Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a middle schooler so I’m not there yet, but I’ve heard “everyone” has a tutor. Is this because the material isn’t being effectively taught in the classroom? Is it so students perform well on standardized tests? Is it to get ahead in a subject matter? It doesn’t seem limited to struggling students... Everyone & their mother has a tutor and it’s not cheap!

We don't. My guess?

Over achieving parents in this area push their kids into classes that are beyond their natural ability, even with hard work, and thus need to tutor, supplement, and take practice tests to make it through wtih decent grades to get to the next level that is once again, a reach for them. Repeat cycle each year.

I think it's partly this but it's also partly that the idea of having a tutor has become normalized so parents are probably quicker to use one than they might in the past. We have occasionally had our kids work with tutors and the first time we hired one, DS was really resistant. I think to him tutor=stupid but once he started working with a tutor he got over that and saw how much it helped. For both kids, I think it has helped reinforce the idea that it is OK to ask for help. Neither is currently working with a tutor but they regularly see teachers after school or during their study block to get help when they don't understand something. Being able to effectively seek out help is an important skill.

Anonymous wrote:I have a middle schooler so I’m not there yet, but I’ve heard “everyone” has a tutor. Is this because the material isn’t being effectively taught in the classroom? Is it so students perform well on standardized tests? Is it to get ahead in a subject matter? It doesn’t seem limited to struggling students... Everyone & their mother has a tutor and it’s not cheap!

We don't. My guess?

Over achieving parents in this area push their kids into classes that are beyond their natural ability, even with hard work, and thus need to tutor, supplement, and take practice tests to make it through wtih decent grades to get to the next level that is once again, a reach for them. Repeat cycle each year.

My son goes to a math tutor because I don’t remember much from algebra at all. His school put him in honors algebra in 9th grade based on previous test scores but it goes very fast and he ended up the first semester with a C. I’ll drop him down to regular math next year but for now, he is stuck in honors so the tutor helps him with the repetition he doesn’t get in class. I just hope he doesn’t have to repeat it in summer school.

I like the new math now but unfortunately the first curricula to the market were crap. So the early adopter school districts kind of got screwed.

Our high school has a free tutoring center open before school, at lunch and after school that is staffed by college students. We are very lucky.

omg "Who gets to say that the answer is right?"

My DD had a series of teachers who she couldn't connect with for math. Plus the mandated curriculum sucked. Parents got so fed up with the "new math approach" that they formed a group called, "Where's the math?" and demanded change. My DD was sadly caught up in this education experiment and is part of a generation of students with blackhole of math.

I'm not surprised as we are in the Seattle area where we have to deal with liberal cr@p like this:
https://mynorthwest.com/1537348/rantz-seattle-schools-document-say-math-is-oppressive-us-government-racist/?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Also, sometimes, even though the teacher is available, the student isn't due to sports and such, so the tutor accommodates the student's schedule in a way that you wouldn't expect of a teacher (e.g. 8 pm sessions).

This. As a parent who has kids in both public and private, one major difference is that the private high school has study hall every day, and teacher are accessible then and after school to offer assistance. We have not had to use outside tutoring. At public school, they have one study hall per week.

Also, a PP mentioned learning differences. I can tell you that if I would have had to rely on a hodgepodge of materials from which to study (with no textbooks), I would have struggled. Lecture based learning does not suit everyone. I need to see it in writing.

Anonymous wrote:Just curious for all of those who say parents force for inappropriate placement. How do you move down a level from high school geometry if you have already taken Algebra? Or from Algebra 2 if you have successfully completed Algebra 1 and Geometry?

Exactly. Math classes are sequential. You don't repeat a course just because you got a B, or even a C. But you might want a tutor to help you figure out why you didn't getting an A and to make sure you are not missing concepts that you need to understand when you move to the next class.

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Also, sometimes, even though the teacher is available, the student isn't due to sports and such, so the tutor accommodates the student's schedule in a way that you wouldn't expect of a teacher (e.g. 8 pm sessions).

I'm a PP talking about inappropriate placement - there isn't much to do. I love our school system and think my kids are getting a good education.

But, in our area, Algebra 1 is grade level placement for 8th grade. Advanced students are above that but there most kids are there. (there are a few kids below this but at my kids' private school, there are no kids in 8th not taking Algebra and at my other kids' public, there are just a handful of kids not taking Algebra).

In other parts of the country, Algebra 1 is a 9th grade class.

So, if you forget about the math outliers, most kids are probably a bit ahead of themselves, causing the need for tutors since there isn't much you can do. And some kids are often pushed much further ahead, one or two more years isn't uncommon.

Of course, I think it's great that my "average" math students are getting to calculus by senior year, but since neither of my kids are going to be math majors or related science fields, I kind of wish they weren't pushed that much.

I'm the one who said parents have fewer kids and can afford to spend on tutoring (only one factor), but I think another factor is that we pay more attention to individual learning styles and differences now... DH and I both had undiagnosed ADHD and could have really used tutors at times, but, we were undiagnosed. If my kid turns out to have a LD, you can bet I'll be getting tutoring where necessary, and we don't have a lot of $-- but we also only have the one kid, so we could probably swing it.

All of the above, and we plan to add tutors for high school. The “honors“ classes are actually grade level classes, so they are not challenging and our kid is bored learning materials that he already knows. The advanced classes -especially math! - are not always taught by the best teachers, and without textbooks can get very confusing very quickly without anything useful to refer back to. Classes are big and materials are not graded closely, so DC doesn’t get valuable feedback on written submissions. We help with that, but there’s only so much we can do during the after work and weekend hours, especially with sports and other activities.

All that being said, the overall curriculum and teaching, plus extracurricular activities, is better in our public schools, so it doesn’t make sense to spend +$40k/year for private when we can spend $5k for tutors to gapfill.

Just curious for all of those who say parents force for inappropriate placement. How do you move down a level from high school geometry if you have already taken Algebra? Or from Algebra 2 if you have successfully completed Algebra 1 and Geometry?

I think it's probably part of the culture here - hyper competitive and no one could just admit their kid should probably move down a level. One of my high schoolers gets math tutoring - he can't seem to focus in a big class lecture about geometry - but he seems to learn it easily from his 1x/week tutor and is getting an A. He says he can't do it without the tutor and I believe he mostly isn't paying attention in class and that's the issue. It's not that expensive, it's only one class, and I bet he wont' need one in Algebra 2 - since he didn't in Algebra 1.

I live in Toronto, Canada, and most kids in elementary school seem to be in tutoring! I am absolutely shocked but will probably get tutors for my kids too, don't want them to be left behind etc! It's pretty nutty.