Kids without tutors

[Anonymous]

Where do they find these 'tutors'?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where do they find these 'tutors'?

Teachers, people who advertise on social media, word of mouth, lists provided by the school, friends.

We used an online service.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We use it based on teachers. My DS took Spanish 5 and got 100% on every single assignment. I doubt this given his track record in past years. So we hired the tutor knowing that when he goes to AP Spanish, with the department head teaching, it will be a wake-up call.

I think it's fair to have a tutor if your child is in public school. Resources are skimpy and not all public school teachers, as hard as they try and even if they are superb, are able to help every student with proper feedbacks.

+1.

To the people that are trying to stigmatize tutoring: shame on you. I only care if the kid learned something. Does it matter how?

I really hate the attitude: my kid is so smart he doesn't need help and finds every class he took easy.

Why? It’s the truth. Many kids are really smart and don’t need any help. You seriously have a problem with that statement?

My son has a learning disability and had tutors off and on. My daughter’s not too bright friends have tutors to help pass their classes. My daughter does fine at her college level classes. I’m not going to get a tutor to try and push her into AP classes. She’s right where she should be ability wise.

What happens to these kids who have tutors with every single class and a tutor editing every single paper?

My kid is smart but the extra support and being able to ask questions 1-1 really helps.

[Anonymous]

I see them as adults who keep the kids doing work on time and accountable so their parents don't have to. I should have used their services more for my own sanity. Oh well my kids are great.

[Anonymous]

Who cares if people have tutors working with their kids?

Seriously this is a perverse thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We use it based on teachers. My DS took Spanish 5 and got 100% on every single assignment. I doubt this given his track record in past years. So we hired the tutor knowing that when he goes to AP Spanish, with the department head teaching, it will be a wake-up call.

I think it's fair to have a tutor if your child is in public school. Resources are skimpy and not all public school teachers, as hard as they try and even if they are superb, are able to help every student with proper feedbacks.

+1.

To the people that are trying to stigmatize tutoring: shame on you. I only care if the kid learned something. Does it matter how?

I really hate the attitude: my kid is so smart he doesn't need help and finds every class he took easy.

Why? It’s the truth. Many kids are really smart and don’t need any help. You seriously have a problem with that statement?

My son has a learning disability and had tutors off and on. My daughter’s not too bright friends have tutors to help pass their classes. My daughter does fine at her college level classes. I’m not going to get a tutor to try and push her into AP classes. She’s right where she should be ability wise.

What happens to these kids who have tutors with every single class and a tutor editing every single paper?

Sorry, but this really rubs me the wrong way. My kids and their friends have tutors to stay ahead on their accelerated tracks. Not because they couldn't hack it without tutors. But to make sure it's an easy A and stress-free.

I think this thread is a confrontation of two cultures. One that views tutoring as beneficial for intellectual rigor, addressing certain notions not taught in schools, and ensuring that kids do well in the most advanced classes; and one that cannot let go of the outdated notion that tutoring is somehow shameful, only for the kids who struggle and won't come to anything, and that if you use it to get ahead, you're somehow cheating and have poor work ethic.

Tutoring is WORK. My kids build work ethic when they do their homework the tutor gives them and when they attend their sessions. The tutors never do the school homework FOR them! That would defeat the entire purpose of the instruction! I used to tutor them myself, when they were little. But now they're in high school, and my derivatives are rusty, I prefer to pay someone who does calculus every day

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DC is surrounded by peers and classmates who have had tutors since literally 3rd/4th grade. Now a sophomore, literally everyone has multiple tutors, neighbors would openly talk about having to drop off their sophomore at the tutor’s house b/c kid has a paper due next day, or taking SAT prep classes every Sat, things like that. It literally feels like DC is the only one with no tutor, and I already see group texts among parents asking around for best tutor to help with college essays.

