As the first term comes to an end and report card time approaches, parents will soon hold the most important information regarding their child’s education of the school year. The first report card gives both parents and teachers a good indication as to which subject areas their child is currently doing well in and which may require improvement. However, the first report card should not be cause for panic. Instead, it should be used as a key tool in creating a solid game plan for your child’s academic success for the rest of the school year. With only about a quarter of the school year underway, there is still much time to get and keep those grades up, as midyear exams are starting to creep up and finals are still months away.

The burning question for many parents is, “How do I make sure my child stays motivated and do well? How can they improve those terrible, frightening grades?” We at times find ourselves questioning our child’s ability to succeed. How are we to manage getting the kids ready for school each day, staying on top of them and all their activities, assisting them with their homework, all the while managing our own careers and family household duties? It can be overwhelming at times and reasonably so. This is when we realize that we need to take a step back and prepare ourselves to overcome these anxieties. Now the question lies in, where do we start?

The first essential step to take is to identify which subject(s) a child may be struggling in. It is important to note however that identifying the issue should not be solely based on that final term grade. In other words, if your child has a low grade on their report card, you need to ask yourself why? Pull out the tests and assignments your child has done with the goal of pinpointing the direct issue. Was it one terrible test that brought the entire grade down or could it have been caused by a consistent scoring of low grades? This will help you get a clearer picture as to what your child might be struggling in, whether it’s the entire subject or just a part of it.

Once the struggle is identified, the next step involves obtaining the necessary resources for that student to improve his/her grades. For some students, it can be as simple as being re-explained a concept to learning how to become more organized. For those who tend to need a little more guidance, it can be by getting extra help. This may sound easy, but for many parents it can be a challenge. Mix in the fact that we, unfortunately, live in a time where classrooms can have anywhere between 25 to 30 students, all with different strengths and weaknesses, and you start to understand how this poses a problem altogether. Our teachers deserve the utmost respect for doing their best to manage such large classrooms. However, it is no secret that this is also one of the biggest challenges that they face. It is nearly impossible for a single teacher to give individualized attention to each and every student at every moment of the day that the student needs it.

This is why in many cases, individualized, one-on-one assistance can benefit a student tremendously. Felicia Toia, manager at JC Academy TMR Tutorial Center in Mount-Royal, located a short drive from Laval, summarizes the concept by describing how, “One-on-one tutoring permits a qualified tutor to offer individualized help that really focuses on the strengths and weakness of each student.” Ms. Toia’s partner, John Detic added that, “This is beneficial for the student because they are getting the direct attention that our over-crowded classrooms cannot necessarily provide.” In addition, entrusting a child’s learning to a professional alleviates quite a bit of stress for the parent.

It is without a doubt that each parent should have a deep interest in their child’s education and academic success by being involved in their child’s journey of learning. JC Academy, which has over eight years of experience providing professional tutorial services, believes strongly in partnering with parents and teachers in order to help them develop that plan of action. The dedicated and friendly staff members of the center work closely with the parents and teachers in order to ensure success for both students who are struggling and those who wish to stay ahead of the game.