What to do when your Child doesn’t like their Teacher

picture from Joanne Johnson

It’s inevitable that during the course of your child’s academic career, they will encounter educators that they don’t get along with. Whether the conflict arises from a misunderstanding or a personality clash, it’s important that the situation be dealt with in a constructive and positive way. Teachers are professionals who are trained to treat students with dignity and respect and students must learn to do the same.

Talk about It

Students will often make sweeping statements like: “The teacher hates me.” You need to understand exactly what this means. Ask your child to explain why they think this and give examples of situations in which the teacher has behaved in a way that would make them feel that way. Ensure that they are not misunderstanding the situation or that they aren’t reacting negatively to being disciplined.

Role Play

One of the best ways to work through a difficult situation is to allow your student to deal with it themselves. Over the course of their lives, they will encounter managers, neighbors and people that they don’t get along with. Learning to navigate these difficult relationships is a fundamental tenant of happiness.

Start by discussing ways in which the student can deal with situations that make them uncomfortable. Role play situations that may occur in the classroom and discuss different ways of dealing with these events so that they feel prepared and confident. Allowing them to deal with the situation can be a constructive learning experience.

Be Diplomatic

If the problem persists and you feel like you need to take action, don’t be aggressive or angry. Remember that your child will have to deal with the teacher and try to smooth over the situation rather than inflaming it.

Start by explaining the way your child feels and then ask the teacher if they have any idea why your child feels that way. Really listen to their side of the story. You should say things like: “Jane is upset and I need to understand why she feels this way.” Assume that it is a misunderstanding and don’t make teachers feel like they are under attack. The ideal situation here is to promote understanding and cooperation.

Last Resort

If you feel that the teacher is not responding well to your child or if the situation deteriorates and your child’s academic performance suffers, it may be time to take a trip to the principal’s office. Remember to do so when you are cool, calm and collected. Explain the situation clearly and provide constructive suggestions which can lead to resolution. Perhaps moving the student to a different class may be an option. Be patient and persistent. Having a positive experience at school is essential in maintaining your child’s constructive attitude to education and academic performance. Be an agent for resolution and positive change to turn a negative experience for your child into a positive learning opportunity on how to navigate relationships with authority figures.

Summer Learning … Comfortably!

Over their long vacation, most students experience a phenomenon known as the summer slide where they lose much of the academic gains they made over the last semester. Summer academic losses are also cumulative so students who experience the summer slide will drop further behind every year.

The problem

According to the authors of a report from the National Summer Learning Association: "A conservative estimate of lost instructional time is approximately two months or roughly 22 percent of the school year." While academic losses happen across the board, most of the studies which focus on the summer slide deal with reading and math abilities which are so important for today’s students who want to compete in an increasingly tough job market.

Better learning means a better life

The antidote to the summer slide is to take just a couple of sessions every week for in-home tutoring. Here your kids get personalized education that suits their personalities, abilities and learning style. Watch their confidence grow as they not only avoid the summer slide but fill in the gaps in their learning, and acquire the study skills they need to succeed in the new year.

At Tutor Doctor, we don’t want students to be dependent on our tutoring, so we teach the skill set they need to work independently and remove the academic anxiety that many families deal with on a daily basis.

Our programs:

·     Convenient, comfortable, one-to-one

We come to you, wherever you are, at a time that is convenient to you. In the comfort of your home, we provide individualized training and give your child the caring and confidence that they need to succeed.

·     Everyone can learn with the right approach

We have a comprehensive, collaborative approach to learning and work together with your family and teachers to identify the right learning strategies and find the perfect tutors.

·     Better learning, better life

Your education consultant and tutor have your student’s best interests at heart. We listen, understand, and build an educational support team and personalized coaching plan to help your student become an academic champion for life.

·     Your goals are our goals

Whether your student’s needs are immediate – like passing the next exam—or long term, we build a tailor-made plan that gets results. We start with an in-depth assessment, then match the right tutor to your student to help your family improve the present and make the future possible.

Our tutors

At Tutor Doctor, we provide your children with affordable, professional academic coaching in the comfort of your own home. Our tutors undergo a rigorous selection process so we know that they are qualified, well-matched and passionate about really supporting families and helping your students to succeed. With a dedicated coach and a supportive academic team, every student can succeed.

With our Summer Success Program, your children can really get a head start on the coming semester so that they can bring their A-game. Our one-on-one tutoring style delivers results. In fact, 95% of our customers would recommend us to their friends and family. 

