failing tests.”
Many people suspect test anxiety when this occurs. Sometimes that is the case, but there are a few other options as to why this can occur. Typically, we start to determine the source of this problem by addressing the students’ problem solving methods, reviewing their notes, and taking a look at past tests and quizzes to see where points have been lost. For students who do suffer from test anxiety, we typically coach them on some coping mechanisms they can use to increase their calmness during testing.
- “All their class materials are online, and they don’t know how to learn from it alone.”
In our initial meetings with students we’ve been hearing more and more often from students that they “don’t have a textbook.” Most schools have implemented digital textbooks, digital homework assignments and practice, and even digital lessons. Although these can be great resources when used correctly, most students have not been taught the study skills they need to use these digital resources and learn from them.
- “Their grades are okay, but they feel like it’s challenging and I want to be sure they keep up.”
I’m actually really excited when I hear this one because it means you as the support system are getting ahead of the problem before it becomes overwhelming to the student. This gives the student an opportunity to view the challenge as something they can overcome, rather than a mental block to getting started. This also can help prevent grades from dipping too low, which can be really demoralizing.
- “My child needs help with their homework and studying, but it’s been years since I took this class and I don’t remember enough to help them.”
I understand! Even as tutors, we don’t tutor every single subject. The ones we do teach, we’ve been working with over and over so they can stay fresh in our minds.
- “The pace of the class is so fast, they can’t seem to catch up and are constantly getting overwhelmed.”
Honors classes are incredibly fast paced. Unfortunately, they favor the amount of material taught over increasing the difficulty or critical thinking skills. The teachers are required to cover a certain amount of material before the end of the course which often leads to rushing through units and moving on too quickly. Students who try to catch up, are left behind when a new topic is introduced.
- “They didn’t take math senior year, but now that they’re in college and taking it again, they can’t remember some of those skills”
This is one of the main reasons I recommend that students do not skip math senior year. If a student does need a gap (senior year, or even just over summer break) I usually recommend making it an ‘active break.’ There should be some light review so the skills are still fresh enough to be used when they need it again.
- “I want to be sure they really understand this class so they have a strong foundation for the tougher classes they will face later on.”
I cannot stress enough how important this is. It’s so frustrating to students to get to upper level math and science classes and be missing some of the more foundational skills. They can get a little demotivated having to backtrack. Although it is still possible to pick those skills up, it definitely is better to have them in place beforehand.
- “There is no regular teacher for my child’s class, but they still have tests and are expected to learn on their own.”
Unfortunately this crisis is something that affects the student, but the student has no control over it. It’s also become increasingly common in the past few years. When I hear this, we are often really needing to make sure the student knows how to take notes and utilize what materials they have available to them. This is where a combination of study skills and full lessons in tutor sessions become really crucial.
- “We’re struggling to implement study habits and need some consistent support”
The regularity of having a set tutoring appointments on their schedule is really helpful for a lot of students in beginning to show greater consistency. Of course, this is only one piece of the puzzle, but it becomes the cornerstone for them in getting back on track. We developed our Academic Success Coaching programs for exactly this reason as well, and now have it integrated into private tutoring because of how crucial it is to overall academic success. Through private assessment and group study skills coaching, we re-train young students to maximize their potential and reduce mental load.
- “Their sport schedule is very demanding and when they get home in the evenings they don’t have the energy to work on something they don’t understand.”
This is tricky for a lot of young athletes, and I really feel for them. We have many students not getting home until 7 or 8 PM in the evenings during their sport’s active season. This makes it hard to get study and work time done as well as their rest before the next day. For students like this, it becomes incredibly important to learn how to manage their time. By teaching them how to prioritize, break tasks into chunks, work efficiently, we can significantly reduce the mental drain they are facing. Their workload is eased even further when they understand the class, since work they understand takes less time.
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