“Homework time in our home isn’t enjoyable – it’s hardly bearable. I want to help my son understand his Math homework better, but we don’t communicate well. Then we get frustrated. That’s not a relationship I want with my son”
This is a quote from a parent I spoke to earlier this month. I was trying to ascertain the main purpose he wanted a tutor for. Was it to help prepare for the 11 plus entrance exams? Did he want support to get into a private school? Were they simply looking for some extra home-schooling guidance?
This is a process I go through with all of my potential clients. Just as all students are different, all of our tuition programs will be different in order to ensure we can achieve the specific motivation set out by the family.
Homework causes a battle at the kitchen table
One of the biggest motivators to hiring a tutor is to avoid the homework battles. The stress it creates for both parent and child can cause more harm than good.
While it’s obvious you want to be able to help your child better understand the Pythagorean theorem, how you were taught may not be how it’s being taught now.
Therefore, your kindness can be misconstrued as leading your child astray and their defense guards can shoot up causing palpable tension.
All I hear is “I don’t know”
I’m sure you’ve heard this one before plenty of times.
While it can be really frustrating to hear, sometimes it’s a coping mechanism.
Think about it, if you’re struggling to understand something, who do you want next to you teaching you in an ‘all-knowing’ manner? Your partner? Probably not.
Chances are you’d feel pressure to perform and not feel comfortable being that vulnerable. Your child feels the same.
This is why learning from someone they don’t value as dearly is more effective. Take it as the compliment it is and get them the support you know they need.
Boost marks and get into the school you choose
Another common reason to get a tutor is to help your child find their intrinsic motivation to put in the work and see that reflected in their grades.
Whether your child is not achieving the marks because they’re not putting in the effort, or they are worried about trying and failing; providing your child with an outside source of guidance, structure and motivation will allow them to improve their marks and inturn, their confidence.
They don’t know how to study
It’s difficult to ask a child to do something they’ve never been taught to do. Our Mindful Tuition program teaches students how to study as one of our main pillars. Learning in the classroom is very different to going home and establishing a study schedule, understanding studying techniques and knowing how you learn.
This leads us into the 5 benefits of working with a Bettering Youth Tutor.
What’s your learning style?
To ensure our sessions are effective and engaging we take the time to understand your child’s learning style. It likewise helps us teach them how to study. Part of our initial assessment will include determining their preferred means of being taught. The Bettering Youth team is skilled at identifying what forms of input your child thrives with: visual, auditory, kinesthetic. With this information we can tweak our curriculum to suit their learning preference and share some top tips for learning as an auditory, visual or kinesthetic learner.
Learning how to Fail
One key skill we believe all children need help developing is a growth mindset. With a growth mindset, a child can feel confident to try something without worry of failure. This worry is eradicated with an understanding that it is okay to fail – as long as we strive to do better the next time. Failure is then celebrated! When we try something out of our comfort zone chances are we will fail. This is true in life as it is in school. Therefore, by encouraging this fail and try again attitude, we’re providing children the skill they need to succeed in the classroom and in life.
Building Confidence
A byproduct of working with a Bettering Youth tutor is seeing your child grow in confidence:
- Confidence in sharing ideas and asking for help
- Value hard work and trying their best
- Excited to try something new because the fear of failure no longer holds them back
Yes. Our job is to teach the curriculum, and yes your child’s confidence will improve when they start to get marks that reflect what they feel they deserve. But more importantly, they’re more confident because they unlock the endless possibilities available to them now that they know how to learn, fail forward and try again.
Does your child struggle with anxiety? Lack confidence? Not know how to express themself?
Our teachers are all mindfulness therapists and mental health mentors. We can support your child in developing the skills and tools needed to thrive.
Our experience at your fingertips
Bettering Youth is created by a teacher who’s partnered with other teachers, to teach emotional wellbeing and provide academic tutoring. Therefore, we have countless resources that range from how to prepare for SATs exams to how to answer a multi-mark comprehension question right down to setting a routine and building confidence. And our Resource Room continues to grow!
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I understand tuition is a big decision because you really do want to best support your child. If I can share one thing, it’s that I know what it feels like to not get support. The memory is seared into my mind of what it felt like to sit in the washroom stall during the second break trying to calm myself before the bell rings and I would have to face another Math class that made me feel like I was the size of an Ant. It takes the wind out of your sail. And soon, you begin to see those bad grades as a reflection of your worth and your ability to succeed.
And let me tell you, it’s difficult to convince a child who’s seen Failure on their report one too many times that they are worthy of success and happiness.
Our Ascot Tutors are also Online!
Our teachers are located across Berkshire. But our tuition is accomplished mostly online! So rest assured you can access our team from wherever you are.
