Reluctant Child ?

Do you have a reluctant child?  A child who is hesitant about tutoring?  A child who feels having a tutor is just additional work? 

There are several approaches to this problem.  However, the number one thing NOT to do is make tutoring a "punishment."

WRONG:   "Your grades are terrible.  You are failing.  Why can't you be like your brother?  I gave you a chance.  You waste all your time on your phone instead of doing homework.  Thanks, since you haven't been improving, now I have to spend money on a tutor." 

You just made poor grades the bad behavior and tutoring the punishment, ingraining the lifelong idea that academic work is a punishment to be avoided.  95% of the time, poor grades are a result of poor motivation.  Private tutoring increases motivation because there is someone special coming to help, to decrease the stress level, and to make frustrating concepts clear on a one-to-one basis.  Some children give up at an early age, accepting the lie that they just aren't good students, gliding through the system with as little learning as possible.  Don't let this be yours.

RIGHT:  "I know its been a rough year.  Have you been trying your hardest?  If so, then let's get you some extra support to take some stress off of you.  A private tutor could help you with your homework, study for tests, help with projects and essays, and explain things that you didn't quite understand from your teacher.  Wouldn't it be nice to have your own private tutor that is focusing just on YOU?  Answering all of YOUR questions?  Your friends will be jealous!  Think about how fun that would be and how much you would learn.  Let's try it out and see how it goes.  I think you'll really like it, and it will help your grades increase!" 

Congratulations, you just expressed the right attitude toward tutoring when discussing it with your child.  They will take it as friendly help and support, not a punishment to be dreaded.

Assure your child that this is not like sitting down with their teacher at school.  This is a friendly, encouraging, helpful person who cares about their learning and whether they understand the material, with all focus on them at THEIR pace, not the class's.  No judgments and no pressure of being graded or compared ...gives an atmosphere of relaxed learning.

Let's face it, bribes, I mean rewards, work.  If a child doesn't have the maturity to see the intrinsic value of doing their best in life's activities, it may be necessary to show them an extrinsic value to get them going.  Some students have a better attitude towards tutoring because they know mom will stop at Starbuck's on the way or stop for some McD's on the way home.  These things can make a big difference.  Some parents use privileges like going to bed 15 min later past their bedtime, or more "screen time" once tutoring, school work, and chores are completed.  The absolute minimum would be to reward the child for increased grades and test scores.  "What?  You did amazing!  Let's go get ice cream to celebrate!"  This is teaching them that more effort and higher performance pays off.  Every child is different.  It may take some trial and error, but find what works for yours.

Here at Trex Tutoring we do our best to provide fun, motivating, knowledgeable tutors so that this attitude will rub off on your child, revealing the truth that they CAN be a good student.  (...if they only knew how many of their high achieving classmates have tutors!)