One of the biggest challenges of parenting is knowing your child needs help, especially when they don’t ask for it. Watching out for signs of distress is never more important, than when it comes to their education. While school itself is no exact science, if your child is exhibiting the signs below it could mean they need a little extra guidance in the classroom or with certain subjects.
Poor Grades
Failing grades is the most obvious indicator that your child needs assistance with their education. If your child is consistently pulling in below pass marks and your confident that it isn’t merely an isolated performance it may be time to invest in some extra help.
Homework Avoidance
No child is enthused at the prospect of completing homework after a long day of school. However, does your child neglect their studies for tenuous excuses even after you’ve reminded them about it? Don’t be too hasty regarding this behaviour as typical homework laziness. For many children the fear of not understanding the material, particularly at home without the assistance of a teacher, can lead them to avoiding the activity altogether.
Stuck in a subject
When it comes to education everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. When your child is still in the primary stage of their education you’re easily able to help them overcome these minor pitfalls. However, if your child is consistently expressing a difficulty in a particular subject and you feel you’re no longer able to provide the level of help required, it may be time to look for an outside resource. With curriculum and marking strategies constantly changing a tutor will ensure your child is receiving the correct information in the most accessible manner.
Bad Behaviour
Does your child often get reprimanded for talking in class or being a disruptive presence for other students? Don’t be too quick to brand your child as someone who, “doesn’t care about school.” Every child cares about succeeding at life, (even teenagers) but they could feel like they don’t have a realistic chance. When children think they’re so far behind their peers that they’ll never catch up, they can lose interest in trying. One-on-one attention from a tutor will mean they have the material explained in terms they understand and as a result they will be better able to follow lessons in class.
They “Hate” School
Most children aren’t fond of being cooped up in school all day but does your child go to extreme efforts to avoid it? Think about the language your child associates with school, is it all negative? Even when discussing a variety of subjects do they always use words like “hate” and “boring”? If school has become a place where your child feels unintelligent in comparison to their peers it can leave them with a negative image of themselves. When they begin to associate school as the trigger for this negative self image, they will want to avoid it completely.