Challenges in Learning; Where Tutoring Comes in
When do you need a math tutor?
Many times parents only seek out a math tutor after their child's grades have dropped for more 2 or more semesters straight and when they and their child have reached a point of frustration with those grades. Ideally, however, a parent should look for a tutor as soon as the student begins struggling if they can not receive help from the school or other outlets.
In math, concepts continually build upon previous concepts. Identifying and fixing a problem early on saves parents money in the long run. The length of time that a child needs tutoring depends on how early the intervention begins. Generally, the sooner a student receives help in an area that they are struggling, the sooner their grade will improve and they will return to being independent learners.
Again this is due to the escalating nature of educational concepts. If the student doesn't understand what a fraction is then they are not going to understand what is happening when you perform basic operations on that fraction (i.e. add, subtract, multiply, divide). They will also struggle when attempting to convert fractions to decimals and not make the connection to percentages. So now the tutor must not only provide the basic groundwork of what a fraction is but also re-teach operations and conversions while attempting to keep them up on their current homework.
If a student is struggling in math, first look for resources within the school system or community. If there are no other resources available, look into tutoring. A good tutor is well worth the cost.
