If you ask any child what their roughest subject is at school, one answer is bound to come up time and time again—math. No matter how you slice it, many students cannot wrap their brains around these concepts. Unfortunately, unlike other subjects that reinforce the material later on, failure to grasp a core skill early on may be particularly detrimental as students must use this skill with higher-level concepts in later math classes. If a child “doesn’t get” fractions, then they aren’t just going to have problems in elementary math; they will also struggle greatly in algebra and geometry that uses this concept extensively. So the question is, how can you ensure that your child is able to keep up with his or her math class? Is tutoring the way to go? The answer is a resounding—yes!
There are several reasons why parents should consider getting their child into a tutoring program of some kind. This could be in the form of a professional company that offers tutoring services or it could be a local church or community group or after-school program which offers adult tutors or even peer tutors to assist children. Regardless of the type of tutoring, parents should know the benefits.
- First, enrolling your child in a math-tutoring program shows your child that you value education. Too often, children do not see learning as important. They feel that they just have to show up to school and put in the time and they are through with it. But by enrolling them in this type of activity, you are emphasizing to your child that you care about his or her education and you want to see them succeed.
- Another major benefit of math tutoring is that it allows a child to bolster his or her self-confidence and self-esteem. Too often, students feel demoralized by low grades, particularly in math, and feel that they are “too dumb” to do the work. Girls particularly fall victim to this negative stereotype that math is “too hard” and they need the reinforcement from positive role models that they can do this. Once they begin to see success from the tutoring, they will have more confidence that will lead to greater academic success.
- Math is also very much a skills-based curriculum field. Unlike a subject like history, math isn’t about just memorizing concepts and facts. You have to practice the skills over and over with problems. A tutor gives a student the ability to practice these problems with a guide who can assist them if they go off track and make a mistake. If they make a mistake on their own doing homework, they will continue to make the mistake over and over and reinforce the error in their brain. But a tutor can stop this early on and keep them on track. The student can then continue to reinforce these skills at home on their own with online games that help them to practice the math concepts.
- Finally, if a student does not master a concept in a math class (such as the aforementioned fractions), oftentimes the teacher has to move on to the next section of the curriculum due to the demands of a fast-paced curriculum. Little time is left in class for remediation and it is often easy for a child to get lost in the shuffle. But a tutor can review and supplement this material in a way that a teacher cannot with one-on-one assistance.
If your child is struggling, or even if he or she just needs a little assistance, tutoring is definitely an option that you should consider. This is a way that you can ensure your child does not fall behind now and in the future. Math courses only get more complex as they go, and you don’t want your child trailing in the race early.