Have we done our DC a disservice not to provide him with a tutor, or will he somehow benefit from it long term to do it all on his own? Not trying to be a martyr or to humble brag; we wanted him to develop a sense of pride that he earned his own accomplishments. He is great with seeking help from teachers at school when he needs help, but he has never done a paper, project, essay anything with a ghost writer or even editor. Are we just naive and doing him a disservice with college and other opportunities?
Do you mean a tutor so that your kid falls into the top 0.001% of college applicants or that they really need help with coursework?
We didn't really bother comparing ourselves to others. Both my kids go to OOS publics.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We use it based on teachers. My DS took Spanish 5 and got 100% on every single assignment. I doubt this given his track record in past years. So we hired the tutor knowing that when he goes to AP Spanish, with the department head teaching, it will be a wake-up call.

I think it's fair to have a tutor if your child is in public school. Resources are skimpy and not all public school teachers, as hard as they try and even if they are superb, are able to help every student with proper feedbacks.

+1.

To the people that are trying to stigmatize tutoring: shame on you. I only care if the kid learned something. Does it matter how?

I really hate the attitude: my kid is so smart he doesn't need help and finds every class he took easy.

Why? It’s the truth. Many kids are really smart and don’t need any help. You seriously have a problem with that statement?

My son has a learning disability and had tutors off and on. My daughter’s not too bright friends have tutors to help pass their classes. My daughter does fine at her college level classes. I’m not going to get a tutor to try and push her into AP classes. She’s right where she should be ability wise.

What happens to these kids who have tutors with every single class and a tutor editing every single paper?

Sorry, but this really rubs me the wrong way. My kids and their friends have tutors to stay ahead on their accelerated tracks. Not because they couldn't hack it without tutors. But to make sure it's an easy A and stress-free.

I think this thread is a confrontation of two cultures. One that views tutoring as beneficial for intellectual rigor, addressing certain notions not taught in schools, and ensuring that kids do well in the most advanced classes; and one that cannot let go of the outdated notion that tutoring is somehow shameful, only for the kids who struggle and won't come to anything, and that if you use it to get ahead, you're somehow cheating and have poor work ethic.

Tutoring is WORK. My kids build work ethic when they do their homework the tutor gives them and when they attend their sessions. The tutors never do the school homework FOR them! That would defeat the entire purpose of the instruction! I used to tutor them myself, when they were little. But now they're in high school, and my derivatives are rusty, I prefer to pay someone who does calculus every day

Yeah. My kids would kill me if I made them go to 'tutoring'.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We use it based on teachers. My DS took Spanish 5 and got 100% on every single assignment. I doubt this given his track record in past years. So we hired the tutor knowing that when he goes to AP Spanish, with the department head teaching, it will be a wake-up call.

I think it's fair to have a tutor if your child is in public school. Resources are skimpy and not all public school teachers, as hard as they try and even if they are superb, are able to help every student with proper feedbacks.

+1.

To the people that are trying to stigmatize tutoring: shame on you. I only care if the kid learned something. Does it matter how?

I really hate the attitude: my kid is so smart he doesn't need help and finds every class he took easy.

Why? It’s the truth. Many kids are really smart and don’t need any help. You seriously have a problem with that statement?

My son has a learning disability and had tutors off and on. My daughter’s not too bright friends have tutors to help pass their classes. My daughter does fine at her college level classes. I’m not going to get a tutor to try and push her into AP classes. She’s right where she should be ability wise.

What happens to these kids who have tutors with every single class and a tutor editing every single paper?

Sorry, but this really rubs me the wrong way. My kids and their friends have tutors to stay ahead on their accelerated tracks. Not because they couldn't hack it without tutors. But to make sure it's an easy A and stress-free.

I think this thread is a confrontation of two cultures. One that views tutoring as beneficial for intellectual rigor, addressing certain notions not taught in schools, and ensuring that kids do well in the most advanced classes; and one that cannot let go of the outdated notion that tutoring is somehow shameful, only for the kids who struggle and won't come to anything, and that if you use it to get ahead, you're somehow cheating and have poor work ethic.

