Consider this scenario:
You’re in a parent-teacher conference and the teacher explains to you that your son is performing below average. Your son is sitting next to you, either keeping quiet or crying. After the conference, you talk with your child about the issues his teacher brought up. He responds by acting indifferent, defensive, or depressed.
It can be difficult to know when your child needs help. Few children let anyone know they’re struggling in school and most keep their problems to themselves. Once you discover that your child is behind in school, it is imperative that you take immediate action to help him.
First, you need to show him that you care and ask him why he is struggling in school. Consider what his teacher told you about his work during the conference. Does he need extra help? What does he need help with? What doesn’t he understand? Get him to talk to you, as you may be able to help him with his issues.
If he’s unresponsive, tell him, “It’s okay to ask for help.” Tell him how important it is for him to get help as quickly as possible, or else he’ll risk falling behind even further. Encourage him to ask you, his teacher, and his peers for help. If he refuses, consider enrolling him in a tutoring center.
I once had an after-school tutor, and from my own experience I found it easier to talk to my tutor than with my teacher or parents about my school issues. In my mind, I thought, “This person is willing and supposed to help me with my struggles in school.” I never had that same thought about anyone else.
Now, as a tutor, I find that students are more willing to ask questions of someone who has expressed the desire to help them, and from whom they expect to receive help.
The goal of all tutoring centers is to help children excel in their academic pursuits, mainly through helping with homework and reviewing school material. Some centers also offer additional services.
Besides homework help and reviewing class material, Dojo Academy also provides the following services for parents and students:
Interactive and personal tutoring services
Dojo Academy has the smallest class sizes of any tutoring center in Fountain Valley and Westminster. With a maximum number of eight students per classroom, our tutors are able to give each child more time and assistance than they might receive at other centers.
The main goal of our tutors is to help students understand and complete their homework. Then, once the students have finished their school assignments, the tutors focus on helping them with subjects they feel weak in by giving them extra practice work and going through the material with them.
In addition, our tutors take notes on each of their students, describing how well they’ve done their assignments and in which areas they need to improve. We also take notes on their behavior. Our tutors use these notes to discuss with students, parents, and counselors the steps that need to be taken to help the children excel.
Counseling services
We also have counselors who conduct one-on-one counseling sessions with your child. In these sessions, one of our counselors reviews your child’s grades and discusses his progress in school.
The counselors give positive feedback to your child when he does well in school and encourage him to continue the good work. If your child isn’t doing well, they talk to the child about why he is struggling. Then, in response to your child’s answers, the counselors give him advice and suggestions on what he should do to raise his grades.
For example, besides focusing solely on academics, our counselors also consider other issues and/or activities that may affect your child’s ability to do well in school. Does he have trouble focusing? Is he too stressed out from attending both school and baseball practice?
The counselors consider as many aspects of your child’s life as possible in order to help him improve, and may get additional help if necessary.
Upon request, our counselors are also open for student-parent-counselor conferences to discuss your child’s academic progress. These meetings help you to understand what your child is struggling with and what you can do to assist.
If your child is not working up to his potential, don’t let him fall behind any further. Get him the help he needs as quickly as possible!
Author: Catherine Nguyen, B.A. English
