Friday, August 28, 2009

Starting the School Year off Right - Part #4

Make use of the resources offered at school!

Many schools offer peer-tutoring programs before or after school. While these programs can be hit-or-miss, it is worth taking the time to see if your child can connect with a good peer tutor. If the first tutor does not click with your child, encourage them to seek out another tutor and try again. Schools often recruit students who have done well in a subject to tutor their peers. Just because a student is skilled at a particular subject, does not mean they have the skill, maturity and ability to teach it to someone else. Again, if the first tutor does not work, try a few more to see if they might be a better fit. One of the most underutilized resources a student has for getting help is their teacher. Many teachers complain that they offer time both before and after school for students to come to get help, and very few students take advantage of this resource. Many teachers will go out of their way to help a student when they know the student is putting in extra effort. Encourage your child to take advantage of the help offered by their teacher. If they are nervous about approaching the teacher then offer to role-play with them how they might go about asking the teacher for help. We have found that role playing with students can help ease some of the trepidation they have about approaching a teacher for help, and can get them over that first hurdle and on the way to getting the assistance they need.

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