10 Reasons Kids Need Summer Tutors-Reason #9

Hi there, Charlie here with reason #9 kids may benefit from summer tutoring.

Reason #9: That last report card showed a drop in grades either during the school year or summer school.


For some students, grades fluctuate a little bit throughout their schooling years.  For example, I used to be terrible at math and science until I hit high school, then my grades picked up quite a bit.  My best friend had always been great at history, but even his grades fluctuated between As and Bs all through junior high and high school. 

The problem is, if an otherwise straight A and B student is suddenly bringing home Cs and Ds, there is a problem.

Sit down with your tutee and have a quick talk about what's going on.  Ask about the classes, homework, extracurricular activities, teachers - get a general picture of a day in the life of your tutee.  Ask your tutee why he or she has experienced a drop in grades.  Talk to the student's parent(s) if possible, and ask the same types of questions - maybe they have some insight into what's going on with your tutee's grades.

It could be that it was just a very difficult set of classes, maybe the schedule was too jam packed, your tutee could have test anxiety, or perhaps your tutee needs help organizing and prioritizing his or her daily study schedule.  


Whatever the case, if you are able to talk out the situation with your tutee, help him or her get organized, and instill in him or her a sense of confidence and enthusiasm, chances are the grades will show improvement during the next semester. 


It is also a good idea to continue the tutoring throughout the next semester just to make sure that the grades continue to improve, and to prevent a grade backslide during the semester. 

10 Reasons Kids Need Summer Tutors-Reason #8

© sxc.hu/ilco

Hi everyone, Charlie here with another reason why a student may need summer tutoring.

Reason #8: A student is trying to avoid going to school even though there is no bullying or other negative situation occurring.  

True, this can be a common complaint from students (and parents) everywhere, but avoidance of school is definitely something that can be lessened (or eliminated) during the summer.

Provided there is no bullying, and no other negative situation occurring at school, a desire not to go to classes could boil down to a few easily fixable reasons:

- no enthusiasm for the material or classes
- bored during class
- feeling overwhelmed by work
- a desire to have fun rather than sit in a classroom
- no confidence with the coursework
- test anxiety

Well, good news...I think you all know where I'm going with this by now...tutoring can help!

In situations involving a lack of enthusiasm for learning, tutors can play a big role in getting students hyped up about practically any subject - the wonders of science through cool experiments, the fun of English through story writing, even the excitement of mathematics through physics games or music.  Cases of boredom (assuming the tutee doesn't to be moved up a grade) can also be remedied by a tutor bringing in "real life," fun examples of class subjects.

Feeling overwhelmed by too much classwork or homework is also easily remedied by a few study habit modifications.  When I was a kid, I swore by the 80s favorite - the Trapper Keeper™!  I never went to school without it - I stored all of my class handouts, homework (both graded and pending assignments),  worksheets, even extra curricular information in that thing.  The point is that as soon as I got organized, my grades improved dramatically, and I no longer felt overwhelmed.  A quick chat with your tutee can help pinpoint areas where more organization is needed.

A desire to be out having fun rather than sitting in class (or work for us adults who are out of school) is another common complaint.  This one isn't really too difficult to tackle - an explanation of the time ratio can work wonders.  Sit down with your tutee and spend a few minutes going over how long classes are, and how long homework takes every day.  Then divide that by all the "awake" hours in the day - the classes and homework will most likely be a relatively small percentage of the total week's hours.  Explain how getting organized, and tackling homework ASAP can allow for more fun hours in the day, because all of the responsibilities for the day will be checked off the "to do" list.

No confidence with the coursework or test anxiety are also easily changeable by a great tutor.  Since this post is already pretty long (thanks for sticking with me this far), I'll point you to my other two blog postings that really get into detail about these two issues:
Self-esteem and confidence
Test anxiety

With some good tutoring, any of these problems can be a thing of the past for your tutee, and he or she will be ready to tackle the upcoming school year with renewed enthusiasm.
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10 Reasons Kids Need Summer Tutors-Reason #7

© sxc.hu/nazreth

Hi there, Charlie here with reason #7 kids may benefit from summer tutoring.

Reason #7: A student is not paying attention to his or her classes or homework.

Maybe you have a tutee who has stopped paying attention during class.  Honestly, we all been there - I was quite the doodler myself through a few years of school - but it is important to tackle the issue before the next semester begins.

Kids who are enthusiastic about a subject, are excited about learning something new, or are confident with a subject will always be more likely to pay attention during class.  Can you make geometry as thrilling as scuba diving?  Probably not, but you can make it fun and interesting enough that your tutee wants to pay attention!

During summer tutoring it is also good to tackle good vs. bad study habits.  Work with your tutee on scheduling time for homework, let him or her know that budgeting time for homework means more time later for fun. 

Talk to your tutee about how he or she works in class.  Get an idea of where they sit, who they sit with, what they do - look over some class notes and help them learn the best, most efficient way of taking notes.

Ask about homework and study habits.  Offer some effective learning and studying techniques so that your tutee can get the most out of his or her study time.

By making a subject more interesting, giving the tutee confidence, and helping your tutee develop better study habits you will be arming your tutee with knowledge, self-discipline, and self-esteem for the upcoming school year!
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10 Reasons Kids Need Summer Tutors-Reason #6

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Hi, there, tutors. Charlie here with reason #6 kids may benefit from summer tutoring.

Reason #6: Test anxiety.


