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.
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