Is tutoring right for us?

All students face challenges in math; learning new skills, methods, and ways of thinking. Learning math takes practice, thinking, listening, reading, homework, talking, repetition, (and did I mention practice?) - all the learning skills we have. Successful learning in math also requires a student to rely on skills that have been taught and learned in earlier weeks and years, and to build on them.

There are many ways this process can stray. A classroom teacher is the 1^st place to turn for help and guidance when something is not working well. But a teacher typically has more than a hundred students, and additional work with homework, lesson preparation, tests, interactions with parents, other faculty and staff, and so limited time to help an individual student.

Individual one-on-one attention can help with challenges, questions, and bumps in the road. Students benefit immensely from immediate and individual feedback on problem solving approaches and correction of errors. We always have the time for your student, encourage questions, ensure participation, and work at their pace, not that of a class average. For most students, weekly tutoring works best. Working together we increase confidence, technique, skills, speed, and grades on tests. We can strengthen skills that are weak from past years, and spend more time on any current areas of difficulty. Extra practice, targeted to individual needs, with immediate feedback on methods, is always beneficial.

Stress goes down as math becomes less challenging, and students love discovering math applied to their own interests, whether sports, music, hobbies, or career directions. We actually have fun! Over time, grades rise.

Other paths, or additional paths, you might take:

· Ensure your student participates in extra help sessions. All school teachers have these; most like students to come with specific questions.

· On-line help: there are a number of websites that can give extra practice problems, or present a math topic. To benefit, your student will need good reading skills, concentration, discipline, and attention – do they have these?

· Kumon Math: This program emphasizes strengthening of skills and speed. After putting our son through it for about a year, I can recommend it. It is not geared to synchronize with current classroom work, and indeed your student may test into the program several years behind their current grade. It requires daily extra work, visits to the center, and feedback and lessons often come from other students, not an adult. But after working their way up through the skills, your student will become much stronger at math.