A Grade Never Tells the Whole Story

My son has a “B” in math. Does he need tutoring?

About half of the students I work with have excellent grades. Why do they and their parents opt for math tutoring?

The reasons vary. Some students or parents notice that despite the good grade, their child has major holes in math skills and understandings. Peter, for example, finished the school year with a “B.” His father didn’t trust the grade. He had observed his son’s homework struggles, saw some serious gaps in his math skills, and sensed some underlying insecurity. He asked me to look specifically at his son’s fraction skills. Dad was right. Peter didn’t understand fractions at all. Fractions, it soon became clear, were a major part of Peter’s insecurity about math — even though he had a good grasp of many areas of math. Once he learned fractions, it freed him up to see more clearly both what he did know — and appreciate it — and what he had not yet learned, without getting defensive.

A grade never tells the whole story. Getting an ‘A’ may feel good or not. Students often know when they earned a grade and when they didn’t. A bad or not so good grade may conceal important strengths a student does have. Maybe his computation skills are lagging, but his ability to problem solve is excellent, or the other way around. Does the student know where her strengths and weaknesses lie? Can she build on her strength and overcome her weaknesses, improve her grade and her confidence?

Other students I’ve worked with start math tutoring at a time when they have fallen behind. Yet, once they catch up and improve their grades, continue tutoring because they liked the feeling of being well prepared for new learning. They had gotten a taste of how good it feels to understand and explore mathematics. In my experience, many middle school students are intrigued by algebra and welcome the chance to get a taste before encountering it in school.

There are also students who aren’t challenged enough in their school math classes. Teachers work hard to address the whole class, but no teacher can adjust the curriculum to meet the needs and interests of each student. Some students long for more room to explore the math topics that interest them most. These students thrive on tutoring that helps them explore the themes that fascinate them most. Individualized, one-on-one math tutoring can give these eager learners the challenge and specific types of exploration they need to develop their skills and grow their fascination for math.

Just remember that everyone can learn math!