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January 8, 2014

When is the right time to get my child a tutor?

If you are asking yourself this question, chances are the answer is “Right now!” At the very least, it is well worth exploring your private tutoring options if you are concerned that your child may need additional assistance outside of the classroom.

An apt analogy for this situation is a boat that is taking on water in a lake. If nothing is done, there is absolutely no question that at some point the boat will sink. How quickly th6e boat will sink depends on how big the hole in the boat is and if any measures are being taken to counteract the flooding (i.e. bailing out the water, attempting to plug the hole). Likewise, if your child is having difficulty in school, or you had seen her having trouble studying in October, November or December, and you did/do nothing to seek help for her, her struggles will continue. The real question to ask yourself is, “Why wait?”

There are many options out there for tutoring and a little online exploration will be helpful in identifying the right match for your child. In a November post, we discussed how to go about finding the right tutor for your child. Remember, you’re the expert on your child and your goal is to find a tutor (or tutoring company) whose expertise matches your child’s needs. Take the time to identify the root issue. It may be that your child needs support with content; this may lead you to a reading tutor or math tutor. Or you may conclude that it’s more of an organizational/time management/planning issue in which case executive function tutoring is likely your best bet.

No matter where you end up in terms of the type of tutoring your child needs, the message remains the same: if you’re concerned about how your child is doing in school, why wait? The sooner your child begins receiving the support she needs, the sooner you’ll see her self-confidence and independence improve.