Those of us who work as tutors really love helping students succeed.  Here is a story that demonstrates what we love about tutoring.

A young man failed his high school midterm.  His mother insisted that he start coming to The Study Hall to work on his math every week with a tutor.  At first he was not too happy about having to come see us, but after a short time he started to agree that it was time well spent.  After just five weeks, he had a big math test and he got a 100.  That is an impressive turn-around from failing a few short weeks ago.

That must be some kind of magic that tutors do!  Here are a few possible explanations for this kind of success:

He was not spending enough time on his work.  Many students underestimate how long they should spend on practicing and studying their lessons.  They think they understand “well enough” but as soon as they are faced with a tougher question on a test, they freeze.

He was spending “distracted” time.  We work hard for a solid hour, and there are no cell phones, video games or TV to compete for attention.  He might have not been concentrating as well on his own.

He got stuck and couldn’t figure things out on his own.  Students have access to their teachers at school, but once they get home and get started on an assignment, they may find they need to ask another question.  Lots of teenagers decide to skip the topic, make a guess, or plan to ask in the next class but then forget.  By the time the topic comes up, they have forgotten what they wanted to ask.  These starts and stops really get in the way of progress, and many students just give up on understanding the material.

He may not have had enough time in class to think about what the teacher said.  He may have not been able to follow one person’s explanation.  But when he was by himself with a tutor, he could stop and ask if he was confused, or better yet, our tutors are experienced enough to know the signs to look for to see if a student is “getting it.”  It’s hard to hide in a room with one other person!  We watch and we adjust to the student’s pace.

At The Study Hall we take pride in helping students succeed academically. After a few weeks or months, a student like this probably won’t need regular visits anymore.  But isn’t it great that we are here when people need us?  If your student needs our help, please give us a call at 236-3949 or email rockport@thestudyhall.com for more information.