When Great Kids Make Bad Grades
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Posted By: Dr. Katina Walton on March 20, 2012 You have no idea what’s going on with your child. In the past, your child loved school and now avoids it at every turn. Stomach aches now come more frequently. You have even walked in on them doing the old thermometer on the light bulb trick. You notice that when you ask the question of what do you have for homework? The reply is always nothing. Then you get the dreaded report card. Zeros for homework make you realize your precious angle told you a lie with the nothing reply. Test score are low…very low. At first you pass it off as pre-teen attitude, but realize there is something more going on. You set up a meeting with the teacher to find out what is going on. The teacher reply with your child does try very hard, but they just don’t seem to grasp the material. The teacher suggests that maybe you hire a tutor to have your child work with one-on-one; to catch them up to speed. At first you resist the suggestion because your child has always done well in school. That teacher is wrong; maybe it’s her who is not explaining the material correctly. Nevertheless, your child has to remain in that class the entire year. So what do you do to ensure your child succeeds? Tutoring should be seen as a proactive step parents can take to help their children. It is best to seek help as soon as you see any sort of academic difficulty. The main focus should not be grades; the main focus is the whole child. Tackle the problem early, so your child’s self confidence and success is inevitable. Tutoring offers students the special one-on-one attention that busy teachers often can’t provide. From simple homework help to intensive work on basic skills, tutoring can offer just the boost your child needs to succeed. Deciding to get a tutor for your child is an important step. But even more important is finding the one who will best fit your child's needs. Because there are many different types of tutoring and lots of tutors to choose from, parents should research their options fully to find their child's perfect match. How do tutoring programs differ? Any of these programs can be worthwhile, but it's important to know what you want, then find a program that matches your child's need. Programs can have many purposes v Homework help or out-of-school teaching for teenagers in a specific subject. v Extra attention or practice time, for one child or an entire classroom, usually by volunteers. v Improvement of general academic levels, usually in reading, writing or math. v Help for people to read, write and speak English as a second language. v Enrichment programs that extend classroom learning or help good students review and master what they've learned at school. Programs can be more or less effective Research on reading improvement finds that tutors are most effective when they: v Are professionally trained, receive feedback and help, and are supervised. v Meet with students one on one, for two hours a week. v Keep sessions structured, intensive and consistent. v Use high-quality materials and books. v Use methods that match your child's development. v Teach reading using research-based concepts. v Provide children with books to take home and keep. v Get to know your child's interests, abilities and other basic skills, then plan lessons to match. v Give children some comfortable lessons to build confidence, along with more challenging ones to help them grow. v Stay on task during tutoring sessions. v Use pre-and post-tests to measure growth. The Choice Is Yours No one program fits every child. Do your homework to find the one that will best fit yours. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Dr. Katina Walton
Instructional Specialist , Mobile County Public Schools University of the South class of 2014 Member Since April 2011 |
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