A stitch in time saves nine: a schooling warning

“I wish I had started teaching them a year ago”

This is a common sentiment shared by our tutors when we receive a new student.

Very often, a student or a parent will come to us when they have reached breaking point: they’ve tried being stricter about study schedules, they’ve tried school-provided study groups, and no one in their household seems to be able to help. By the time the student arrives at Future Tutor they have lost confidence, they’ve fallen far enough behind that they can no longer fully engage with classwork, and assessments have become dread-inducing and fruitless. From this predicament the road back to being comfortable and confident is a long one.

Typically, when a student identifies that they’ve fallen behind in school and need additional support, they started encountering content they couldn’t master about a year ago. Especially in mathematics where new units rely heavily on skills learned in previous ones, fundamental skills like working with fractions and solving multi-step algebraic equations are huge road blocks. These topics are covered in years 6-8 (depending on school) but insufficient mastery usually only leads to poor grades in years 9 and above. This is because at first only a small portion of the exam tests these skills allowing the student to still perform well elsewhere and achieve a good overall mark. However, as basic skills are rolled up into more complex questions, in later years every mark in the exam will depend upon executing these skills.

Many students who struggle with solving and graphing linear equations never fully mastered fractions or basic algebra.

How can I graph this if I don’t understand how it came about?

So what does a quote about sewing have to do with school? “A stitch in time saves nine” is an adage about mending clothes. When a hole appears in fabric the threads will continue to unravel over time and the hole will grow larger and larger. When the hole was small, only a few stitches would be required to sew it shut, but left unmended the hole will grow to need many many stitches to seal it. The same is true for tutoring. If a student comes to us at the first sign of struggle we can teach them the content as well as any study skills they were lacking in 6 months to a year. However, when a year or more of schoolwork has not been properly understood it can take years to regain confidence and competence with independent learning.

Future Tutor has no lock in contracts. If you’re concerned about keeping up with school work, talk to a tutor. Over the course of a couple of lessons we can assess your needs and put you back on the right track. When you feel like you don’t need the help anymore you can pause, resume or leave at any time.