School is much harder than it used to be. This is not to excuse the younger generation’s seemingly lack of drive- what were considered “advanced lessons” during our time are now basic knowledge for our kids. Of course, this varies from school to school, but generally, education is much harder, and the atmosphere on campus is a lot more dense than it used to be.
There are a lot of reasons why a child can be struggling with schoolwork, and sometimes it’s not that they aren’t trying hard enough.
Teacher Sitting at a School Desk Showing a Book to a Parent and Her Son
Communicate with the school.
As parents, we like to believe that we know everything about our kids- however, we can’t possibly be with them 24/7. They spend more time in school than we think, and there are a lot of things that are developed there. Parents often assume their job is done once they find the best private schools in houston or elsewhere. But the truth is, that’s just the first step. Parents should become more involved with the school that their children attend. This is also important because bullying is still terribly rampant despite everyone’s efforts, and our kids have a tendency to hide these things, for better or for worse.
By communicating with the school, talking to the teachers, and even sometimes chatting with other parents, we get a better grasp on how things are really run on the inside, and we can get clues about our children’s problem areas.
Hire a private tutor.
Applying for private tuition is the most logical step when your child is struggling with schoolwork. There are clearly things that he cannot understand in class, and so will have to work on when he gets home. The cause could either be distractions in school, teachers who don’t really care or perhaps he has difficulty studying on his own. Regardless of the reason, private tutors are there to cater to whatever personal struggles your child has in terms of learning, and will be able to teach him in a way that is optimal for his situation: visual, oral, written or repetition; kids learn at a different pace and in different ways.
If he or she has a brother or sister, hire them as a tutor.
When I was younger, I used to tutor my sister all the time. This went over well because she was very open with me about her problems, and so I could teach her in a way that suited her best. If siblings are close, they can really be the best teachers; be warned though, they will probably try to get some money out of it (I know I did).
However, this is not always the case. Sometimes, the younger sibling wouldn’t want to be stuck in the shadow of an older brother or sister. Sometimes, they want to excel and prove themselves on their own.
School should be a place for learning, and developing the skills he will need in the future. Struggling with schoolwork will always be a hurdle that he needs to overcome, and hiring a private tutor will help push him along and make the journey a little bit easier.
