Kids these days have a lot of on their plates. With school, extra-curricular activities, sports and other commitments, staying on top of their grades can often be a source of stress. As families seek to find ways to make these obligations less overwhelming for their children (and themselves) private tutors are often a go-to solution to assist their children in mastering academic concepts, boosting confidence and creating a convenient way to give their children the extra support they may need. If you’ve been on the fence about whether or not a private tutor is right for your family, here’s nine great reasons you may want to hire one soon:

Because Your Kids are Struggling: One of the most obvious and common reasons families hire a private tutor is due to receiving reports of poor grades on tests and class assignments. Unfortunately, however, many families wait until their children are severely behind (sometimes grade levels) before they consider hiring a professional to help them. If your child is getting low marks on their tests and report cards, it may be time to reach out to a private tutor who can help get them back on track before they fall further behind.

Because They’re Actually Doing Well: As a private tutor, I’ve noticed that the families who hire me usually fall into two categories: those who’ve waited for their children to start failing to get academic support and those who want to make sure they don’t. For some reason, many families feel that hiring a tutor is a sign that their children are not intelligent and it’s a last-ditch effort to save their academic future, however many other families have children who usually receive excellent marks at school and they want to make sure it stays that way. To that end, though working with a private tutor is an expense that you need to consider before committing to, it’s important to know that families who keep tutors on hand as a routine aspect of their children’s educational experience usually end up with very academically prepared children, and these are the students that your children will be competing with for a place in the schools and colleges of their choice and later in life for employment opportunities. If you are able to, consider giving them the advantage of regularly working with a content area expert by hiring a private tutor to stay ahead of the game.

Because “New Math” Has Your Head Spinning: Let’s face it, the way students are taught math and reading these days is often very different from how we did many years ago. As a result, many parents spend countless nights trying to understand how to teach their children concepts in the way they are learning them at school, and it can be downright frustrating. Hiring a private tutor can alleviate this because many of them are trained educators who keep up with the ever-changing teaching methods that your children may be exposed to at school, and even if they aren’t they are often equipped with different methods to help your kids “get it” even when you don’t.

Because You’re Swamped: Work, appointments, PTA, and after school activities can wear parents out! By the time you get home and start working on dinner, you may not always have the mental space or energy for homework or helping your child with a learning concept they don’t really grasp well. With a private tutor, you will have someone who shows up at your home refreshed, and ready to dig into your child’s task list with no delays or distractions. In addition, while they work with your child, you can finish a load of laundry, run an errand or assist another child with a different task so life is a little less hectic.

Because Their Teachers are Swamped Too: I used to be a teacher and I can tell you first-hand that even when they are coming in at 6:00 am and leaving at 7:30 pm, they often still have five hours-worth of tasks that could help your child which may be neglected. That’s not to say that teachers don’t care about your children or that they are lazy, however, in the state of many public schools, teachers simply don’t have the resources to be the superhuman beings they’d need to be in order to truly serve every child they teach to the degree that they so badly want to. When this happens, the student usually suffers and even with conferencing and intervention plans in place, your child may still need more support than the school or teacher can provide. For this reason, it’s up to you as parent to make decisions about how you can and will get them the additional help they may need, and a private tutor may be the answer! In addition, private tutors and teachers working together can be a beautiful thing has they collaborate to help your child reach their academic goals, consider it as a supplement to their regular school attendance.

Because it’s Convenient: As you seek to find help for your child’s academic success, you will come across a plethora of learning centers and facilities that offer tutoring to students. While these may be reputable and effective, they may not always be convenient when you consider traffic, household responsibilities and other obligations that could make getting your child to these appointments a real hassle. When you hire a private tutor, you don’t have to worry about that. In fact, all you have to do is open the door and make sure you have a clean and quiet place in your home for them to work with your child and life can be simple.

Because You Need a Middle Man: As a private tutor, I can’t tell you how many times parents have shared with me that I am able to get their children to do things that they can’t. It’s as if when I arrive floating through their door in a very Mary Poppins-eque manner with my little bag of tools, their children are happy to get to work and will do just that, with excellent focus for at least an hour. Once we are done, parents are often amazed at the amount of work I’ve been able to help their children complete that would have taken them twice as long and with three melt downs or tantrums to boot! If you notice that it always seems like you’re pulling teeth to get your children to do homework with you, or it often ends in yelling and tears, it may be time to consider a private tutor. Your children will likely love working with a tutor and you can regain some peace in your home.

Because They Need Some Confidence: Often when I work with new students that are very behind academically, their eyes are filled with a look of discouragement. Perhaps they have been told by teachers that they are not good students, or maybe they have been teased at school, or feel shame for not living up to their parent’s expectations of them. Hiring a private tutor can not only be great for helping your child master skills they struggle with but it also serves to provide them with a personal cheerleader of sorts to keep them upbeat and positive about all the things they can do!

Because They’re Worth It: At the end of the day, your child’s future is very heavily impacted by their level of education. Study after study reveal that the more education a person has, the more money they make and the more options they have in life. Furthermore, the better the foundation students have academically, the more likely they are to do well in school, like school and continue to pursue academic pursuits even after they have completed high school. Like most parents, I am sure that you want the very best for your children and would anything to see them happy, healthy and successful. To that end, the value that private tutors provide to your child and family is really an investment that will allow your child reap benefits from for a lifetime.

For more information on the benefits of private tutors or to add your child to our tutoring schedule visit www.pinkchairtutoring.com