Year 12 and struggling-tutoring

[MarshalTheTroops]

Dd is in year 12 taking maths, physics and chemistry. She got As in all 3 at GCSE without too much exertion. She has always been poorly organised.
She is really struggling at A level. She is used to doing the bare minimum and just doesn't appear to know how to study independently. She has also decided she is just not clever enough.
I was chatting to one of her friends who is at a different grammar school and she said that the majority of her class have tutors for science subjects.
If your child is at an 'outstanding'or grammar school or you teach at one, do you think tutoring is common?

[GnomeDePlume]

Excellent advice JustRichmal.

Sometimes a source of anxiety can be having missed something early on in the course. It is like building a house, you have to get the foundations right.

This can be when a tutor could really help, checking the foundations are in place and sound.

[NicknameUsed]

"Do they feel there is just too much and they will never have a chance to relax"

Definitely. DD is doing 4 A levels, and with an hour's homework per hour of subject taught this makes 21 hours of homework per week. By Friday DD is absolutely shattered so she usually has Fridays off for homework. At 3 hours per night for 4 nights a week this leaves 9 hours of homework over the weekend.

She struggles to study during free periods at school because a girl she is friendly with keeps talking to her when she wants to work. DD is not confrontational and dislikes conflict and doesn't like to be rude to this girl.

[Leopard12]

Sounds like your describing me a few years ago op! Past exam papers are the best way to revise for a levels once you have the basics, get her to make a revision timetable and actually stick to it, my mum got me a tutor for biology and chemistry 1hr every week, for me she basically provided motivation, set me homework to do for her each week and was able to talk through anything I was struggling with, if you can afford it and she wants one, go for a tutor!

[NicknameUsed]

I would, but she doesn't want one. She is only in year 12 so not ready for exam papers yet. But thanks for your input.

[Rosieposy4]

She really needs to drop a subject nickname if she is getting Cs and stressed due to workload.
If she does 4, offers will be based on 4 and not lower because of it
Eg student A doing 3 is offered A*, A, A
Student B doing 4 is offered A, A, A,A

[NicknameUsed]

Great post JustRichmal

To answer a few points:
DD is getting all the work done. She does suffer from anxiety (currently waiting for CBT from CAMHS). She is also under the GP for her constant headaches and fatigue, which I'm sure don't help.

Homework is sort of timetabled, and I insist that she has a break. The main issue is that she insists on having distractions (You Tube/Messenger) on while working. Although she now fully understands that I can tell when she is on Messenger so is now not "talking" to her boyfriend while doing homework.

Unfortunately she needs her laptop to look up a lot of things and do research so I can't let her work without technology. If anyone has any useful suggestions for temporarily blocking social media on a Macbook I would be grateful.

And finally, she is a very young, summer born 16, and is less emotionally mature than a lot of her peers.

All that said, I shouldn't be doing this because DD needs to be self regulating because I won't be there for her at university.

So the question is, how do you get a 16 year old to do this? Bribery and treats don't work. Sanctions don't work.

[GnomeDePlume]

My DD has learnt to distinguish between genuinely 'background' and things requiring some element of concentration.

The genuinely background stays on but the 'requires concentration' is a reward.

For my DD genuinely background is 'Say Yes To The Dress', 'Toddlers in Tiaras'. Proper trash television. It has about 5 minutes of actual content, the rest is just rehashing what has already been said/seen.

Her reward to herself is 5 minutes of YouTubing.

[NicknameUsed]

Just got DD's school report. As for geography, biology and psychology and C for chemistry.

Is a C after half a term something to worry about? Or should we be considering a tutor now? I think the tutor would be needed to consolidate what she did in class rather than help with homework.

[GnomeDePlume]

As are excellent, your DD is to be congratulated. They show that your DD is on top of the work.

C - depends, how have others in her class done? Does she know where she gained or dropped marks? Are there any silly mistakes which she is working to eliminate?

These mid-term results can be difficult to judge.

[JustRichmal]

Just to go slightly off at a tangent, as chemistry has been mentioned, I can really recommend "Crash Course Chemistry" on YouTube. It is fun, informative and inspirational. I don't know what sort of level it is, so maybe someone who has watched it can advise. It also speeds through the facts, but is very witty. And the more fun you can make learning the more it will set up happy associations with the subject in their mind.

[Rosieposy4]

Crash course chemistry and biology are both excellent.