School Notes: Does My Child Need a Tutor?
November 1st, 2009 by Stephanie Painter
When your child struggles with reading or math, you may not know the best way to provide support. We often weigh whether our child truly needs a tutor’s help or if extra time and focus at home can see her through the learning curve.
Think of a tutor as a practical helper, someone who has something to offer every kind of learner. A skilled tutor turns on a light bulb, enabling your child to see troublesome material more clearly.
Academic tutor Julie Firstenberg Kamins has more than 20 years experience working with students from kindergarten to college. Her new book, Why Am I at the Red Table? (Librujas, $13.95), tells the story of a second-grader daunted by word lists who learns that with steady effort, she can reach her reading goals.
Kamins says some students come to her wanting to brush up on a few concepts. Others struggle with finding the main ideas in a reading passage, or have trouble perceiving spatial relationships in geometry. There are also those students with reading or math disabilities, or who struggle with ADHD, depression, arnd other disorders that interfere with learning.
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We asked Kamins to talk about when a child needs a tutor and what to look for.
Memphis Parent: What signs will help parents determine that their child needs tutoring?
Julie Kamins: When you see inconsistency quite often, it’s a sign that help is needed. A child may be making 100 percent on some work, and Ds or Fs on others. Anytime the child has gaps in knowledge, tutoring is needed.
Many students have problems during the critical first-grade year. Parents have an instinct that the child is not keeping up but falling behind. He may be telling his parents, “I’m not reading as well as so and so.” The child may say, “I’m uncomfortable” or “I’m sad.”
More learning disabilities begin showing up in third grade. Kids are not able to finish timed tests. A test score isn’t showing their true knowledge. Or a student struggles with solving word problems, and every answer is wrong.
Conversely, some parents may be looking for enrichment. They want a strong writing program, or perhaps their child’s school has a weak math program.
MP: What is the difference in learning comprehension weaknesses and a learning disability?
JK: There are students with learning disabilities in reading or comprehension, but weakness in comprehension does not equate with a learning disability.
I have some students who just don’t know how to approach reading. They might read a passage so quickly that they don’t remember the majority of the points. With some tutoring tips, such as underlining key parts of the passage, taking brief notes, reading the questions before the passage, etc., comprehension can be improved upon. Those with diagnosed learning disabilities have documented weaknesses, such as tracking or processing, and sometimes need extended time, for example, in order to work to their potential.
Each student is completely different. Some students benefit by taking several approaches to the same material (reading and outlining a chapter, adding visuals, and talking through the outline with a parent, for example). Information enters the brain and long-term memory through multiple approaches, just as an artist adds layers, textures, and colors to his painting.
Some students have a problem storing math facts, and that affects them down the road in middle school and high school. Some students have trouble transferring their ideas to paper. Many schools are teaching science now without a textbook, and kids may not be good at taking notes. (Note: Learning disabilities affect kids of average to above average intelligence, impacting how information is received, processed, or expressed. Abilities to learn reading, writing, and math skills are affected.)
MP: You recommend getting students in early, during elementary school, for tutoring.
JK: There are many benefits to having students tutored in elementary school. If a child is having problems in reading, math, or writing, for example, he may feel insecure, sad, and defeated. Additionally, most schoolwork builds upon the prior year, so it is to the student’s advantage to master the concepts at an early age. Getting the proper help early on helps the student build self-confidence, gain necessary skill sets, and prevents him from falling further behind.
Also, the older the child, the more pressure he is usually under. Trying to teach educational skills to an older child with a full schedule can be challenging. A high-school student has the extra stress of knowing that his grades count for college. Trying to deal with learning issues while earning top marks can be overwhelming for these children. I try to teach ahead so that students won’t feel lost in class when they get to material.
MP: What are the qualities of a good tutor?
JK: Look for a caring person. Tutoring is not all academic, it’s part psychology. A tutor should have a good rapport with a child. Kids will confide in a tutor. A child may have trouble concentrating because she is having problems with friends at school. A good tutor will work with your child’s learning style. He’ll be willing to answer questions on the phone, send emails and work with classroom teachers.
Look at a tutor’s background. I don’t have an education degree, but I have a strong writing background, and while getting a law degree, I read and wrote extensively.
MP: What problems should parents watch for?
JK: Your child should do what he can do on his own, and not rely on a tutor. If your child isn’t improving after a few weeks of tutoring, that’s a red flag that something isn‘t working.
MP: Are there any disadvantages to a parent serving as a tutor?
JK: Kids want their parents to think that they’re close to perfect. Parents and kids butt heads over homework. A child might feel embarrassed when she struggles, and get angry. And parents may have learned material a different way when they were in school.