Feature Articles

January / February 2008

How Can Parents Know if Tutoring is Right for Their Child?

By:  Sylvan Learning Centers

The notion of tutoring, whether it’s to catch up, keep up or get ahead, has been around for a very long time - Socrates, for instance, tutored Plato and Plato tutored Aristotle.  These were all bright philosophers and scholars who learned from someone who knew more.  So, how can parents know when a tutor is right for their child?

A tutor may be the answer, if your child:

• Demonstrates a pattern of slowly worsening grades in school

• Develops low self esteem and thinks negatively of himself in relation to his school performance

• Makes excuses as to why she is not working up to potential

• Misbehaves in school or loses interest in learning

• Is preparing for college testing, including college entrance exams, SAT and ACT tests

• Struggles to focus on a task (e.g. - spending more time daydreaming than on homework)

• Has test scores that do not reflect her daily performance

A good tutor will help students, at all levels of academic accomplishment, develop study habits and organizational skills that will result in significantly improved schoolwork and test scores. Taking the time to consider whether to hire a tutor means parents are giving their children an opportunity to excel in the classroom.

When children are successful in school, they build confidence that translates into all areas of their life, helping them build a strong foundation for a successful future.  The purpose of tutoring is to teach children efficient learning skills and techniques to use in the classroom and ultimately in the workforce as adults.  It is important that parents take action early and seek a tutoring service that develops these skills for success.

If you notice that your child is struggling with homework, the first step is talking with your child and determining the underlying cause.  Once you know the potential source of difficulty, it will be easier to develop a strategy for changing the struggle into success. 

Even a child who is doing well in the classroom may benefit from outside help to sharpen study and test-taking skills.  A tutor or supplemental education provider can help your child prepare for a test, catch up or get ahead in a particular subject area.

What should parents look for when selecting a tutor?  Make sure the tutor is licensed and certified.  Get recommendations from family, friends and teachers, and ask prospective tutors for references from previous employers and students. Or, hire a respected tutoring company. 

Ask tutors how they will help your child master a specific skill and request an assessment to gauge your child’s current level.  A good tutor will require that a child learn a specific skill before advancing to the next academic level, and by utilizing the results of an assessment, you can benchmark your child’s progress.  Most importantly, ensure the tutor will work with you and your child’s teachers to create an individual program based on your child’s current needs

If you’re looking for maximum flexibility, consider online tutoring services. Look for online programs that offer real-time tutoring where students obtain individualized attention and personalized programs taught by highly trained and certified teachers – from the convenience of home.

Although parents may not have the necessary skills to tutor their child, they can take the right step by obtaining the proper academic help.

For more educational resources for children in grades pre-K through 12, please visit www.educate.com or call 1-800-285-4256. Sylvan Learning Center, the leading provider of in-center and live, online tutoring at home to students of all ages and skill levels. With more than 25 years of experience and nearly 1,200 centers located throughout North America, Sylvan Learning Center has positively changed the lives of over two million students and families.  Sylvan's trained and certified teachers provide personalized instruction in reading, writing, mathematics, study skills and test-prep for college entrance and state exams.  At Sylvan, students develop the skills to do better in school and the confidence to do better in everything else.

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