Bad grades

The first report card of the school year arrives this month, bringing with it everything from unexpected concerns to pleasant surprises. If the grades aren’t what you’d thought they’d be, you may find yourself wondering: What do we do now?

At Sylvan Learning of Mentor, we want parents to know that a disappointing report card doesn’t have to cause alarm—and you don’t have to figure out the next step alone.

A report card can red-flag a problem, but it doesn’t tell you the why. Is your child struggling with the material? Is homework overwhelming? Or, does your student simply need better organization, study habits or time-management skills? That’s where we can help.

We offer families a free assessment that helps us determine where a student is performing compared with grade-level expectations. We share those results with parents and create an individualized plan based on a child’s specific needs. Sometimes we discover a student is six months to a year behind in a particular skill. Other times there isn’t a significant academic gap at all—the student simply needs homework support or what we like to call “academic coaching.”

Even strong students hit roadblocks. I remember reaching pre-algebra in seventh grade and seemingly overnight went from being a strong math student to struggling. Having someone explain the material differently and help with my homework would have made an enormous difference.

Our goal is to identify what’s causing the difficulty, address it, and help students regain their academic confidence.

Parents should look at the first report card as helpful information, not a verdict. Give us a call. Knowing where your child stands is the most important first step.

Sylvan Learning of Mentor is at 7271 Center Street, in Mentor. Call 440-255-0055 or visit SylvanLearning.com.