The Lakeway Tutor

First, let’s discuss reading writing and arithmetic. Before the age of the computer, cell phones, the calculator, and the Internet, when we were young our parents told us the importance of three items, reading, writing, and arithmetic. Why are they so important? It’s simple. If a person learns to read in school, then if the person understands what they read they can learn any subject by reading. Supposedly, Abraham Lincoln was self taught and look what he became. If a person can write, then the person can be productive in many employment situations. There is no profession where a person is not required to write reports of various natures. People absolutely need to be able to read and write to be functional in this society. Then, if the person knows arithmetic, then they can aspire to be experts in the areas of engineering, medicine, mathematics, computers, and other technical and often high paying disciplines. These three skills are necessary to be a well functioning individual.

Today, another area seems to have become important, extracurricular activities such as sports, cheerleading, drama, band, and etc. Unfortunately, I see all too often where there is more focus on the extracurricular activities than on the core academic subjects. This is not to say that these activities are not good, but there is a priority associated with what a student should be learning. Perhaps a parent wants to brag about their student being on the football team, or a cheerleader, or in the school musical. It looks good to see your son or daughter in the local sport section of the paper. Unfortunately, there are not many good academic students that get their pictures in the local paper. There is no academic section. After school is over, with rare exception, there is little advantage economically to being a sport figure, a cheer leader, or in the band. However, the reading, writing, and arithmetic skills will be to your advantage forever.

So, why is math and science so important? Math and science teaches a student how to problem solve. None of the other subjects do this. Do you learn to problem solve in English, history, social studies, physical education, band, and football? No. These courses teach you facts but not how to solve anything. This is where math and science comes into play. Math teaches you how to analyze a problem, determine what is given, what is needed, and how to find a solution. Some of the skills you learn in school will never be used, but the process you go through to learn these skills, will continue to be valuable forever. When math is applied to science and other everyday events, you also have the skills to analyze a problem, determine what is needed, where to go for more information, and figure out a solution. Basically, good math and science skills will put a person above the average.

Why do students dislikes math?

No student dislikes math when they first start learning, so why are there so many students that claim to dislike math? A big reason is that at some time in their early years, the student did not learn a necessary math skill. By not learning the skill, the student now has a hard time learning the next skill. Math is learned serially. Each new skill is based on the previous ones learned. For example, most students learn how to add, then subtract, then multiply, then divide, then fractions. One cannot multiply if they cannot add. You cannot perform long division if you cannot subtract. Fractions will be hard if the student does not know how to multiply. People like doing things they do well no matter what the subject is, music, sports, history, math, English, video games. Many students think if they have a calculator learning the basic math skills are not required. Not so, a calculator cannot replace thinking. When a student gets to the 9th grade and does not know previous skills, they find the subject hard, they get frustrated, the parent gets frustrated, the teacher cannot give the necessary extra time, and the result is that the student now dislikes math. Once the student decides they dislike math, they give up and learning stops.

So, what can you do about it?

So, what do you do to correct this problem? First, understand that the problem won’t fix itself. The student must learn the missed skills. Here is where a good tutor can help. By working with the student, the tutor can determine where the problem area is and then focus on correcting the problem. For example, a student cannot work with fractions and mixed numbers if they do not know their multiplication tables, something that should have been learned in the 3rd or 4th grade. It is highly likely that to correct the problem, the 9th grade student must go back and re-learn some 6th, 7th, and 8th grade math.

A tutor cannot fix the problem with only a few sessions. Assuming the student is in school, the tutor can help the student with their current assignments, but more important the tutor can teach the student skills that are missing as they are discovered. It may not be obvious what is needed until the tutor works with the student for a few sessions. Once the missing skills are determined, then they can be learned.

Why should I hire a tutor?

The roles of teacher and tutor are different. In school, the teacher follows a lesson plan that explains math to the average level of the class. Since the class is from 20 to 30 students, some must struggle and others might get bored. There is basically no way a teacher can devote very much extra time to the student that is struggling. If a student doesn't grasp an idea, it may not be learned, as the teacher has to move on.

The tutor, has to fill in the gaps that are not learned in class. The teacher has the advantage over the tutor in that the teacher knows before hand what they are going to teach on a given day and have time to prepare. Depending on the number of students, the tutor might have to be teaching quadratic equations to one student, probability to another, and matrices to another. The tutor has to be able to teach everything at any time. While a school teacher must move along to keep up with a state mandated curriculum, the tutor can continue to work with a student on a problem area until it is fixed.

When should I start using a tutor?

The short answer is as soon as possible after the student brings home a failing grade on a math exam. A failing grade means the student has not learned some important concepts that will be needed later in the course and in future math courses. It is wise to correct the problem as soon as possible. It is possible that the first bad grade is a temporary thing, but maybe not. Monitor the problem very carefully.

My son has a test tomorrow, can you help?

