Math tutor for a 2nd grader? Too much?

[Anonymous]

Try out a tutor for a while, OP. If she's behind, it is easier to catch up to 2nd grade math than it is to wait another year and need to catch up to 3rd grade math.

Also, you said that she struggled with reading until things recently clicked. Is it possible that she's still struggling with math because her reading skills are still a bit weak? Just a possibility.

At any rate, a good tutor will be able to sort some things out and give you some insights into DD's troubles. I'd give it a shot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't just get a neighborhood tutor, take her to a place like mathnasium where they can do an evaluation of her math skills. Do the evaluation before you proceed with tutoring.

Also wanted to that mathnasium will do both a written and a verbal evaluation. Takes about 45 minutes. Their written evaluation will tell you exactly what areas she is having trouble with. We knew our dd wasn't doing well in math, and the diagnostics we got at mathnasium helped us to focus on key areas. Some of our assumptions on where she was struggling was not correct. They did a customized plan that addressed her key issues and helped her have a better foundation. Our dd was also using her hands to multiply. Mathnasium helped her visualize and understand concepts.

We did have a neighborhood tutor for a few sessions. While it helped her get throuh the next test, it didn't really help in the long run. It was like putting a band aid rather than treating the issue.

[Anonymous]

My second grader has struggled with math since first grade - and we got a tutor then. She see the tutor once a week to go over the concepts from class. Its hard to say if its helping as she is still struggling in math. But perhaps it would be worse without the tutor? We may have to look into testing if this continues. Hang in there OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, all. I have reached out to a tutor in the neighborhood. I have wavered a bit because I was concerned about her being below grade level for reading at the beginning of the year and she seems to have finally caught up. I was hoping the same would happen with math when it finally "clicked". She just struggles overall to remain at grade level all around - that combined with her anxiety and inability to focus - just makes me question if perhaps we need to have her evaluated. Her teacher says no but I'm not sure if she's even allowed to say yes. DD has a 504 due to her anxiety but school says she isn't far enough behind to warrant an evaluation.

I just posted and now I'm reading this. Yes our DD struggled in reading as well - and that seems to finally be catching up a bit. Don't rely on her teacher to tell you what to do - go ahead and get testing done. We actually had testing done at Children's National Medical Center (insurance covered it). A full neuro-psych evaluation with some academic testing as well (which we paid for). The results unfortunately for us weren't completely clear - so we may need to re-do testing eventually. The other entity that does testing and does take insurance is Kennedy Kreiger in Baltimore.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Thanks, all. I have reached out to a tutor in the neighborhood. I have wavered a bit because I was concerned about her being below grade level for reading at the beginning of the year and she seems to have finally caught up. I was hoping the same would happen with math when it finally "clicked". She just struggles overall to remain at grade level all around - that combined with her anxiety and inability to focus - just makes me question if perhaps we need to have her evaluated. Her teacher says no but I'm not sure if she's even allowed to say yes. DD has a 504 due to her anxiety but school says she isn't far enough behind to warrant an evaluation.

I just posted and now I'm reading this. Yes our DD struggled in reading as well - and that seems to finally be catching up a bit. Don't rely on her teacher to tell you what to do - go ahead and get testing done. We actually had testing done at Children's National Medical Center (insurance covered it). A full neuro-psych evaluation with some academic testing as well (which we paid for). The results unfortunately for us weren't completely clear - so we may need to re-do testing eventually. The other entity that does testing and does take insurance is Kennedy Kreiger in Baltimore.

Thanks. I actually reached out to Children's yesterday and haven't heard back yet. We think she needs a thorough evaluation. Her tutor just retired from our ES so I'm pretty confident that she knows her stuff. We'll see, I guess.

[Anonymous]

Former teacher/tutor here.

Yes to a tutor. Looks like you are heading in that direction.
Please do not have her do workbook pages. For a child who is struggling in math, this only teaches them that math is tedious and boring.
It sounds to me as if your daughter needs to develop a great sense of number AND she needs to work on more automaticity with her facts. She can do both and have a good time learning these things if you find the right tutor. The tutoring sessions should be fun for her, otherwise you may run into bigger issues.
She should be engaged with games and such to help her learn these things, IMO. Kids who are having fun learn more.
She should absolutely learn her facts, but she may need to “back up” a bit to do it. Perhaps learn some strategies for the more problematic facts until they become automatic. (For example, if she knows that 5 + 5 is 10, then she knows that 5 + 6 is 11 because it is one more).
Also, have her find the math in her daily life and talk about it. Math shouldn’t be mysterious to kids - we use it every day.
Good luck, OP. Hope all goes well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Former teacher/tutor here.

Yes to a tutor. Looks like you are heading in that direction.
Please do not have her do workbook pages. For a child who is struggling in math, this only teaches them that math is tedious and boring.
It sounds to me as if your daughter needs to develop a great sense of number AND she needs to work on more automaticity with her facts. She can do both and have a good time learning these things if you find the right tutor. The tutoring sessions should be fun for her, otherwise you may run into bigger issues.
She should be engaged with games and such to help her learn these things, IMO. Kids who are having fun learn more.
She should absolutely learn her facts, but she may need to “back up” a bit to do it. Perhaps learn some strategies for the more problematic facts until they become automatic. (For example, if she knows that 5 + 5 is 10, then she knows that 5 + 6 is 11 because it is one more).
Also, have her find the math in her daily life and talk about it. Math shouldn’t be mysterious to kids - we use it every day.
Good luck, OP. Hope all goes well.

THANK YOU (OP here). This is so helpful. Workbooks are NOT meant for kids like my DD... I know that much. I'm hoping her tutor can provide some fun and make her feel like she can do the work -- I know at this point she is just very frustrated. Thank you so much for your help.

[Anonymous]

We have a DC the same age as your DD and are trying to decide between a tutor and a place like Mathnasium. One of the main things liked about Mathnasium is that they have a lot of manipulatives and other ways of having kids "play" with numbers in a hands-on way and all the tutors there are trained in this.

If you get a private tutor, OP, I would think about purchasing things like math blocks or cubes to help with the sessions. These tools are really important for kids this age especially in gaining a solid foundation in basic math operations and measurement.