Carry on tuition or terminate?

likeyou SG

Hi Everybody

I need some advices from you.

My kids have been tuition (home tuitor) for more than 2 years.

Tuition fee $300 per month for both at home.

My kids just got their results.

My first kid avg only 48/100 for 3 subjects. (Mth, Sci and Eng) Pr 6.

My second kid avg only 55/100 for 3 subjects (Mth, Sci and Eng). Pr 3.

Since last year, my first kid pr 6 has shown no improvement at all.

Same goes to Pr 3. I am not saying tuitor did a bad job, my kids also must bear the responsbility too.

I am thinking of terminating the private tuitor and send them to group tuition.

That will also reduce my heavy burden on the tuition fees also as my 3rd kid are going for tuition soon.

Please advice me what should I do?

@LikeYou

Thank you so much.

eagle SG

Hi,

a simple calculation: for grp tuition, it's usually about $50~90 per subject, depending.

Let's take $50, 3 subjects * 2 kids * $50 = $300 a month.
$300 for private sounds more worth it if the tutor is good :)

I have no experience in teaching Pri sch kids, but I will still say practice makes perfect. It's not just 1 or 2 questions per topic, or 1 or 2 papers preparation. It's at least 30 questions per topic plus at least 10 papers to be done on preparation (at least for A levels). Understanding is only 1 portion of success, the other is to practice and turn the understanding into application before honing it further by more practice.

Most of the time, what differs between students is the amount of hard work willingingly put in.

wee_ws SG

Hi,

Have a word with the tutor to find out why there is no observed improvement.

Talk to your children and find out if they have benefitted from the tutor's teaching.

Find out from your children whether or not performance has to do with exam anxiety and exam-taking skills.

Thanks.

Cheers,
Wen Shih

likeyou SG

Hi Eagle

Thanks for your quick reply.

So tell me, should I continue to let the tuitor teach them?

The tuitor in fact sms me telling me she will be very stern on the kids if I wont mind. But the results is the same as last year and I feel that my kids did not afraid of the tuitor at all nor the tuitor be stern at them.

Yes, my kids never practices (they lied to me saying they did while I am in the office) and in fact, I also dont know how to teach them (that's why I have post a few maths problem here).

My mother is upset and asking me to terminate the private tuitor saying a waste of money (money hard to earn, I am cash tight too). Even my kids go to group tuition, it reduces the tuition fees and greatly help out me daily household expenses too.

Not to blame the tuitor but my kids too.

So, I take you answer No?

How about everybody advices? Really need to know should I or should not.

Many thanks everybody!

@LikeYou

likeyou SG

Hi Wee

I have talked to the tuitor since last year (Sep) that their result still havouring around mid 39 to 50 marks. Last Dec, marks still around there.

Sa1, marks still around there.

And the tuitors should by now, know that my kids did not make any efforts at all.

I talked to my kids, asked them do you really understand what the tuitor teach you? They just nod their head (yes). But why like that? As what Eagle said, exam/test (sa1) consists of many questions and tuitors can only teach the main things, still need the kids to practices and revise.

What should I do now?

My mum is very upset about this issue.

Urge me to terminate and dont waste the money anymore.

Urge me to send kids to group tuition. P6 ($80 per month per week 2.5 hr). Pr 3 ($75 per month 2 days per week 1.5 hr).

Headache!

@LikeYou

eagle SG

Hi, there's not much difference spending $300 per month on group tuition for 2 kids vs spending $300 per month for a private tutor.

The main difference would be the amount of time spent during tuition. You would have the kids spend more time in tuition classes if you go for group tuition for the same amount of cash.

My parents didn't know how to teach me last time (for science especially when in Pri Sch, and for the rest of the subjects in secondary school). What they did was every evening, after dinner, my mum will make us sit at the table and start doing assessment books. That was since lower primary.

likeyou SG

Hi, there's not much difference spending $300 per month on group tuition for 2 kids vs spending $300 per month for a private tutor.

The main difference would be the amount of time spent during tuition. You would have the kids spend more time in tuition classes if you go for group tuition for the same amount of cash.

Hi Eagle

I have make a calculation, pte tuition is $300. Group tuition is $165. My pr6 ever being to group tuitor since p3 to p5 with the same tuitor. Only last mid year, he was switch to pte tuitior together with my other kid to have more private tuitor for them. But.....it turn out to be a great disappointment. I only want them to pass (be it 50 or 55), just pass and I will be very happy.

But they let me down. :(

I worked shift, my working hour very irregular...something hard to sit with them. Just like now, I am at home while they go to school. When they come back in the afternoon, I already in the office.

Xcert SG

somehow I feel that U dont need a tutor per se...sending them for tuition without the practice is pretty useless...they need someone/something to make them do the work...who takes care of them when U are at work?maybe U can look at some student-services centre?

