Too often, I meet with families who expect tuition to solve all of their child’s academic problems.
The idea of enrolling them for classes with our specialist Maths, English & Science teachers feels like the ‘secret recipe’ to get their child away from TVs or phones, and actually improve their grades! That all sounds great in theory but I’ve come to the conclusion that too many parents miss the bigger picture.
In most cases, probably yours too, your child doesn’t just need tuition; they need a mindset & attitude change.
Having the right attitude is FREE and will make the biggest impact on a child’s education.
In my opinion, it’s the biggest factor between your child getting top grades or something mediocre.
Let me explain…
Nothing will change if they do the bare minimum
Whether we’re talking about school, tuition or their general home studies, you can’t expect a significant change in results if your child simply does the bare minimum. The key to becoming a top performer — as a student, professional or athlete — is simple: you have to work harder than everyone else.
For example, students often feel like they’ve accomplished something incredible by completing their homework — but completing homework is a basic requirement of their studying. It isn’t going above and beyond. If every other student is also doing their homework, you aren’t doing anything to excel and be a top performer.
Getting tuition is a step in the right direction to help any child improve their grades, however, spending some time to get your child into the right attitude & mindset is the first and most crucial step.
Think about it: if they approach every class, piece of work or test with the same ‘bare minimum’ approach instead of using it as an opportunity to push themselves, how likely are they to actually improve?
Failing to address this could mean hundreds of pounds wasted in pointless tuition and more importantly, wasting critical time.
The mindset to aim for
So we’ve established why tuition alone isn’t the solution, along with what a negative mindset/attitude looks like. Let’s explore what this ‘better mindset’ actually looks like.
- An average student will complete their homework and spend the rest of the evening watching TV. A top performer will take an extra 15-30 minutes to recap what they learned last week once they’ve given 100% effort to their homework.
- An average student will blame classmates, teachers or school for challenges in their learning. A top performer will take responsibility for their own education, look at the curriculum and understand what they need to learn and improve on themselves.
- An average student will be concerned about having enough time to relax and play games. A top performer will set up a study timetable for the week and leave enough time to relax while getting their work done too.
- An average student will wait to be spoon-fed all information & resources by teachers. A top performer will ask teachers what they’ll be learning next and read ahead to be better prepared in future classes.
- An average student rushes out of classes and doesn’t show interest in stretching their knowledge. A top performer will ask their teacher to further explain a point of concern/confusion or extend their knowledge further, outside of class hours.
Again, all of these examples are things your child can do for FREE. Before you spend a single penny on tuition, nurturing this ‘top performer’ mindset is a great way to help your child improve their grades and general attitude to learning.
