Information Age Education

3 Ways to Determine if Your Child is Struggling in School

February 2nd, 2010

If you suspect that your young child may be struggling in school, you sometimes have to become a private investigator to determine whether your feelings are accurate. Some children don’t talk and some teachers aren’t the best at relaying information, which leaves it up to you to do the investigative work.
A struggling child could benefit well from a tutor if you think one is needed. To make this determination, it’s good watch your child for behaviors that may indicate struggle, such as:
1. Your Child Says There’s No Homework: If you ask about your child’s homework and the repeated answers are “I didn’t have any homework” or “I forgot my homework,” the literal translation may actually be “I’m struggling with my assignments and don’t want to bring them home.”

2. Your Child is Finding Excuses to Miss School: If your child is getting sick in the mornings, or simply expresses a desire to stay home, there’s a chance that your child is feeling too academically inferior to want to attend school.

3. You Notice Changes in Behavior: Your child may attend school every day, but you may notice some other behavioral issues, such as a bad attitude that didn’t exist before. If your child is feeling resentment or embarrassment because other students seem to pick on subjects faster, it may result in a negative attitude – and may be a sign that it’s time to bring in help.

What to Do if Your Child Displays Signs of Struggle
If your child has shown one of the signs above, you may want to:
1. Try Talking to the Teacher - Or a School Administrator: The teacher should have a great deal of insight into signs of struggle in students and may be able to help determine whether your child needs more of a challenge or simply doesn’t understand the material. However, some teachers are extremely busy and hard to catch up with. It’s your job to persist in attempting communication with the teacher. However, if this doesn’t work, you could try stepping above the teacher’s head to a school administrator who could offer advice.

2. Try Talking to Your Child Again: Another way to forward after determining that a struggle is present is to speak with your child again. Explain that you’re not judging the situation but truly want to help. You could ask questions like “Do you understand what your teacher is teaching in class?” Also, you could express that a getting a tutor is simply offers a way to clarify what was already learned in school and there there’s no reason to feel embarrassed. Hopefully, by explaining that getting a tutor doesn’t equal inferiority, the door will open for communication.
If you’re looking for tutoring resources, it’s good to check with learning centers in your area. Also you could look for resources online that will allow your child to receive tutoring assistance from the comfort of your home.

This article was written by Melissa Tamura, who writes on the topic of online education degrees for the Zen College Life Blog. She would love to hear from you at melissatamura@gmail.com