Probably not very much. One cannot learn math overnight. Learning math is a process of 1) having the teacher explaining the problem, 2) having the teacher showing the student how to work the problem, 3) having the student work a problem themselves with teacher supervision, 4) having the student practice working many similar problems on their own, 5) having the teacher look over the students work to insure the problems are done correctly and re-teach if necessary. After a period of time, the teacher must reassign problems to insure that what was learned was actually retained. This process cannot be done overnight. It is important that the student retain what they learned because what they learned will be required to solve future and more difficult problems.

Thanks for your help. My son got a 88 on his test so I don't need your help any more.

Watch out here. Just because your son got a single or a couple of good grades doesn't mean good grades will continue. You came to a tutor because you saw a problem that needed correcting. Getting back on track doesn't happen in a few tutoring sessions. In fact, if your son is a slightly slow learner, or has missed some important skills in the past, it would be advisable to keep the tutor all year to make sure the good grades continue to happen. For example: I recently helped a student get a couple of good grades on his homework. During the tutoring session, I noticed that the student did not know their multiplication tables and had to rely on a calculator to divide 4 by 2. The parent stopped tutoring. The parent is in for a surprise later in the course when the scores drop.

Thanks for your help, my daughter has a friend that will tutor her for free!

OK....... but sometimes you get what you pay for. You considered tutoring because there was a problem. Make sure the friend is solving the problem. If not, I am still here.

Tutoring is so expensive.

Is tutoring worth the time and cost? Consider the alternative. The job market is competitive. If your son does not learn his math, or other subjects for that matter, when he gets out of high school, he will have a problem competing with others that have done well. Low school scores means it will be harder getting into the better universities, that is if this is a desire, and fewer good job possibilities if you are going directly into the workplace.

So, what do you do during a tutoring session?

I always start the session by asking the student if they have any specific questions or problems they need help with. If so, I address the specific questions. Next, if the student has brought any homework, I will help the student with the homework. Next, I will either re-teach math skills I think the student needs help with, or I will teach ahead if I have a list of upcoming assignments from the teacher. It is important that the student come prepared with questions, review sheets, and homework assignments.

Can you tutor at my house?

Yes, but it is strongly not recommended. At my house you can be assured of no distractions. In addition, I have other teaching tools that may be useful such as a white board, textbooks, a computer set up to assist in teaching, models of geometric objects, and etc. I also have a good supply of paper, pencils, rulers, graph paper and items of this type that are readily available. At your house, I am limited to what you have available. I realize that taking the student to and from my house is a bigger burden for the parent, but is probably better. However, if desired, I can and will come to your house, at an extra expense.

My son has a learning problem, is this OK?

It depends. It seems that more and more kids are being diagnosed with ADHD or Dyslexia these days. If the condition is controlled, as most are, there is no problem. I am not specifically trained to teach special education students but I will do my best. I have some students with supposedly these conditions but they do well. Sometimes, I wonder.

What about other tutoring options?

There are two national learning centers that I know of. One is Sylvan, and the other is Kumon. You can get some information about these organizations from their web sites. Their sites don't say much about the cost and the details of their programs but here is an idea.

Sylvan: About $135 to enroll, about $50 per hour. There are normally three students per tutor. There are different tutors on different days. The tutor's students are usually not at the same level. All tutoring is done in a large room. There is no homework. Students attend from two to four hours per week, sometimes more. Sylvan gives the students a comprehensive exam upon enrolling, and then forms an individualized program based on the results of the exam. www.SylvanLearning.com

Kumon: About $100 month per subject. Students basically learn by working problems that gradually get harder. There is some daily homework assigned. Parents are encouraged to work with the students at home. Sessions are thirty minutes, two times a week. www.Kumon.com

I understand that honor students at Lake Travis High School will also do tutoring for free as a community service. I don't know how effective this is but will report when I find out.

Also, the teachers at Lake Travis High School, according to their web sites, offer tutoring before and after school. LTHS Teachers Web Pages

How often should my son come for tutoring?

I find that one hour sessions are the best. I have some students that stay for up to 2-1/2 hours. Most come once a week but others twice a week. I suggest starting at one hour a week and see how it goes.

Why do you want my Parent Connect User Name and Password?

This information is optional. However, access to the Parent Connect site gives me information about how well the student is doing in their classes. From this site, I can tell if they are turning in their homework, and how well they are doing. I can tell how well they did on their last and previous major tests. In a way, this gives me feedback as to how well I am doing and lets me know what areas I should be reviewing and focusing on. This information is kept totally confidential.

What about online videos and DVDs from Netflix?

Video tutors might work for some. The advantage of a real tutor is that the student can stop the tutor at any time and ask for clarification, no so with a video. Also, a tutor can tell by the expression on the face of the student as to whether or not they are understanding what is being taught. And finally, one doesn't learn unless they work problems. A video does not make the student work problems.

References

Upon request, I can provide many references from parents of my students. Click here to see what some parents have said to me...