In a typical school year, report cards come home every nine weeks or so. The purpose of report cards is to
communicate about a child’s progress across subject areas. Most report cards also include a Work Habits,
Social Skills, or similar section.

Some kids, especially those having difficulty in school, dread report card time. Here are some suggestions
for making report card time a little less scary and a little more productive.
• Become familiar with the grading system in your district and at your grade. Many schools
use a different report card for K-2 than they use for 3-5. Are letter grades used? A numerical
score from 1-3? Other letters such as O, G, S, N?
• Make sure you understand the different competencies on the report card. Many use vague
descriptors such as “Uses time constructively.” If something is not clear to you, ask your
child’s teacher.
• As you look at your child’s report card, RESIST THE IMPULSE to jump directly to an area
with a lower score. Find an area with a good grade or score and focus on that first. “You did
a great job in _____! You must be so proud of all your hard work.”
• Once you’ve focused on the positive, talk about areas in which your child’s grade was lower.
“Tell me how things have been going in science lately.” Start a safe, open dialogue with your
child about the difficulty he or she might be having with the subject matter.
• Together, develop strategies to help in subject areas that are difficult for your child. Is there
a textbook that needs to come home more frequently? Is there a website that can help with
math fact drills? If you’re not sure how to best help your child, call the teacher to set up a
conference.
• Last, let your child know that she is more than just a report card. Remind her of all the
things that make her special and important in your family. Too much of a focus on grades
can only increase the amount of stress your child feels.
Report cards should not contain any huge surprises about how your child is doing. Most teachers work to
talk with parents if a child is having particular difficulty, whether it’s through interims or informal phone
calls. If that is not the case with your child and his report card, call the teacher to talk about that. An
open, ongoing conversation is the best way to manage everyone’s expectations.
See also this post from our blog Sound It Out: I’d give this report card comment an N (for needs
improvement)

(Credits: This is a shared article from Reading Rockets, Colorín Colorado and LD OnLine)

When you think about hiring an in-person math tutoring service, it might get difficult for a parent to make the right choice of hiring a suitable tutor for your kid.

Many companies like “Math Plus Tutors” can provide excellent tutoring services to your children, which can help you take the burden off your shoulder.

While some of you might be skeptical about the idea of hiring a personalized tutoring service in Sarnia, you must know that there are many benefits of one-on-one tutoring in Sarnia Lambton.

1. Individual Attention

When it comes to modern classrooms, a teacher pays attention to 20-30 children at once, and giving the appropriate attention to every child in the classroom seems impossible. Many children might need more attention than a schoolteacher can offer; that is why a tutor can help the student give individual attention to a child to focus on their issues.

2. Low-Pressure Environment

One of the unrecognized benefits of tutoring is that many children find it challenging to ask questions in a classroom, leading to difficulties in the learning procedure. Still, with private tutoring, a child might feel free to ask questions without being afraid of getting embarrassed in Infront of others. It can encourage the child in the learning process. Your child can quickly pick up stuff when there is room for making mistakes and learning from them without fear.

3. Personalized Feedback

One-on-one tutoring can assure you that your child is progressing in their procedure. Communication is the key in every relationship, whether a teacher-student relationship or any other relationship. A tutor can give you personalized feedback about your child, which wouldn’t be possible with a school teacher. You will be able to help your child better even when your tutor is not available at the time of need.

4. Better Value for Money

One-on-one tutoring has a better value for money as your child will get undivided attention from the tutor without worrying that it might not be as valuable as any other method. Your tutor will cater to your child’s growth needs with patience and support.

5. Flexibility

Tutoring allows you to be more flexible about your child’s needs. A child can’t get along with the tutor every time. With tutoring services, you have the flexibility to replace the tutor if your child is unhappy with the current or if you wish to change the sessions or session timings; you can easily do that.