4 EFFORTLESS WAYS TO ADVANCE YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING

4 EFFORTLESS WAYS TO ADVANCE YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING

Chapter 1
5 Factors To Improving Your Child’s Grades

Whether you have an enthusiastic first grade student, or a serious college-bound high school senior, grades are important! Grades stay with us as we culminate through each grade level, and into college. Grades are critical when we apply for jobs. It is more competitive than ever to land a good job and employers are looking at GPA’s and SAT scores when hiring employees. Grades brand us externally among our teachers, classmates and family members. They affect us internally with our self-esteem and self-image.My own child struggled in Math in elementary school. He began thinking he wasn’t good in Math. He started to give up when problems become too difficult. He didn’t even want to try because in his mind he felt defeated. I did my best to help him each night with his homework. Sometimes we were successful, and other times it created friction between us. He was frustrated and so was I. After speaking with his teacher, she made a great suggestion; hire a private home tutor.

I asked around with friends and family. I searched the web for tutoring companies in our area. After a several phone calls, I interviewed two tutors here at the house with my son present. I wanted him to feel comfortable with his tutor. Together, we made our choice. We hired a tutor to work with him after school two days a week. The tutor simplified the math concepts. She explained the rules of Math so he could understand them. As a result of hiring a tutor for my son, his grades soared! His confidence grew, and he was accepted to the college of his choice. He is now working in his chosen field, and is an exemplary employee with a top firm.

Keep reading to learn 5 simple ways to improve your child’s grades:

• Take an active role in your child’s schoolwork. Know what their assignments are and when they are due.
• Prioritize time each day to help your child with their assignments. Quality time with your child can mean reading books together.
• Keep your student accountable with their schoolwork. Remember, it is their work not yours. This is how we as parents teach our children to handle responsibilities in real life.
• Help your student create flashcards to memorize important data. Teach them how to highlight important information, and even rewrite their notes from class.
• If this all seems too overwhelming to you as a parent, I suggest hiring a qualified tutor to help. This will free up your time to manage the household and other activities that we as busy parents encounter. Many times your child will listen to a tutor more than they will listen to you. It is a small investment to save your sanity. A good tutor will simplify and break down the fundamentals. Tutors know how to teach. Sometimes all students need is a little one on one help to improve their grades.

Chapter 2
4 Methods To Locating a Good Tutor

Finding a good tutor for your child can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Some of the criteria I was looking for in a tutor with my own son were these:

- I wanted a tutor whom my son would relate with.
- He was at an impressionable age and I wanted to make sure his tutor would instill good core values in him.
- I wanted a tutor who was committed to the times we agreed upon on a regular basis, so we could count on them.
- My son was lacking in self-esteem because he felt so frustrated in school, so I wanted a tutor who would encourage him and build him up.
- I wanted to find a tutor who was outstanding in their field and committed to excellence.
- I knew a great tutor would be able to simplify the concepts for my son to understand and complete his assignments.
- A great tutor would know how to teach my son how to take better notes in class, and know what was important to study before his exams.When I found a tutor with all these qualifications, I knew they would be right for my son, and for me.Check out this list to learn several ways to locating a good tutor for your student, and watch their grades go from C’s to A’s.

• Ask for referrals. Many of your friends and family members may have used tutors for their children. Consider asking your child’s teacher or counselor at school for recommendations. Co-workers are another source of referrals for finding a good tutor.
• Look for local advertisements and flyers. Tutors post ads in the communities they service. Skim through local advertisements like the Penny Saver. Check out community bulletin boards at car washes, coffee houses, libraries and markets.
• The best and fastest resource to finding a good tutor is the internet. Type the word “tutor” along with your city on Google search engine, and an array of choices will appear. You can even specify the subject before the word tutor, such as, “Algebra tutor.” One of my favorite websites to finding a good tutor is Craigslist. Check out your local listings to find a good tutor in your neighborhood.

Either way you locate a tutor for your child, always use caution and good sense when inviting a new person into your home. Call their phone first to gain a sense of professionalism from the tutor. Know their background, and ask for references.Be willing to pay a little more in order to gain a lot more quality from an excellent tutor. A outstanding tutor will know how to teach to your child’s needs.

