When it comes to the problem of why TC Williams is an underperforming school, a number of commentators have pointed the finger at teachers, at administrators and even at the very same students who are in need of our help and support. The point is that everyone needs to take part in our students’ education. In many cases (not all), the problem lies in the fact that the students, parents, teachers, and the administration all take part in what is known as the “by-stander effect”. Everyone is aware that John Doe, an 11th grader is failing Math and cannot read beyond a Fifth Grade level but everyone takes a back seat hoping that someone else will solve the problem — John’s parents look to the teachers and administrators, John’s teachers look to the parents and John, and many times because John’s administrators feel so far removed from the situation, the administrators do not even take the time to look to anyone else. This is the problem and quite frankly until everyone recognizes this, the problem will never be solved, and some of our students will continue to be pegged as “low achieving.” In a case like the hypothetical John Doe, everyone should take accountability for John Doe’s progress or lack thereof and brainstorm together to come up with a solution. It is true that some students will never be receptive to this kind of problem solving. However, there are those students who will acquiesce to improve their study habits and improve their grades with teamwork, the right push, the right tutor, and/or the right mentor. Here are a few tips that some commendable parents and teachers employ:
For Parents - Get involved in your child’s education. This includes: (1) meeting with teachers to come up with a plan to get your child back on track; (2) taking away privileges until your child makes progress in school, i.e., get rid of that iPod, the Xbox and all the other distractions that children have these days; (3) seeking a tutor to ensure that your child gets the additional help he or she needs; (4) requesting that the teacher provide ongoing progress reports to track the child’s progress in class; and (5) seeking a mentor if your child is not connecting with you.
For Teachers - Identify the student’s problems early on. The earlier that you identify the problem, the earlier it can be addressed. This includes: (1) meeting with parents to come up with a plan to get the student back on track; (2) answering parents questions and providing him or her what she needs to help the child improve (I have seen correspondences between parents and teachers where the parent asks for a syllabus or the next few homework assignments and the teacher fails to get back to the parent or fails to address all the parents requests and concerns); (3) making yourself available to provide additional help when needed; and (4) familiarizing yourself with a local tutoring agency where you can refer students for additional help when you yourself cannot provide such help.
Another issue that must be addressed is the “B” word, “BORED.” We hear that 5 letter word all too often, it is typically used in the phrase ”I AM BORED.” You have three types of students who use the “B” word. Some students are BORED because they do not understand the material. Then you have those students who are outstanding but are still BORED so they misbehave or lose focus in the classroom. Finally, you have those students who are being labeled as “low achieving” who are pretty brilliant but lack motivation and thus, do not try to achieve academic success. Parents of these three types of children may want to seek help from a tutor. A tutor can help students who have fallen behind to catch up by obtaining the basics needed to compete at a high school level. In addition, for the outstanding students who want to soar but have to wait on the curriculum to catch up with their aptitude, a tutoring company can provide additional resources to challenge them in preparation for the rigors he or she will face at the university level.
Tier One Tutoring, LLC provides academic instruction at an affordable rate. For more information, go to www.tier-one-tutoring.com.
