Articles

Some students naturally thrive in school.  They enjoy the thrill of solving complex math word problems, ace timed writing exams, and find pleasure in creating mnemonics for new science terms. Yet for others, school is a stress-inducing struggle. They dread completing homework, have difficulty studying for exams, and develop poor self-esteem from their academic challenges. For these students, a tutor may be immensely valuable. How do you know when your child needs a tutor?

It’s the night before the big state exam, and your third grader is engulfed in fear. The test is new, harder, and computerized. He’s not sure how he will perform or whether he’ll even finish the test. He is about to take the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, or PARCC exams‎.

In theory, visual learners should thrive on the Common Core standards. These standards emphasize skills such as problem-solving and critical thinking–areas that are typically strengths of visual learners–and place less emphasis on rote memorization and straightforward calculations.

When most parents were in grade school, excelling in math meant calculating the right answers. They were taught tricks for memorizing multiplication facts, dividing fractions, and remembering the order of operations for solving equations, often feeling a pang of excitement when they figured out a correct answer. Yet with the Common Core standards, which most states have now adopted, coming up with the correct answer is no longer the primary goal of teaching math.