The signs for needing help in class may be difficult to see. Every student experiences difficulties in a class at some point during their academic career. Even if a student is gifted, they’ll still have concepts that they find difficult to understand. As students enter high school, they experience advanced placement courses for the first time. Many students will opt to take these higher-level classes in hopes to gain some college credit. AP Biology is one of the most popular classes, but it’s also one of the more difficult choices. I want to discuss 5 signs your child may need help in class and also discuss the benefits of getting an AP biology tutor!

5 Signs Your Child Needs Help

1. Struggling Early On

If your student is already exhibiting concerns within the first couple weeks of class, this may be an indicator of the student not performing well in the future. Furthermore, opening a line of discussion with your student is a good idea. Encourage them to be open with their time in class. Listen to what they have to say. If they express frustrations this can be another sign. The pace of advanced placement classes is quick. Many students get left behind in the first couple of weeks which cascades into a snowball-like effect for the rest of the year. Catching these signs early on is ideal to keep them caught up!

2. Difficulty Completing Homework

Teachers use homework as a benchmark for the material that is being taught. If a student is struggling with completing homework, it’s an indicator of how things are going in the class. Even if they ultimately receive a good grade for the homework, it’s still a good idea to hire a tutor if they express concerns. Homework is also material that is later incorporated into tests. Because of this, if a student is having difficulties accomplishing homework, they may need a tutor to assist in getting them ready.

3. Lack of Motivation

It’s common for students to lose motivation as the year moves on. This only gets worse towards the end of the year, and is the cause for many students failing the AP exam. It’s important to analyze your student’s motivation for doing well in the class. What is driving them? Is it good grades? Validation from peers? Many students have some sort of motivator to keep them going in classes like this. Once a student begins losing that motivation, it becomes easier to slip and start failing assignments. This is where an AP biology tutor is important! A tutor presents another point of motivation for doing well in the class. A tutor keeps a student organized and maintains motivation through positive reinforcement. That’s why, even if a student isn’t doing bad in a class, they could still benefit greatly from a tutor.

4. Becoming Socially Isolated

While advanced placement courses are great to take, they add a ton of workload onto the student. It’s common for students to lock themselves away to accomplish homework for hours at a time. The long term effects of this is detrimental to the student’s mental health. A study done by the National Library of Medicine said:

Finally, preventive interventions should be implemented across all the school types and possibly during childhood or pre-adolescence to avoid the increase in psychological and social impairment that has been found to be associated with Studyholism in youths. It is also essential to detect potential early risk indicators (especially among individual factors) of Studyholism in childhood.

In this study they found that students who locked themselves away while studying (studyholism) were more likely to suffer social impairment later on in life. This withdrawal can drastically affect a student’s social development. A tutor alleviates this by adding a social element to studying. While study groups are not a new concept, a tutor amplifies the benefit of studying in a small group by providing more accurate and worthwhile academic support.

5. Organizational Issues

While an AP Biology class focuses on teaching Biology, the class also forces students to adapt their organizational styles. Because the class is ran like a college course, it provides less “hand holding” for students. A typical high school class will provide students with resources on how to organize effectively for said class. An AP class forgoes this and trusts that the student will stay on top of assignments and due dates. If a student has organizational issues, this can create problems later on in the class. I highly recommended that this type of student has a tutor. An AP Biology tutor will spend time with the student on developing their organizational skills. The tutor will also keep track of due dates and assignments.

Schedule With Your AP Biology Tutor!

If any of these signs are present in your student, we highly recommend checking out our list of AP Biology tutors below! Our tutors are all private school teachers at our in person school: The Tenney School. This means your student will be getting a private school tutor that can help them with any and all of their AP Biology needs. The first session is generally reserved for the tutor and student to get to know one another and to establish goals. Whether the goal is to get a better grade, or to become more organized, our tutors can help your student succeed! Click the schedule button below to see the full list of available dates and times!