Q - How do I know if my student needs a tutor?

​

A - Tutoring is a lot like counseling or private coaching. We all need help at some point in life. A little extra assistance in the classroom pays tremendous dividends! Every child is unique and not all classrooms can teach to the individual child – that’s why tutoring is advantageous. Individualized tutoring sessions cater to each student’s individual needs. Here are some ways parents can know if their student will benefit from tutoring:

​

1.  If your student has a learning difference school can be a struggle. While most school districts have accommodations for learning disabilities, not all teachers are trained in helping students overcome weaknesses and capitalize on strengths. Excel Learning’s specially trained teachers can help students see beyond their learning difficulties by providing strategies they can employ in the classroom.

2. Distracting or negative behavior in the classroom is often a sign a student is frustrated. Frustration is an outward sign of an inward problem. Inability to understand concepts, too fast of a pace in the classroom, a learning difference, gaps in learning, and fear all affect a student’s behavior. Tutoring allows a student to absorb information at their own pace and provides a safe environment to ask questions and get answers.

3. Waiting until the last possible moment to turn in assignments or to begin working on assignments should be cause for conversation. If a student understands what is being asked of them, their natural inclination is to complete the work in a timely manner. When they feel paralyzed or inept, their discouragement will lead to significant delays in beginning assignments and turning in work to teachers. If your student says, “I turned that in!” yet their teacher didn’t receive the work, tutoring would be a great beginning to bridging the learning gap.

4. When a normally compliant student begins to resist going to school, typically there is a problem. While the difficulty may lie in relationships between the student and their peers, another possibility is they feel overwhelmed with their workload. Considering a student typically has 4-7 classes per day, and each teacher may assign homework or projects, students can easily feel overloaded. Time management skills, organizational skills, and help with communication skills are all important life skills which will help students prioritize and disseminate information.

5. Grades! There are several reasons a student’s grades may fall and they are all worth investigating. Poor performance on daily assignments, failure to turn in assignments, poor test grades despite understanding daily assignments, and failure on six weeks or semester averages all indicate the need for additional educational assistance.

 

Q - How will my student benefit from tutoring?

​

A -Parents choose tutoring for many reasons. They may feel unequipped to help their student with their homework; busy, working parents may not have enough time to help their student on a daily basis; some parents realize their student responds better to another individual concerning their educational needs. Whatever the reason, tutoring is beneficial! Tutoring provides one-on-one, individualized attention. When tutors work with your student, they are consistently evaluating their strengths and noting their weaknesses in order to create an educational plan specific to their needs.

​

Every student our tutors have worked with has improved their academic performance. Your child’s grades, as well as their understanding of course material will improve. A student’s attitude and perspective regarding school, and learning, will improve. Their self-esteem will be enhanced and parents will see better study habits with independence and responsibility.

​

Q - What is the process for beginning tutoring with Excel Learning?

​

A - Call Excel Learning at 817 754-1011 or email our Director at Rclements@excellearning.academy .

 

Q - Will my student have the same tutor for each session?

 

A - Yes! Our goal is to pair a student with a tutor who is highly qualified with the student’s subject, grade level, and age. We believe that consistency is key to building trust and making connections – both relationally as well as educationally.

 

Q - Who determines how many tutoring sessions my student will attend?

 

A - Parents determine how often their student attends tutoring. We believe consistent tutoring is important in overcoming learning challenges. Parents may ask for recommendations from the tutor, director, and teacher, but ultimately, the decision is made by the parent.

 

Q - Do you have group tutoring sessions?

 

A - We believe individualized tutoring provides the best learning environment for students. Classrooms are group learning, and while that type of environment is necessary for public, as well as private schools, greater learning and understanding takes place when tutor and student interact in a one-on-one environment. Individualized tutoring allows students an opportunity to ask questions, get answers, and learn at the student’s own pace.

 

Q - Are my student’s classroom teachers involved in his/her tutoring?

 

A - Yes! With parents’ permission, Excel Learning corresponds with your student’s classroom teacher, asking them to provide information on a student’s strengths and weaknesses. We also ask your student’s teachers what they believe their biggest learning challenge is and we provide support for homework, and remediation in any area that will strengthen a student’s experience in the classroom.

 

Q - What are the qualifications for Excel Learning teachers?