Arapahoe SG

TS...

When i was growing up....my parents gave me negative attention when i score bad grades and when i pass my test or score good grades they kept quiet no attention given.....

I didn't know i was drawing attention from them until i was much much older. Be it negative attention i was also asking for their "attention".

So ....cut down on tution frequency. Rewards your kids when they show "improvement" "motivate them by acknowledge them their hard work"

Adjust your time of work for the next couple of years until they are on the right footing and understanding of your expectation and you also need to adjust your way of communicating with them.

Motivation is important....."acknowledge" that it is hard work but it is necessary pharse.

So final recomendation --- Talk, Talk, Talk.....

eagle SG

Hi, I recommend you this website for questions for your kids

http://road-to-psle.blogspot.com

russiabear SG

you need to change your private tutor to someone your kids will work with.

a private tutor needs to do 2 things.

1) motivate his students to study and excel

2) cover the stuff that the school syllabus may have skipped but is actually needed for excelling in the subject.

syncopation_music SG

Hi Everybody

I need some advices from you.

My kids have been tuition (home tuitor) for more than 2 years.

Tuition fee $300 per month for both at home.

My kids just got their results.

My first kid avg only 48/100 for 3 subjects. (Mth, Sci and Eng) Pr 6.

My second kid avg only 55/100 for 3 subjects (Mth, Sci and Eng). Pr 3.

Since last year, my first kid pr 6 has shown no improvement at all.

Same goes to Pr 3. I am not saying tuitor did a bad job, my kids also must bear the responsbility too.

I am thinking of terminating the private tuitor and send them to group tuition.

That will also reduce my heavy burden on the tuition fees also as my 3rd kid are going for tuition soon.

Please advice me what should I do?

@LikeYou

Thank you so much.

Dear likeyou ,

though i am an experienced Tutor , but I still feel you think of the Priorities

Look...for Pri 6 u cant afford to give up , because this will determine the child future in Secondary

but for Primary 3 ,if I were you, i will cut down to one most important subject to tuition and that is english . and i will expect a $180/mth only for this subject , 2 x 1.5 a week

The issue is WHO needs tuition .

You might want to look at if the school is providing alot of remedial or is the P3 teacher or P6 teacher in school always MC ?

I come across such irresponsible school which have relief teacher teaching last few classes and let the form teacher go on "MC" from jan till april

I see the MOE should be executed in this instances .

Education is not about spending too much ,but about how much it helps your children for the world of work later on .

syncopation_music SG

and dear likeyou ,

for your info i also teaching in tuition centre .I see a difficulty helping ultra shy kid

i just cant do much because grp tuition everyone is to work at the same pace

making the child staying back every lesson doesnt help because

learning is by word =>expression => thought=> writings => results

got it ?

syncopation_music SG

On the other hand , I wish to warn those tutor who still like to do the

assessment tuition .This is going to kill the children in the future years.

Many student i taken over , all have years of weakness in language , maths and science all because the previous tutor is a "simply flipping assessment book , no insightful discussion" tutor .Their problem is quite big to solve as it start from tutor who seriously are half-hearted to give tuition in the first place

likeyou SG

I have finally termianted the private tuitor after reading all the thread of useful information by everybody here.

Really thanks for your precious informations you gave me.

SHall I sit with my kid (p6) especially doing maths and together with him, analysis the problem further? Just like what SYN said, going thru assessment will make students more stressfull.

Thanks XCE, ARA, EAGLE, RUSS, and SYN.

I am thankful for all of your help.

Please enlighten me further for any tuition issue.

MAny thanks.

@LikeYou

Tanstan72 SG

Hey, just to share…I have this english tutor for my son who is in Sec 3. Told me not to expect much improvement cause his school teahcer is not teaching well…I was taken aback…if school teacher is doing a good job, I will be taking tutor for him…cause I know my son is having a relief teacher for his english lesson….so what should i do…look for another english tutor?

syncopation_music SG

I have finally termianted the private tuitor after reading all the thread of useful information by everybody here.

Really thanks for your precious informations you gave me.

SHall I sit with my kid (p6) especially doing maths and together with him, analysis the problem further? Just like what SYN said, going thru assessment will make students more stressfull.

Thanks XCE, ARA, EAGLE, RUSS, and SYN.

I am thankful for all of your help.

Please enlighten me further for any tuition issue.

MAny thanks.

@LikeYou

i agree with you ..understand your child problem is impt

before you decided on spending $ for tuition teacher .

if you need my free consultation with your children , just do pm me ..i can assess what your child is lacking then u decide upon sending him for grp tuition or engage private tutor, but i must stressed my schedule are full liao ,sorry about it :)