Pressure vs. Encourage?

The first quarter has come and gone, grades are posted and the dust has settled. Where does your child stand? Lower marks than you had hoped? I've been asked by a number of parents lately to convince their student that they can and should do better. This is a very tricky situation more so than most parents realize. Why? Many students are working at their capacity, others are very sensitive to anything perceived as criticism, and still others may already be resistant to receiving outside help. All of these reasons and more put me in a very precarious situation. If I press too hard students may shut down never again to be very receptive to the help or advice I offer. Press too little and parents may be unsatisfied with the service I offer. What to do? I always go back to what I feel works which is the following: I encourage, then encourage some more. When a student is successful I praise them, when they are wrong I offer suggestions for improvement. I want students to look forward to their tutoring sessions not dread them. My aim is to increase self confidence and mathematical competence through my unique approach which is different from perhaps a boss', coach's, or even a teacher's approach. I received a nice testimonial last year from a family who praised me for, 'Creating a conducive space for learning.' which is actually what I consciously aim to do through building a repoire with the student, gaining a student's confidence in my teaching style, etc. All of which can be easily lost through a well meaning but too heavy duty an approach. If you are looking for someone who can help your child navigate Mathematics with an accentuate-the- positive persuasiveness I'd be happy to help.

Mario shares his various math teaching insights gained through his many years of individualized tutoring on his blog at www.mariosmathtutoring.com He can be reached through his website to schedule private tutoring sessions.