You have a tutee who has been talking about a big math test all week.  The problem is, the talk about the test is also accompanied by bitten nails, nervousness, a high degree of anxiety, or stomach aches.  This goes above and beyond the normal "kind of nervous about the math exam" response.  This is test anxiety, and it affects a multitude of students at every grade level.

The great news is, as with most academic issues, tutoring can help!  Summer tutoring helps calm students down when it comes to test taking.  Why?  Because, whether or not a student is in summer school, or taking a summer break, the monotony of the traditional school year has been broken.  The summer environment is different for the student, and it gives that student a chance to expand his or her horizons, open his or her mind to new ways of learning, gets the student out of the "exams=terrifying" mindset, and allows the student to take on new challenges without the added pressures of standard school issues.  In other words, change is good!  It breaks the cycle of negative thinking for students, to some degree, and gives the tutor a chance to step in and help.

To get your tutee geared up for upcoming exams, make sure to talk to the student about how he or she is feeling. 

Work with the material that will be on the exam - nothing beats test anxiety like confidence in the subject matter.

Put together a few "low pressure" practice tests, or worksheets to get the tutee used to working on test materials.  When the tutee is comfortable with the materials, try using a timer to get the tutee used to working under a deadline. 

I have used these techniques for some of my test anxiety tutees, and the results have always been phenomenal.  It may not happen overnight, but it will happen!
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10 Reasons Kids Need Summer Tutors-Reason #5

© lusi

Hi, there, tutors. It's Charlie again, with reason #5 to look for when evaluating students who may need some summer tutoring.

Reason #5: No matter how much time a student puts in, homework is always incomplete or done incorrectly. 

It's a fact of life - most students don't enjoy sitting down to do homework, especially during "summer break." This becomes even more of an issue when you notice that a student complains of homework sessions that last for hours, only to result in incomplete or incorrectly completed assignments.  This can be frustrating for the student, and in the long run, can hurt the student's grades. 

The good news? Tutoring can help these students work more efficiently, and get better homework results in less time. 

When you are asked to tutor, spend a few minutes talking to your tutee about his or her homework.  How long is a typical homework session? How often do they do homework (every night, every other night, etc.)? How have the homework grades been so far? Does your tutee feel that he or she is doing their best on the homework assignments?

Since homework can be a major part of a class, it will definitely be worth spending a few minutes talking about it with your tutee, and the results for your tutee will be phenomenal.  Also, keep in mind that as your tutee gains more confidence and knowledge of a subject, the homework grades are also likely to improve as your tutee gets more practice with the subject matter. 

By tackling both aspects of tutoring (study habits and the class subject), you are practically guaranteed to have a happy, successful tutee.
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10 Reasons Kids Need Summer Tutors-Reason #4

© cienpies

Hi folks, Charlie here with another reason why a student may need summer tutoring.

Reason #4 : Self esteem and confidence.

Maybe you will be helping a young student who has low self-esteem after receiving a few less than stellar grades during the school year.  Maybe she is discouraged after finding out that summer school is needed.  Maybe you are working with a student who feels like he just "can't do it," or feels that the classes are way too difficult.  Perhaps you are dealing with a student who is lacking confidence after not doing well on an exam. Or maybe you are working with a young scholar who is battling low self-esteem that stems from social situations at school.

In any case, tutoring will help!

Kids often need a helpful self-esteem boost in the form of achievements and academic experience, and tutoring is an exemplary way or providing that.  I have worked with young students who, at the beginning of our tutoring sessions, were nervous, apprehensive about school, scared of giving presentations, ridicules his or her own flaws, petrified by exams, etc.

By the end of the first month of tutoring, each and every one of these students was feeling confident, able, proud of his or her accomplishments, enthusiastic,  and ready to take on the challenges of the upcoming semester.

It is a fantastic feeling as a tutor to take your tutee from apprehensive student, to enthusiastic scholar who is ready to take on the world!
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10 Reasons Kids Need Summer Tutors-Reason #3

© beni_bb

Hi there, Charlie here with reason #3 kids may benefit from summer tutoring.

Reason #3: A teacher has recommended summer tutoring to help a student who needs an academic boost.

A teacher is often the first person to realize that a little (or a lot) of help is needed for a student in addition to what's can be  given in the classroom.  This is especially true in the summer - think about it, a teacher reviews the grade book, and knows a student could do better, but a subject hasn't clicked for them yet.

In this case, you'll often be called upon to help bring the student up to speed for an upcoming class, or even a class that might need to be repeated. 

This is a great opportunity for you as a tutor, because it gives you the chance to not only help a student understand the academic concepts of a specific course, but it also gives you a chance to instill a sense of self-confidence and enthusiasm in a potentially nervous student.
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10 Reasons Kids Need Summer Tutors-Reason #2

Copyright: lm913

Hi, all, Charlie here with reason #2 kids may benefit from summer tutoring.

Reason #2: He or she needs to prepare for a standardized test.
Right now, a number of students are gearing up to take the SAT, ACT, or some other standardized test during the school year.  Tutoring can be extremely beneficial for these students who need to brush up on material, refresh study skill techniques, or improve their scores on practice tests.

Tutoring can also be a boon for those students who just have some general anxiety about the test, and need some confidence to quell their nerves.

Whatever the case, tutoring can be a huge help for these students, and summer is often a superb time to help them prepare for otherwise intimidating academic tests. 
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