Tutoring is WORK. My kids build work ethic when they do their homework the tutor gives them and when they attend their sessions. The tutors never do the school homework FOR them! That would defeat the entire purpose of the instruction! I used to tutor them myself, when they were little. But now they're in high school, and my derivatives are rusty, I prefer to pay someone who does calculus every day

I agree. I don’t understand how people can get so upset over other people’s choices. We have a math/science tutor for one of our kids bc that’s their weak subject and if their teacher happens to be weak, then the extra tutoring is very helpful. My other kids are fine without tutors but I would be happy to hire one if they ask or if they’re struggling. Our kids are disciplined and on top of their work so I’m not worried about college. I also make it very clear that they should always ask for help if they need it.. whether it’s office hours with teachers, resources, books, printer paper…

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where do they find these 'tutors'?

Why are you putting the word in inverted commas?

There is a plethora of cheap online tutors who work online. Wyzant is one of the better known websites. For the people who say they can't afford one, you didn't really look, did you? Although you might get what you pay for.

Then there are the traditional companies, such as the Huntington Center, or Prep Matters, or C2, etc. Some offer group classes, other offer one-on-one.

And then there are individual tutors working for themselves, who built clientele through word of mouth. My middle schooler had such a tutor for writing, recommended by a friend. The tutor was an English Development teacher at an MCPS high school, and she was very good. The Takoma Park magnet middle (also MCPS) has a math teacher there who tutors in her free time. We also used the services of a Latin teacher from a top DC private. Etc...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We use it based on teachers. My DS took Spanish 5 and got 100% on every single assignment. I doubt this given his track record in past years. So we hired the tutor knowing that when he goes to AP Spanish, with the department head teaching, it will be a wake-up call.

I think it's fair to have a tutor if your child is in public school. Resources are skimpy and not all public school teachers, as hard as they try and even if they are superb, are able to help every student with proper feedbacks.

+1.

To the people that are trying to stigmatize tutoring: shame on you. I only care if the kid learned something. Does it matter how?

I really hate the attitude: my kid is so smart he doesn't need help and finds every class he took easy.

Why? It’s the truth. Many kids are really smart and don’t need any help. You seriously have a problem with that statement?

My son has a learning disability and had tutors off and on. My daughter’s not too bright friends have tutors to help pass their classes. My daughter does fine at her college level classes. I’m not going to get a tutor to try and push her into AP classes. She’s right where she should be ability wise.

What happens to these kids who have tutors with every single class and a tutor editing every single paper?

Sorry, but this really rubs me the wrong way. My kids and their friends have tutors to stay ahead on their accelerated tracks. Not because they couldn't hack it without tutors. But to make sure it's an easy A and stress-free.

I think this thread is a confrontation of two cultures. One that views tutoring as beneficial for intellectual rigor, addressing certain notions not taught in schools, and ensuring that kids do well in the most advanced classes; and one that cannot let go of the outdated notion that tutoring is somehow shameful, only for the kids who struggle and won't come to anything, and that if you use it to get ahead, you're somehow cheating and have poor work ethic.

Tutoring is WORK. My kids build work ethic when they do their homework the tutor gives them and when they attend their sessions. The tutors never do the school homework FOR them! That would defeat the entire purpose of the instruction! I used to tutor them myself, when they were little. But now they're in high school, and my derivatives are rusty, I prefer to pay someone who does calculus every day

Yeah. My kids would kill me if I made them go to 'tutoring'.

That's fine, as long as you respect my choices for my family. That's all I ask. This thread has had some pretty rude posters writing the most disparaging stuff about academic enrichment/support outside of school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We use it based on teachers. My DS took Spanish 5 and got 100% on every single assignment. I doubt this given his track record in past years. So we hired the tutor knowing that when he goes to AP Spanish, with the department head teaching, it will be a wake-up call.

I think it's fair to have a tutor if your child is in public school. Resources are skimpy and not all public school teachers, as hard as they try and even if they are superb, are able to help every student with proper feedbacks.

+1.

To the people that are trying to stigmatize tutoring: shame on you. I only care if the kid learned something. Does it matter how?

I really hate the attitude: my kid is so smart he doesn't need help and finds every class he took easy.

Why? It’s the truth. Many kids are really smart and don’t need any help. You seriously have a problem with that statement?

My son has a learning disability and had tutors off and on. My daughter’s not too bright friends have tutors to help pass their classes. My daughter does fine at her college level classes. I’m not going to get a tutor to try and push her into AP classes. She’s right where she should be ability wise.

