Knowing When Your Child Needs a Tutor

Have you been wondering if your child is in need of a tutor? Asking your child’s teacher will provide answers as well as looking for certain red flags at home. We asked Tanya Panossian-Lesser, a National Board Certified Teacher and experienced tutor, to discuss this question and also address how parents can foster success in school.

Q. What are some warning signs to look for if you believe your child is struggling with his/her schoolwork?
Panossian-Lesser: First, it is important to realize that each child has different needs. It may not always be a clear-cut case of needing a tutor or not. It’s been shown that students benefitting from a tutor exhibit some of the following behaviors:

– feels lost in class and tells you that he/she does not understand the teacher
– does not remember how to complete a homework assignment that was based on a classroom lesson
– gets extremely anxious when taking tests or quizzes
– is very disorganized and/or overwhelmed with his/her class load

Also, a mismatch in teaching and learning styles can be happening in the classroom. Children can benefit from a tutor by having concepts – be it math, science, writing, etc. – explained in a different way as a means to support classroom learning.

Q. Beyond getting a tutor, how can parents foster academic success?
Panossian-Lesser: Parents are often quite demanding without even realizing it. Instead, parents can make it clear that they expect their children to do their best in school, but that might not mean getting an “A” in every subject. For children, the constant worry and pressure to achieve top marks can cause them to shut down. Sometimes, they may even stop turning in their work for fear of not getting a good grade. Letting children know that they can always come to you is extremely important for parents.

On another note, organization is key, particularly for students at the middle or high school level, where they have multiple teachers and switch classrooms. It’s no surprise that a backpack or locker can easily become a vacuum for papers. Teaching children proper organizational skills is another essential tool in fostering success.

In addition to her National Certification, Panossian-Lesser is a State-Certified Teacher in NJ and NY. She has more than 10 years of experience teaching at the middle- and high-school levels. Known as “The Ridgewood Tutor,” Panossian-Lesser can be reached at ridgewoodtutor@gmail.com. For more info, visit www.ridgewood-tutor.com.