The truth is, all children will struggle with their schoolwork at one point or another. Education is work, after all. However fascinating it may be at times, it is also something that must be done day in and day out whether or not your child is feeling inspired. Just as you are sometimes bored, frustrated, or tired of your responsibilities from time to time, so too will your child become bored, frustrated, or tired of theirs.
If the problems with schoolwork are recurrent, however, and your child must work harder than you think necessary to master the skills of their grade level, then you might need to step in and address the issue.
Stop Your Child From Struggling in School
Get Involved at School
The best thing that you can do to help your struggling child is to get involved with their studies. Information is power and in order to help solve a problem, you must first understand it. Make sure that you are aware of what is going on in the classroom. It will help you to diagnose the underlying problem. If you suspect your child is having trouble, don't wait for their teacher to contact you; reach out to them instead.
It's best to nip these kinds of problems in the bud. Contact your child's teacher by email first; it is less intrusive than a phone call or visit. Explain your concerns and request their input on how to cope with them. Teachers are trained for this, after all.
Get Involved at Home
Knowing what is going on in your child's classroom can help you to provide them with the support that they need at home. When your child is struggling in school, it is up to you to be their sounding board. Help them with their studies, but make sure that you also help them with their emotional burdens.
- Set a time and a space to work on schoolwork together.
- Make sure that you choose a safe space without distractions.
- When your child begins to struggle and feel frustrated, take a step back and let them.
- Do not allow yourself to do the work for them. Instead, help them through the necessary thought process.
- Look for signs that your child is reaching a point when they need a break and limit the amount of time spent on schoolwork.
- Help your child learn the principles of organization, which will help them to exert more control over their studies.
With your help, your child will get through this period of scholastic challenge without too much difficulty. What is important is to catch these issues early, while they are still easily dealt with. If your child's difficulties go unattended for too long, they may end up with damaging holes in their knowledge base. If they continue, your child may become irreparably alienated from their studies. This is why it is so important to keep your finger on the pulse of your child's school life. It is the best possible way to identify potential problems and begin to deal with them.
Get Them Extra Help if Needed
Sometimes, your efforts alone are not enough to help your child's grades improve. At times, you need another person to step in and give your child the help they need. That's where a tutor can come in. Finding the right tutor for your child can help them overcome their academic challenges and excel.
The first decision you'll have to make is between virtual and in-person tutoring. Deciding between the two usually comes down to cost and the learning style of your student. It can also come down to whether you have time to transport them to and from a tutoring session.
Virtual tutoring is often more expensive than in-person tutoring, but you're generally more likely to get a professional, experienced tutor through an online program. Many virtual tutors are current or former teachers, meaning that they have years of experience working with students. In-person tutors are often either former teachers or current students.
In order for virtual tutoring to work properly, your child will need a stable internet connection and a quiet place to work with their tutor. With in-person tutoring, your child will often go to your school's library or to their tutor's home to work. If neither of these options work, many tutors are willing to discuss alternative locations. Keep in mind, however, that this may increase the cost per session.
Recent News on Struggling in School
Children have struggled in school for decades; it's a normal part of the learning process. Given how much of a constant difficulty in school is, it makes for a great topic for the news. By reviewing recent coverage of students struggling in school, you can stay on top of the best ways to help your child along.
A recent article from the Associated Press highlighted just how many parents are unaware that their child is academically behind. Many times, this has nothing to do with the effort the parents put in. In a lot of cases, failure from the school to communicate with parents creates an environment in which kids fall behind, to the ignorance of their parents. It is estimated that around half of American students are behind in their education. Criticism has arisen of certain teachers being more focused on keeping students quiet than actually ensuring they're learning the material.
Chronic absenteeism has been highlighted by Yahoo News as a problem that causes children in schools today to fall behind. It is estimated that roughly 16 million children missed at least 10% of school days during the 2021-22 school year. Missing this much of the school year will cause a child to fall behind. The amount of students missing a significant chunk of school has been on the rise; the statistic from the 21-22 school year is almost double the number of chronically absentee students from the 18-19 school year.