Overcoming Test Anxiety

pic by Collegedegrees 360

Many students suffer from anxiety when they have to prepare for and write tests and exams. Some get nervous because they are ill-prepared, while others get bogged down in stress regardless of how well-prepared they may be. When students are anxious, they are unhappy and their stress can negatively impact their ability to prepare for a test and their performance on the day. You can help your students to overcome their exam anxiety for a happier, healthier learning experience.

Symptoms of test anxiety

Anxiety may be accompanied by physical symptoms like head and stomach aches, nausea, fatigue, sleeplessness, loss of appetite and vomiting. There can emotional symptoms too like irritability, anger and fear. When students have to operate under this kind of duress for extended periods, they lose focus.

Anxiety can inhibit their ability to concentrate and affect their memory. Higher cognitive functioning also suffers, making it harder for them to solve problems and comprehend complex data. Anxiety also impacts their ability to sleep and reduces appetite. Not getting enough rest or healthy nutrition affects memory and overall academic performance.

Stress busters

Start from the very beginning by setting realistic academic goals for your students. Help them to get organized by scheduling sufficient study time to prepare adequately for upcoming exams. Don’t do all the organization for them, rather teach them how to record all their upcoming papers and tests and how to organize their time.

Ascertain whether their anxiety stems from a genuine feeling of being overwhelmed. Are they struggling with a subject? If they just aren’t coping, help them to catch up and keep up by getting them an in-home tutor. One-on-one tutors can discover the missing building blocks in your student’s knowledge and skill set and can remedy this so that your student has a solid academic foundation to build on.

Tutors are also able to teach study skills and time management while showing your student how to organize information in a way that suits their learning style. They can help them to build confidence and provide the skills your student needs to work independently.

Happy thoughts

A positive attitude and confidence are two of the most vital arrows in your student’s academic quiver. If they have an inner dialogue that says they are dumb, just can’t do it or that they are bad at math or science, then that has to change.

Help them to recognize these negative thought patterns and to catch themselves when they fall into bad attitude traps. When they have a negative thought, they need to stop, take a deep breath and replace it with a positive one. You can help by focusing on positive reinforcement when they are on the right track.

Sweet dreams and healthy meals

Getting enough sleep is essential to a stellar academic performance. Ensure that your student doesn’t stay up too late studying, limit sugar intake and make sure they get enough sleep.

While most students like to live on sugar and junk food while they hit the books, opt for healthy, nutritious meals. The brain only takes up 2% of your body mass, but it uses 20% of the energy. So give your rocket the right fuel to function.

For More Information

Family Education Network: www.familyeducation.com/article/0,1120,66-2127,00.html

The American Institute of Stress: www.stress.org

Understanding Learning Styles

Your learning style is the way you acquire information. Students learn faster and retain more when information is presented to them in their learning styles of choice. Most people have a dominant learning style, but they can still learn when information is presented in another learning style. Teachers should present information in ways that appeal to all learning styles, but they may not always have the time to do so. When you know what your student’s learning style is, you can tailor information so that they can understand and process it better.

The Seven Learning Styles

Verbal (linguistic): Verbal students prefer using words to communicate, both in speech and writing. They like to read and take notes.

Physical (kinesthetic): These students prefer using their body, hands and sense of touch. They enjoy learning that is action-based like science experiments, making projects and working with their hands.

Visual (spatial): Spacially-oriented students prefer using pictures, images, and spatial understanding. They work well when information is presented in graphs, pie charts, infographics, pictures or video.

Aural (auditory-musical): These students prefer using sound and music. They like listening to lectures or talks.

Solitary (intrapersonal): These are independent learners who prefer to work alone and use self-study.

Logical (mathematical): These students prefer using logic, reasoning and systems. They are great with math and science.

Social (interpersonal): Social students prefer to learn in groups or with other people. They love organizing study groups and collaborative projects.

Consult your Teachers and Tutors

Ask your teacher or tutor to help to determine your student’s dominant learning styles. Most students use a combination of styles to assimilate information. While they will have a dominant style, it’s important to remember that styles are dynamic. That means that with practice, your student can adjust to any style of learning.

Once you know what your student’s preferred learning style is, you can teach them to arrange material to suit their style. For example, if your student prefers a visual learning style, organize information that they need to understand into graphs, infographics, mind maps and pictures. Let them watch videos on the subject and allow them to create videos and visually-oriented presentations for their projects. Presenting information in their learning style will help them to understand and remember.

Your tutor can help to teach your students how to arrange information into a more favorable format and how to tailor study skills to suit different subjects. Ask your tutor to give a brief test to determine learning style preferences.

