Summer Learnin', Had Me a Blast
No, it’s not quite the blast as John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John’s summer lovin’. But with the help of an academic tutor, summer can be the perfect moment to fill gaps, bolster skills, or even skyrocket ahead. In this post, we’ll dive into the deep end of these three key ways an academic tutor like me can assist your child this summer.
Academic Tutor Role #1: Remediation
It’s not uncommon for kids to fall behind their peers in one subject or another during the school year. With anywhere from 15 to 35 other students in the classroom, is it any wonder they got lost somewhere along the way? A good academic tutor can diagnose your child’s areas of weakness. The right academic tutor can address that weakness. They can also give your child ways to continue working on that skill long after the summer has ended.
Academic Tutor Role #2: Skill Building
I’m working right now with a bright ninth grader in Florida. He took the AP Human Geography course and exam this past school year. Unfortunately, the exam does not require students to write essays. As a tenth grader, this student will take AP US History, which does. (I taught AP US History for five years. I also scored AP US History essays for more than a decade.) This summer, as his academic tutor, we’ll work on how to write a successful essay for any AP History course.
Academic Tutor Role #3: Leapfrog Ahead
Sometimes students only realize that the prerequisites they need won’t be offered for another year or two. Or they won’t have time in their schedule during the coming year to take them. In this case, an experienced academic tutor can help them master a year’s worth of content during the summer.
As an eighth grader, I took French I. Unfortunately, French II conflicted with the only ninth grade art course that I absolutely had to take. I decided to switch to Spanish. But I did not want to be in first-year Spanish with students a year younger than me. So, I taught myself that course in the summer. At the start of ninth grade, I took the Spanish I final and earned a 97%. I was able to enroll in Spanish II with my peers by teaching myself a full year in two months. So, if I could do it as a thirteen-year-old, I can guide your child through leapfrogging a year as an academic tutor!
Photo by @garyellisphoto on Unsplash
In conclusion, please don’t think I’m the destroyer of summer fun. On the contrary, with the right planning, students can learn as well as play, swim, jump, laugh, dive, splash, skate, throw, catch, pitch, lounge, and do all of the other things that make this season such a special one – for kids of all ages!
Photo by @robbie36 on Unsplash