 

A - Every teacher at Excel Learning is a degreed professional in their field of study. Each tutor Excel Learning employs has been, or currently is, a classroom teacher. Many of our tutors have won prestigious academic awards and have had Teacher of the Year nominations. They are an exceptional group of educators who love teaching!

 

Q - Does Excel Learning offer online tutoring sessions?

 

A - Excel Learning does offer a virtual option, but we know from past experience that virtual learning is no substitute for active participation in a personal tutoring experience.

 

Q - Which subjects are available for tutoring?

 

A - Excel Learning offers tutoring for grades K-College, and for all core subjects, as well as elective courses. If you don’t find your course listed on our website, please ask! Our tutors are degreed and have teaching certifications in several subject areas.

 

Q - How much does tutoring cost?

 

A - Excel Learning offers individualized tutoring sessions in three formats:  one hour session, six session package, and twelve session package. Purchasing a twelve-session package reduces the hourly rate from $60 per hour to $50 per hour. Tutoring sessions purchased as a package may be used anytime and for any student (weekly, monthly, or at the discretion of purchaser).

 

Q - May I attend my student’s tutoring session?

 

A - Yes! Parent participation is welcome and encouraged! We believe that when student, tutor, parent, and teacher work together, great learning happens! We understand some students work best apart from parents. In that case, your student’s tutor will reserve the last 5-10 minutes of each session to teach parents strategies they can work on at home.

 

Q - Does Excel Learning offer test preparation, ACT, TSI and SAT tutoring?

 

A - Yes! Excel Learning offers STAAR test preparation, ACT, TSI, and SAT tutoring. Excel also proctors the Stanford 10 assessment for homeschool students.

 

Q - What other classes are available at Excel Learning?

 

A - Excel offers a wide variety of specialized, lifelong learning classes for students of all ages! We love requests! Excel has offered classes in floral arranging, Microsoft Excel, cooking, baking, self-defense, baby sitting certification, parenting, craft, wood working, ukulele, writing, keyboarding, charcuterie, and others. If you have a request for a class you would like to take, give us a call!

 

Q - What days and times are available for tutoring?

 

A - Excel offers tutoring from 7AM until 9PM, Monday – Friday. We also offer Saturday tutoring by request.

 

Q - Where are tutoring sessions held?

 

A - Our tutoring sessions are held at our facility inside the Lifestyle Fitness and Recreation Center adjacent to Lake Church. Tutoring classes are self-contained with a complete glass front where parents can sit inside or out. We also offer comfortable work stations for parents who would like to work nearby while their student attends tutoring.

 

Q - Does Excel Learning have a maximum or minimum number of sessions my student must attend?

 

A - No. Our goal for your student is this: Improved academic performance, improved self-confidence, and improved self-esteem. You determine how many tutoring sessions your child attends because no one knows your student better than you.

 

Q - Should I send my student to tutoring during the summer or during breaks from school?

 

A - We believe it is great to take a break from school, but not from learning! Tutoring during the summer provides many advantages:

​

1. Summer tutoring allows a student to review difficult material from the previous school year and connect with the next school year. When a student truly understands the concepts they learned and can apply that learning to the next step, they will have an understanding for life!

2. Tutoring can provide students with sharpened skills for the next school year. Rather than spending the first two to three weeks of the new school year getting back into the groove of academic life, your student will be flourishing! Their confidence and self-esteem will be boosted through their comfort of a continued learning environment.

3. If your student performs well on daily work, but performs poorly on tests, summer tutoring can help. Addressing text anxiety and providing strategies which help reduce anxiety throughout the summer pays great dividends when students enter the fall semester.

4. We were created to excel in structured environments. Summer tutoring helps students stay focused on academic subjects and great study habits.

5. Summer tutoring can make learning fun! A great tutor plays games – no matter what the age – and helps students realize the intrinsic rewards learning can offer. Learning should be a lifelong activity!

​

Q - Does Excel Learning offer specialized services for students with learning differences?

 

A - Yes! We understand every individual is unique. One of our favorite quotes is by Albert Einstein. “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” One of the strengths of Excel Learning is helping students with learning differences realize they are smart and they can be successful in the classroom. Our tutors are specifically trained to help students with a wide range of learning differences. Call today to see how we can help your student!