Preparing to Tutor Your Teen

too chaotic? Did he fail to master an early step that kept him from mastering the following steps? He should consider when the problem began in his attempt to trace its roots. Do not accept the answer that he's dumb or the teacher hated him. While the teacher might have hated him, that is really not a good excuse, particularly in a math class where there is only one right or wrong answer, anyway. (And then of course, he needs to figure out why the teacher hated him. When he has a job, he will have to be able to please authority figures. He is supposed to start doing that in school.)

Ask him what he feels he needs to do this summer to improve. What are his goals? How will he measure them? Why does he need to learn this material? (Even if he feels he only needs it to graduate, that is a worthwhile goal. Ask him why he wants to graduate. Even if money is the only reason, that is also an acceptable answer. Help him remember what his diploma will buy him.) When his goals are set, he should set up a plan to achieve them. He will be working with you, but he should also work alone. The solitary part of education is possibly the most important of all.

Once the basics are in place, you are ready to begin tutoring him. Next week, we will discuss how to tutor a student who needs help learning to read.

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