PS at our Bethesda HS there are lots of in-school extra help options - most afternoons there are core teachers available, there are NHS tutoring programs and a writing center, teachers who routinely use Google classroom or whatever to encourage kids to come by during lunch for more support. My kid rarely takes advantage of this stuff, to his own detriment, but it's there. So don't blame the teachers!

We have a sophomore in MCPS and he has 3 tutors, plus parents who actively support him in 2 other subjects. It's a lot of money (and time. The PP who made some crack about more money than time for kids doesn't appreciate that it actually is a hassle to coordinate and be present for tutoring if you work FT and have more than 1 kid to tend to.)

Why? I don't fault teachers or textbooks. (Not sure why that's such an issue here, my son has a textbook in some classes anyway.) Maybe we have the only kid in Bethesda who's not gifted or accelerated or whatever. Some weeks he has 6, even 9 tests in various subjects and he struggles. He's not naturally well-organized or driven, and left to his own devices, he seems to be a B/C student. With tutoring, he's an A/B student.

Like the PP it's also something we can afford. Private school would have been a huge stretch although I sometimes think it would have been worth the sacrifice for this kid. We have a younger child who does better in school and is much more competitive overall, I don't think we'll need the same amount of home support when he gets to HS.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More parents have more cash than time.
Outsourced parenting.

I have plenty of time, but I don't know a thing about AP Calc BC.

OP here. If they don’t understand a concept, isn’t the teacher available to explain it again or help them in class?

Hilarious. No, the teacher often is not available to explain it AGAIN. The advanced math classes move fast.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got a math tutor (high school) because the math teacher doesn't teach. She just hands out packets and expects the kids to teach themselves in small groups. And, as a PP noted, there is no textbook.

This is the norm nowadays.
The teacher explains for about 5 minutes and hands out packages.
Students either learn by online YouTube teachers or get a tutor.

Wtf are they getting paid for, then? Last I checked teach was a key part of the word teacher...

Everyone uses tutors because grades are far more important for college admission than ever before. All of this hypercompetition is due to what is going on at the college level. For those of you not aware, the truth is that many of the old safety schools are harder to get in to now. I never knew anyone who couldn't get in to UMD or VT.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We got a math tutor (high school) because the math teacher doesn't teach. She just hands out packets and expects the kids to teach themselves in small groups. And, as a PP noted, there is no textbook.

This is the norm nowadays.
The teacher explains for about 5 minutes and hands out packages.
Students either learn by online YouTube teachers or get a tutor.

+100

Anonymous wrote:We decided on public school even though If we really stretched we could have afforded private school. However, we couldn't afford private school AND tutors so if our child struggled in a subject we wouldn't be able to pay for a tutor. So we enrolled them in public school but anytime they get a weak teacher or a difficult subject for them we get them a tutor to make sure they really understand the subject. Als a writing tutor has been worth it because they don't get enough feedback on any written work.

Interesting! Makes sense. I wonder if they learn more from their tutors or teachers?!

Parents are also allowed to self select their kids into honors/accelerated classes whether it was recommended by the previous teacher or not.

We decided on public school even though If we really stretched we could have afforded private school. However, we couldn't afford private school AND tutors so if our child struggled in a subject we wouldn't be able to pay for a tutor. So we enrolled them in public school but anytime they get a weak teacher or a difficult subject for them we get them a tutor to make sure they really understand the subject. Als a writing tutor has been worth it because they don't get enough feedback on any written work.

My kids have had tutors and it’s always because they need help. They are conscientious students who want to do well but the work is too advanced for me to help. They do not have tutors to get ahead.

Less than great teachers. Hard subjects. Keeping up with the competition. Keeping up with other students who have tutors. DD now has a STEM doctorate. She was an A student going through school, primarily straight A's. For STEM classes (AP Calc BC, AP Physics C, AP Chem) a tutor was the difference between a mix of A's and B's vs Bs and C's. C's, likely would have meant she wouldn't have pursued STEM, wouldn't have thought it was the right path. Wouldn't have been encouraged. Her two parents are not math/science types, so in many cases, it was also exposing her to mentors and others she could discuss her interests.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More parents have more cash than time.
Outsourced parenting.

I have plenty of time, but I don't know a thing about AP Calc BC.

OP here. If they don’t understand a concept, isn’t the teacher available to explain it again or help them in class?

Yes, but we also have a tutor.

My kid needs way more repetition and explanation than he is currently getting. The class moves too quickly for him.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:More parents have more cash than time.
Outsourced parenting.

I have plenty of time, but I don't know a thing about AP Calc BC.

OP here. If they don’t understand a concept, isn’t the teacher available to explain it again or help them in class?

Anonymous wrote:More parents have more cash than time.
Outsourced parenting.

I have plenty of time, but I don't know a thing about AP Calc BC.