To tutor, or not to?

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Be mindful of your child's age and grade. If he's in kindergarten, grade one or two, there's still plenty of time for him to pick up basics like reading, writing and math. Cherie Carter, a special education teacher in Toronto, says parents should let younger kids learn at their own pace, and wait until grade three before hiring extra help. Michael Gabert, a long-time teacher and tutor from Kitchener, Ont., agrees. "We need to let kids be kids."

It's not always obvious, but issues with friends, conflict with a teacher or sadness related to a divorce or death in the family can impact on kids' school performance. Carter says that children suffering from low selfesteem or anxiety - often as a result of social problems - might not answer questions on tests because they're so afraid of being wrong. To suss out whether social or emotional problems may be interfering with school, take note of everything in your child's world, from the recent loss of a pet to a sudden lack of phone calls from friends. And speak to his teacher - there may be some dynamic in the classroom that's causing him anxiety. These problems are not easy to solve, and definitely not the domain of an academic tutor. Talking to your child and his teacher or getting the school counsellor involved is a more logical way to start.

Identifying and dealing with such problems may help your child get back into the groove at school. But if he's fallen behind, particularly in a cumulative subject like math, it may still be prudent to call a tutor, at least tem-porarily. "You've still got to get them caught up with what they've missed," says [Lorelei Burgess].