Extra tuition-Reading between the lines

Every parent’s wish is to see her children bring home impressive grades from school. It is therefore only natural for parents to worry when their children perform poorly. Most schools have adopted extra tuition as a way of helping students improve their grades. Unfortunately, tuition has over the years acquired a notorious reputation of overworking young children and doing more harm than good.

It has been argued that when children are under excess pressure to perform well in exams, and tuition classes take up most of their free time, it makes them miss out on their childhood and they do not live their young lives to the full. This is because they will have less time for leisure or extra-curricular activities, or just having time of their own to rest.

However, tuition has its advantages to a child if carried out in a balanced way. Every child is unique and it is a fact that children don’t develop at the same pace. Some are fast learners while others have to work a bit harder to achieve good grades. Children are also gifted in different areas. A child may be weak in some subjects while easily attaining superior grades in others. If you notice that unlike his peers, your child is having difficulty coping with some subjects, you need not worry. You can work with his teachers or private tutor and make use of extra tuition in order to help your child improve.

You can tell your child is having difficulty coping and needs help if:

■ Your child’s teacher or school counsellor recommends extra tuition. It may also occur when progress reports are issued, or when a report card is given at the end of a school term.

■ You notice your child’s grades are falling regardless of how hard he or she works, whereas before they were improving or maintaining the grades.

■ No matter how much time your child spends on homework, it’s neither complete nor accurate. This may indicate a lack of basic skills or a weakness in a specific area or subject.

■ Your child displays an increasing lack of confidence and motivation due to frustration and failure.

■ Your child loses interest in learning.

■ Just before tests or exams, you notice your child experiences extreme anxiety.

■ They fear to fail or criticism from others. Your child is reluctant to go to school.

■ Your child’s teacher reports that he or she is misbehaving or becoming a behaviour problem in class.

■ Your child feels he/she is stupid and does not believe in him/ herself.

■ Your child gives up.

One of the advantages of tuition, especially private home tuition is that the one on one interaction between your child and his tutor helps the child focus more on the topic and will express himself and talk about his challenges more freely. It also means the child has the teacher’s full attention.

So any difficult concepts are dealt with in detail. A good tutor can make learning interesting and help your child take studies positively.

Because parents can openly talk about a lot of things about their child with the tutor, they are easily able to keep an eye on their child’s progress and are up to date on their child’s performance.

Also noteworthy is the fact that tuition is not only good for weak pupils. It is also helpful for maintaining good grades and for revision when preparing for exams.

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