There are many different reasons as to why a child is not excelling in a certain subject at school. One major contributing factor is lack of personal attention and individual guidance. Students have their own strengths and weaknesses and unfortunately, teachers are hard-pressed to be able to work with each learner individually on his or her respective level.

In high school, I was horrible at Chemistry. I just did not grasp the subject and as much as I went to the teacher for extra help, I still could not understand the basics needed to do well in the course. Finally, I hired a tutor. We met once a week and I was able to ask all of the questions that I was afraid to ask in class. If I did not understand the explanation my tutor provided, I asked again and again until he explained it in such a way that I understood. I am a visual learner and so during our sessions, he provided diagrams of how elements formed and examples of all the formulas. I received more detailed explanations than I did in class as my tutor did an excellent job of providing anecdotes or word association techniques to help me. Thanks to my tutor I ended up doing well in Chemistry. By the end of the course, I was amazed at my new found ability to grasp complicated concepts with ease. This training not only helped with with Chemistry but also with future technical and convoluted classes.

Having a tutor can be incredibly helpful in improving a student’s understanding of subject matter. In school, there are many students in each classroom, and through no fault of their own, teachers are not able to have much one-on-one time with each individual student. Even during study hall or free periods, students can go for extra help, but there are usually numerous students expecting the same kind of attention. When a tutor comes into the picture, the hour or two a week spent with the student is focused, student- geared time. The student can ask all of the questions he or she desires without feeling embarrassed or judged by other classmates. Through close interaction, the tutor is able to see how the student learns and consequently is in a better position to teach in such a way that the student understands and comprehends the material. Rather than being in a classroom setting where every student has various questions and understands concepts on different levels, working with a tutor provides a comfortable atmosphere where all the learning is geared towards the student’s needs. These personalized interactions will in turn help the individual student learn how to study more efficiently, identify and fix shortcomings, and see the direct results of his/her hard work.

In addition to helping students grasp material, a tutor tends to serve as a role model for the student. Since students are able to get to know their tutors more than their teachers, they generally look-up to the tutor and in some cases try to emulate positive behavior. The tutors presence with directly and indirectly build confidence and self-esteem in the student. Two important contributions a tutor provides are positive reinforcement and constructive criticism; two helpful tools that teachers are not always able to offer as a result of the classroom dynamic. Rather than a group setting where students might laugh or poke fun at each other, the tutor is there to provide positive feedback and tactly explain how to solve problems and implement learned approaches. Excel tutors push students to reach solutions themselves; answers are not simply handed over. As a result, students will enjoy boosts of confidence as they come to learn that they are the ones responsible for solving the problems and thinking through challenges.

One potential negative side effect of working with a tutor is the possibility that the student could become so accustomed to all the personal attention from the tutor that he/she gets lost in class. Transitioning from a personal level of interaction to a group setting can be difficult. The way that Excel tutors offset this negative result is by teaching the student not only the material but also important study and self-reliance skills, as well as other important skill sets needed to thrive in different settings, both academic and social. Excel tutors are there to guide the students, not to do the work for them.

If your child is not doing well in school, and it appears as though he or she simply cannot understand the concepts, hiring a tutor is an excellent way to ensure enough attention, explanation, and guidance. The tutor's job is to focus on your child; to work with him or her in such a way as to enable them to develop the skills and foundations of knowledge needed for improved performance in school.