Here are some resources for finding out your learning style online. Most of these resources are short tests which help you to see which learning style suits your student best. Do two or three to get a better idea of the learning styles that your student prefers:

NC State University

Vark

How to Learn

Education Planner

LDPride

Edutopia

Accelerated Learning
- See more here:

How to Choose the Right College

It’s that time of year when prospective students are eagerly awaiting acceptance letters into their favorite schools. No doubt you have applied to more than one college and if you have several attractive offers, you want to make the right choice. It can be really difficult to decide between schools, so here is a little guide on how to go about making the right choice. 

Make a list, check it twice
Write down all the things that you are looking for in a school in order of importance. The most important option should be the course you want to take so that should go on the very top of the list. Follow this with other factors and facilities that you find essential to the success of your academic career. The second half of the list should contain the considerations that you would like to have in your future school. These could include things like size; some students prefer the intimacy of smaller colleges while other students like big schools because they can meet new people. 

Take a holistic approach
When finding the best fit for you, consider not only your academic needs, but also your personality and interests. You need to find a school that suits you in order for you to excel. You should include factors like location, sports, your budget, the facilities provided by the school, the lecturers who will be giving your chosen courses, course requirements, etc. Now you can compare schools in terms of how many boxes they tick on the ‘essentials’ list and on your ‘wish’ list. This helps you to accurately select the best school for you.

Ask all the questions
By the time you are ready to make your choice, you should have visited each of your colleges and you should know everything you need to know in order to make your decision. Do your research on each school so you know exactly what you will be getting. 

Set a deadline
There’s nothing worse than waiting in limbo, so set yourself a deadline for making your final decision. Take enough time to carefully consider your options, but don’t get bogged down in indecision. Set a date, make a decision and then more forward with your planning. 

Communicate
Your family, friends and teachers are all excited and invested in your decision. While you may feel pressure from different quarters to make a decision, don’t shut down communication. Listen carefully to advice, then take time to make your own decision. Communicate with your counselors, parents and teachers so that they can help you come to the right decision for you. Choosing the right college is a tough decision and it will affect the next four years of your life, so take your time and trust your instincts. Good luck!

Bad Grades? Here’s what to Do

If your student is getting bad grades, you want to be supportive, but you also want to ensure that their academic performance improves. While it’s natural to get upset by bad grades, your student may lack the skills they require to do a better job. You can help them to take responsibility for their academic performance and provide them with the much-needed tools to get the job done.

 

What’s the problem?

Every student has a bad test from time to time, but if you notice a marked decline in a particular subject or in overall grades, it’s time to take action. First speak with your student to try to ascertain what the problem is. Don’t be discouraged if they can’t tell you; it may be that they just don’t know why they aren’t doing as well as their fellow students. Speak with their teachers; your teachers are the best resource for finding the root of the problem. Problems may range from getting distracted in class, not being organized, lacking study skills or simply forgetting to complete assignments. You should also investigate the possibility of social issues like bullying.

 

Fixing the foundations

If your student has gaps in their knowledge, then the more their teachers build on these foundations, the less they will understand. If you suspect that this may be the issue, then get an in-home tutor to evaluate your student’s knowledge. They will be able to tell what kind of an understanding they have of the subject matter and help to fill in the gaps. In-home tutors are able to work individually with your student so that they are able to catch up and show rapid improvement. They are also able to work in a situation where your student feels comfortable and confident. As they progress, they will feel more confident, and will be more likely to ask and answer more questions. They may be too intimidated or shy to ask questions in class.

 

Study skills

Teachers don’t always have the time to teach both the course material and study skills. Your student may need help with the way they study. Start by asking your tutor or teacher to ascertain what learning style suits your student best. Then show them how to convert their course materials into a format that is more accessible to them. For example, if your student is a visual learner, they can remember material by creating a mindmap, flashcards or an inforgraphic. Ensure that your student knows how to properly study, summarize and revise and how to estimate how much time they should leave for studying.

 

Get organized

Being organized isn’t something that comes naturally for most students. If your student often forgets about assignments and tests, loses items or doesn’t hand work in, they may need help with organizational skills. Find a calendar that works best for them. This can be a diary, a smartphone app, a whiteboard; anything that helps them to member important upcoming events. Ensure that you check their calendar every day and help them to fill in the tests, exams and assignment’s they have coming up. Block out time between extramural activities when they are set to do their homework or study. Ensure that they have enough time to complete their schoolwork and help them to prioritize tasks.

