When is the right time to hire a tutor? Initially, the answer to this question seems relatively straightforward. Many would give the obvious answer: “It is time to find a tutor as soon as my student starts to struggle.” What does that mean? The word “struggle” is relative and carriers many different meanings. A lot of self-discovery comes in the “struggling” moments of academia, but there is a fine line that parents need to be aware of. Parents, you know your child best, and you need to ensure that your child doesn’t struggle to the point where they will give up on academics. If a student reaches this low point, it is easy for them to get discouraged. If a student has experienced enough moments of failure, it is not uncommon for the student to label himself or herself as a failure. Many students have a difficult time compartmentalizing the moments of failure and their entire academic ability.

There are three important scenarios where parents should start thinking about hiring a tutor for their child. It is important to act relatively quickly, and make sure your student has all of the necessary support.

Poor Grades

As mentioned above it is important for parents to respond quickly if their student’s grades are dropping. There are many contributing factors that could lead to poor academic performance, and hiring a tutor is a great way to assess any underlying issues. Tutors have a different vantage point than teachers, and it may difficult for a teacher to assess the situation when they have 25+ students in front of them. Many teachers will work in collaboration with the tutor, but it is the responsibility of the parents to facilitate that discussion. Even though, tutoring is a great tool to use if your student is struggling, it may not be the best thing for your student. Start a dialogue with the tutor, and work towards identifying why your student is struggling. If a student struggles from time management or executive functioning, academic tutoring alone may not help the student long term. It is difficult to define a specific plan of action that all parents can use because all students are different. Each student needs an individualized plan, don’t be afraid to try trial and error in the development process. Eventually you will create a comprehensive plan that is best for your student.

Not Being Challenged

When students are not challenged academically their grades could suffer. Students can become disconnected with what is happening in class because they are bored. If that is the case, parents should communicate with the teacher to develop an enrichment plan for the student. Provide your child with several opportunities to participate in learning outside of the classroom. An expert tutor can take the material covered in class, and adapt it to make it interesting for the student. Adaptations should include facets of information that is not being covered in class.

It’s Summer Time

It’s summer time, and our brains get shut off! Provide your student with something interesting to do over the summer that will help retain the information learned during the school year. Summer tutoring is my favorite because you don’t have to worry about aligning the instruction with the goals and objectives of the classroom teacher.

Below you can find two great resources for summer enrichment:

Summer Math Camps for High School Students

Summer Discovery

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Thanks to Eric Clark, CEO of Quincy Tutoring, an online tutor network based on the South Shore of Boston, for today’s guest post.  Parents can go to www.quincytutoring.com, and search the Quincy Tutoring database for free.  Tutors can also create/manage their own profile for free.  If you enjoyed reading this post, and have questions about how much you should pay for tutoring, click HERE.  If you would like a tutor network for your area please contact Eric today.  You can also follow Eric on Facebook and Twitter.