Grades Grow Tutors

Like all of us, I’m a lifelong learner and longtime classroom student as well. It would be hard to find someone to disagree with the statement that one of the few constants in life is learning. Most of us develop our strategies that we will use to learn for the rest of our lives in a classroom setting. I’d like to share my own personal story and illustrate how tutoring has changed my life for the better.

Early in my school career, I took to things really easily. I breezed through phonics and early reading, as well as math basics and other curriculum. Even going after junior high, the concept of using a tutor was very foreign and strange to me. I had always been able to learn anything I needed to learn from simply doing my homework, studying and asking the teacher whatever questions I may have.

However, everything changed once I hit high school. More specifically, everything changed when I took algebra. Like so many students, I had trouble immediately grasping all of the techniques, formulas and other aspects of higher-level math. I found that if I worked at it hard enough, I could make sense of it, but it was harder to pick up than anything I’d done before.

Once I got to calculus, I started thinking of trying something new. Many of my friends had used tutors, but I had never given it a second thought. With calculus staring me straight in the face, I quickly decided that maybe it was time for me to give a math tutor a try. After all, my teacher only had so much time to help me individually, and there were many other students that needed help as well. I had to swallow my pride a little and admit that I could use a little help…so I got a math tutor.

To say that I’m glad I did would be a huge understatement. Suddenly, calculus stopped looking so much like an impenetrable concrete wall, and started looking more like a door that I just had to open and let myself in. Also, once I was able to have someone help me understand the concepts of calculus, I spent less time being frustrated and gained confidence, and I actually started to enjoy doing my work!

I know, I know, it sounds crazy, but it’s true. When you realize that you can do something, and you have someone to help guide you along the way, school work stops being so much “work” and can even start being pretty fun! If you’re like me, you perform better when you’re enjoying yourself, and much worse when you’re constantly aggravated or frustrated.

The lessons I learned from the tutoring service didn’t stop in the classroom itself. Being able to admit to myself that I could use some help was a big step for me. This is a lesson that has helped me throughout my life, as being able to ask for help is absolutely vital in so many aspects of life. In school or even in your career you’ll have so much to learn, and there’s no reason to think you have to do it all on your own!