The most important aspect of finding a good tutor is take action today.
Make the calls and find a good tutor. Your child’s future depends on you. When they bring home that test paper with an “A”, the smile on their face will be the best reward for you. Thanks for being a great parent!

Chapter 3
5 Simple Steps to Helping Your Child with Homework

Feeling frustrated helping your child with mounds of homework? You are not alone. Millions of parents are experiencing the same dilemma.Read on to gather a few successful tips to help your child with their homework.

• Be your child’s biggest cheerleader. Never belittle, shame or scold your child for not knowing the answers. We as parents, have the greatest influence over our children. They look to us for guidance and answers.

Praise and encourage your child with compliments and positive affirmations. As a parent myself, I like to find and acknowledge at least one good thing each day to compliment my son.

• Never do your child’s homework “for” them. Do homework “with” them, but not “for” them. It is their homework to do. As a parent, you go to your job and work hard everyday to earn money for your family. Your student’s “job” is to work hard in school. Help them accept personal responsibility and complete their homework. This is a vital skill we all need in the real world.
• Ask questions about what goes on in class. Does your student have a syllabus of the assignments, and when they are due? Does your student use an agenda to write down assignments? Is he/she doing the assignments but not turning them in? What is the class environment like for your child? Where do they sit in relation to the teacher? Can they see the white board easily? Do they copy assignments off the board each day? Does the teacher welcome questions? Does your student sit near others who disrupt their focus and concentration when the teacher is explaining valuable concepts? Finding the root of the challenge is vital.
• Meet with your child’s teacher. Most teachers will be honest with you. Stay open to hearing what they are saying about your student’s behavior and/or performance in class. Work together as a team; parent, teacher and student. When a teacher knows your child is working hard to improve his/her grades, they pay closer attention to assisting your student in class.
• Hire a qualified tutor. Sometimes even our best efforts as parents are ineffective. Hiring a professional tutor is the best investment for your child’s future. A tutor will identify gaps in the fundamentals and quickly get them up to speed. The one on one tutoring may be exactly what they need. A tutor can help your child perform at a higher academic level, thus increasing his/her grades. I hired a tutor for my son when he began to struggle with higher Math. The work was too difficult for me to remember and explain the concepts, so I hired an expert. My son enjoyed the one on one attention the tutor gave. His tutor simplified the complex material and gave him tips on how to remember important information. Hiring a private tutor is a great way to go!

Either method/s that works for you, the goal is to help your child succeed in school by assisting them with the everyday assignments leading up to test day. Take action as an involved parent. The rewards will be phenomenal.

Chapter 4
California Cuts Education
How is My Child Affected?

The next generation could well be the most uneducated generation in our history. Parents face crucial crossroads regarding education. Critics argue that we need educational reform. Yet given current economic trends, severely trimmed budgets are causing us to lose outstanding teachers, valuable learning resources, and class sizes are increasing.The results are that our children are obtaining inferior educations. They are not prepared to compete for higher education where the admission criteria are increasing. Students lack training for employment. The state is cutting the budget for education and our children are suffering.

However grim this may seem, education is not hopeless.

There is a growing trend occurring.

• Participate in the parent/teacher association at your school. Voice your opinions with the administration and teachers. Speak to your local politicians about how the budget cuts are negatively affecting your child in school.
• Become more involved in your child’s daily learning. Establish open communication with your child’s teacher/s. Know what is taught in class. Ask what assignments are due each day/week. Help your child with their homework. Review classroom curriculum with your student. Prepare them for test taking.

As a busy parent myself, these solutions make sense, but who has the time?
I hired a professional tutor for my son. The tutor comes to our home 2 days a week for 1 hour each session. My son loves that he has someone other than his mom or dad helping him. His grades are soaring. He is excited about learning. He and his tutor set goals for college. I have never seen my son this enthusiastic about school!

Tomorrow’s leaders are in our schools today. If we want to ensure a prosperous future, we must invest in our youth. Until our politicians and school administrators agree on a budget to fund quality education for our students, it is up to us as parents. We must act independently. Our influence will shape our children into contributing adults for a brighter tomorrow.

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