What happens to these kids who have tutors with every single class and a tutor editing every single paper?

Sorry, but this really rubs me the wrong way. My kids and their friends have tutors to stay ahead on their accelerated tracks. Not because they couldn't hack it without tutors. But to make sure it's an easy A and stress-free.

I think this thread is a confrontation of two cultures. One that views tutoring as beneficial for intellectual rigor, addressing certain notions not taught in schools, and ensuring that kids do well in the most advanced classes; and one that cannot let go of the outdated notion that tutoring is somehow shameful, only for the kids who struggle and won't come to anything, and that if you use it to get ahead, you're somehow cheating and have poor work ethic.

Tutoring is WORK. My kids build work ethic when they do their homework the tutor gives them and when they attend their sessions. The tutors never do the school homework FOR them! That would defeat the entire purpose of the instruction! I used to tutor them myself, when they were little. But now they're in high school, and my derivatives are rusty, I prefer to pay someone who does calculus every day

Many kids who struggle or have learning disablities aren't going to admit it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We use it based on teachers. My DS took Spanish 5 and got 100% on every single assignment. I doubt this given his track record in past years. So we hired the tutor knowing that when he goes to AP Spanish, with the department head teaching, it will be a wake-up call.

I think it's fair to have a tutor if your child is in public school. Resources are skimpy and not all public school teachers, as hard as they try and even if they are superb, are able to help every student with proper feedbacks.

+1.

To the people that are trying to stigmatize tutoring: shame on you. I only care if the kid learned something. Does it matter how?

I really hate the attitude: my kid is so smart he doesn't need help and finds every class he took easy.

Why? It’s the truth. Many kids are really smart and don’t need any help. You seriously have a problem with that statement?

My son has a learning disability and had tutors off and on. My daughter’s not too bright friends have tutors to help pass their classes. My daughter does fine at her college level classes. I’m not going to get a tutor to try and push her into AP classes. She’s right where she should be ability wise.

What happens to these kids who have tutors with every single class and a tutor editing every single paper?

Sorry, but this really rubs me the wrong way. My kids and their friends have tutors to stay ahead on their accelerated tracks. Not because they couldn't hack it without tutors. But to make sure it's an easy A and stress-free.

I think this thread is a confrontation of two cultures. One that views tutoring as beneficial for intellectual rigor, addressing certain notions not taught in schools, and ensuring that kids do well in the most advanced classes; and one that cannot let go of the outdated notion that tutoring is somehow shameful, only for the kids who struggle and won't come to anything, and that if you use it to get ahead, you're somehow cheating and have poor work ethic.

Tutoring is WORK. My kids build work ethic when they do their homework the tutor gives them and when they attend their sessions. The tutors never do the school homework FOR them! That would defeat the entire purpose of the instruction! I used to tutor them myself, when they were little. But now they're in high school, and my derivatives are rusty, I prefer to pay someone who does calculus every day

Yeah. My kids would kill me if I made them go to 'tutoring'.

Mine was super mad as Dad was helping with Calc but it was painful to watch as he relearned it and it wasn't working. So, I got a tutor. Originally they were mad, then they really appreciated it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid didn't need one.

Using the term "need" suggests you are misunderstanding the role of a tutor. All kids can get a lot out of a tutor relationship. Yes, some kids "need" a tutor for courses they are having trouble learning. However, the very brightest students with an all around academic mentor probably benefit the most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The majority of the kids having multiple tutors are not the strongest applicants in college admissions. Don’t worry about that. The more tutoring they need, the weaker they are. If they can’t even handle high school contents without tutors, they don’t have the aptitude to handle top colleges.

If your DC can handle it without tutoring, that’s conducive to his growth and readiness for college. Definitely beneficial in the long run.

Many strong applicants and academically advanced students have tutors. Tutors help strong students explore the subjects in ways that classroom teacher don't have time to do. They help advanced learners hone skills that are not taught in school. They explore topics of interest that are not in the curriculum. Think of a tutor as a personal academic mentor. It's not always about academic weakness.