29th August 2011 9:00
By Blue Tutors
It may not come as a surprise to many, but a recent article on the Globe and Mail website in Canada suggests that an increasing proportion of students receiving extra tuition do so to gain an advantage over their peers, rather than because they are struggling. Figures show that roughly a third of parents in Canada hire a private tutor for their child, even though the majority of those students are achieving an A or B grade. Confirming this, an owner of a tuition centre in Mississauga said that she estimates that 30-40% of her students are working beyond grade level.
One student at the Mississauga tuition centre is Brydon Pires, a 10 year old student whose mother is keen to improve his maths skills. Brydon attends lessons every Wednesday and Saturday, and says that he’s happy that his mother chose to enrol him in the classes; Brydon himself asked for more work during July and August, and says that he’s now able to do maths that no one else in his class can do.
Another student in the area, Marko Arellano, is only 4 years old, but his mother decided to enrol him with a tutoring class in the spring. Ms. Arellano says that she was criticised by some acquaintances, who feel that Marko is too young to be attending extra tuition outside of school, but she thinks the extra help is fully justified, stating that she’s preparing Marko for school, and that it’s important to develop the right attitude towards studying at an early age. However, Marko cried during the first two weeks of tuition, and Ms. Arellano said she knows that he doesn’t enjoy the lessons, but stands firm that it’s the best thing for her son.
There is not universal agreement that extra tuition is the best thing for young students though. A parenting expert in Calgary, Judy Arnall, says that children need time to relax and play because research shows that the brain needs ‘downtime’ between study periods, and also that playing develops creativity and problem solving. Arnall advises that ultimately a child has to want to see a tutor, otherwise the lessons will not be effective, and parents could be causing harm.