Deal with Exam Stress Like A Pro

As exam season approaches, most students experience heightened anxiety. Compounded by lack of sleep and pressure to perform, exam stress can be your worst enemy and prevents you from performing at your peak. While it’s a fact that your grades will be better if you are calm during exams, this often easier said than done. If you suffer from exam stress, then here are some practical ways you can regain control. It’s all in the Planning Part of the reason you feel nervous when taking exams is because you don’t feel prepared. If you plan ahead and ensure that you have enough time to study for your exam, this won’t be a problem. Start early and give yourself tons of time to study. If you feel confident in your knowledge and abilities, you will be able to perform at your peak. Ask your teacher for previous exams so that you can practice. This means you can also get accustomed to the way in which your teacher asks questions. Ask your tutor to help with your exam preparation. Your tutor can identify gaps in your knowledge, help you to create a study schedule and go through old exam papers with you. Get enough Sleep Don’t stay up late cramming; lack of sleep will lead to poor academic performance. Getting your eight hours is the best way to ensure that you are able to use your higher cognitive functions when you are writing your exam. A good night’s sleep will mean you are able to remember more, concentrate longer and problem solve with ease. If you are having trouble sleeping, try exercise and drink lots of water. Avoid stimulants like coffee and sports drinks, and eat a healthy diet. On the Day Don’t leave home late – ensure that there is no pre-exam rushing around. This only adds stress that you don’t need. Leave home with tons of time to spare. If you arrive early, walk around and breathe deeply. You can say hi to your friends, but avoid talking about the exam. When you get your exam paper, read all of the questions and don’t worry if there are some you aren’t sure of. Decide how much time you are going to spend on each question so that you don’t run out. Now start with the easiest questions first. This will help to build your confidence and get your brain working. After the exam is over, try to forget about it. Don’t go over the answers with your friends and get worried about what you did or didn’t write. Instead, go home and relax. The exam period is a long one and you don’t want to stress yourself out about exams you have already written; focus instead on the exams that you still have to write. Relax, you’ve Got This! Your greatest enemy is often yourself. If you start thinking negatively or start to worry that you don’t have enough time, are going to fail or wish you had started earlier… Stop! I know it sounds easier than it actually is, but negative thinking will have a damaging effect on your exam results. If your brain gets on the hamster wheel of doubt and negative thoughts start going round in your head, get up and go do something fun. Take a walk, visit a friend or go for a run. Moving around and distracting yourself will help you to stop being a worry wart. Now replace that negative thought with a positive one. Every time you catch yourself thinking: “I’m not going to make it”, replace that with something positive. After all, you got this! See more here:

Handling ADHD: Tips from Teachers

What do Howie Mandel, Justin Timberlake, Richard Branson, Michael Phelps and Jim Carey have in common? They have all been diagnosed with ADHD. Knowing that successful people not only cope with ADHD, but use all that energy and enthusiasm to fuel their careers can be a wonderful motivator for students and parents. With a few tips from the experts, you can find an academic solution that helps your students to shine.

Talk to your teachers
This is the most important step in the process. Your teachers will have experience dealing with ADHD students and they can help to set up a routine at school and communicate with your student in a way that they both find helpful.

Speak to your teacher about where to place your student in the classroom to minimize distraction.

Communication is key for your student to get the most out of every class so make sure that you speak with your teachers regularly to discuss issues or upcoming assignments and tests.

Routine
Try to perform daily tasks at the same time as this helps to focus energy and gives a pattern to the day that will help you and your student to stay organized and on top of homework.

Communication
Students may seem willful but often they just get distracted when you are speaking with them. When giving instructions or directions, use concise language and keep it short. Ask your student to repeat instructions to ensure that they have heard you.

Visible Schedules
Make sure homework tasks, assignments and upcoming tests and exams are listed on a schedule that is very accessible. Use a white board in the kitchen, or a smartphone app or a calendar in the bedroom; anything to help remind your student of the tasks that need to be completed.

Homework space
Ensure that the space where your student studies is well lit, quiet and free from distraction. Ensure that other siblings don’t offer additional distractions and that there is an environment conducive to learning.

Regular bedtimes
Ensure that your student gets enough sleep or they may have trouble concentrating in class.

Break it down
When students begin to feel overwhelmed by a particularly big task or when they feel like they have too much to do, help them to break down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces. Set out a schedule with each small task written down to show that it’s manageable. Focusing on small short term goals will help to keep them focused and involved.

See more at: http://tutordoctor.com