Does a student need a tutor?
Questions to ask
Expectations of students and standards of learning are vastly different from what they were decades ago. As higher academic expectations are placed on students, parents may find they reach a point where they are no longer able to help them with homework.
Tutoring is not just for those who are falling behind academically. Many parents hire tutors to help students with advanced studies. Tutors also help prepare for college testing and provide curriculum enrichment.
Consider hiring a tutor if a student:
- Begins to experience a drop in grades, despite best efforts
- Shows signs of low self-esteem, motivation and/or self confidence
- Shows frustration in a particular subject(s)
- Thinks negatively of him or herself in regard to school performance
- Brings home notes from the teacher asking you to assist with homework
- Has difficulty improving grades, despite effort
- Experiences test anxiety
- Becomes rebellious toward school work and loses interest in learning
- Displays signs of being an advanced learner or a gifted/talented student who needs enrichment to stay motivated
- Does messy and incomplete homework, regardless of the amount of time spent on it; both characteristics of the work are indicators of weakness in a particular subject area(s)
- Shows frustration when doing homework and/or class work
- Misbehaves or disrupts the work of his or her peers, particularly in the subject areas in which he or she is struggling
- Does not appear able to read at grade level or a just right leveled book
- Scores low on Connecticut Mastery Test (CMT) or Connecticut Academic Performance Tests (CAPT)
The Benefits of our Tutors
Excel tutors are able to give a student the individual attention that he or she needs. This one-to-one guidance allows the tutor to readily identify what problem areas a student may have more quickly than a teacher, who has to assist 25-30 students in each class.
It is easier for some students to take instruction and correction from someone they do not have emotional ties with. Our tutors are highly qualified educators that have the training and experience to assist students with all academic challenges and opportunities.