How Do You Know If Your Child Needs Tutoring? Here’s What You Need To Know

It’s hard to think of an aspect of life that wasn’t impacted by the pandemic. For example, some of us will never go back to hard pants again. After a couple of years of “remote, hybrid, in-person, oops back to remote” many kids are struggling to keep up. And when kids are struggling, it impacts not just their grades, but also their confidence and love of learning.

But how do you know if your child is experiencing a minor post-pandemic adjustment or if they could really use some extra help? We spoke to Emily Mitchell, VP of Education at Sylvan Learning, to get her expert advice on how to recognize if your child needs tutoring and how we as parents can help get them back on track.

Here’s what you need to know.

Signs Your Kid Could Benefit From Tutoring (Hint: It’s Not Just Grades!)

Sometimes the report card tells the whole story. But things like refusing to do homework, acting up in class or conveniently “forgetting” materials they need for assignments can also be signs your child is not engaged in school work.

“If the teacher hasn’t reached out to you, then you should reach out to the teacher,” Emily tells Fatherly. “Ask questions like, ‘When my son is off task in class, what is he doing instead?’ ‘What have you already tried to support him?’” The answers to these questions will not only help you identify the root issue, but they can serve as notes to bring to a new tutor to help you devise a plan.

What Makes Sylvan Different From School Or Home Tutoring

“Students who need extra help can certainly benefit from extra time with their teacher,” Emily says. “However, if there’s not after-school tutoring available or if there’s an unfriendly rapport between the student and the teacher, there won’t be much progress.” Plus, if a child is feeling unsuccessful at school, at-school tutoring can just feel like more of the same.

Working with caregivers at home is also tough. If you’ve ever tried helping with homework, you already know the struggles of the kitchen table!

The bottom line is, sometimes tutoring at school or with caregivers at home may not provide the same level of support and attention that students can get at a dedicated learning center like Sylvan Learning. At Sylvan, the very first step is for your child to take the Insight Assessment (just $29 for a limited time), which pinpoints where your child needs help. They then create a personalized action plan that addresses what each student needs to work on. This helps you know your child is receiving the individualized attention focused on their specific needs right from the start.

Before & After Sylvan Learning

We asked Emily to talk a little about what stands out about kids who come to Sylvan Learning Centers in terms of where they start and where Sylvan takes them. “This year I’ve heard from centers that they’re seeing more and more second graders who don’t know the alphabet,” she says. “That’s a heartbreaking reminder that students have a long way to go to make up for school disruption.” But Emily said it’s an amazing feeling to see a child go from a timid non-reader to proudly reading out loud to their grandmother at pickup.

What Parents Say About Sylvan

Emily says parents often approach her in the most random places when she’s wearing or carrying something with the Sylvan logo so they can tell her their “Sylvan story.” “They want to tell me how much their child is enjoying it. How much improvement they’ve seen in their child,” she says. She and her colleagues also get approached by parents who went to Sylvan as kids and want to talk about how much it helped them overcome their own academic struggles.

“High-Dosage Tutoring” Makes A Difference

Time at Sylvan can turn a stressful situation into a point of pride for families. Emily noted that even the US Department of Education recommends high-dosage tutoring as the best way to catch children up from disrupted schooling. “This is what we do every day,” she says, “and have done for over 40 years.”

For a limited time, Sylvan is offering a $29 promotion for their Insight Assessment, that first step in the process for Sylvan to customize a tutoring plan to meet your child’s unique needs. Learn more at sylvanlearning.com.