August2 the tutor

Big business is tutoring in this part of the world .60% is the pass mark , 70%gives you a C, 80%gives you a B, 90% gets you an A. Nothing short of a B is the real expectation here.During this extraordinary (11weeks) long summer break the tutoring business goes into over drive. Looking on line I found 2452 tutors in our region . It is encouraged by teachers that you keep your kids actively learning over the break as they lose some of what they’ve learnt  throughout the year .Crazy , Our kids have had 6 weeks off now and it’s incredible to think they’ve just tipped into the 2nd half of their break.I havn’t bothered to properly research the logic of this long break , but the teachers recommendation that some type of tuition would help retain their learnings is damming enough for me .The logistics required of dual working parents ( the vast majority) over the summer period must be trying.Who ever implemented this system  better get back to school and learn some common sense.Tex goes to the tutor to improve his maths. He’l be there for 1 hour shared with another student for $35 per hour . They want him to come 4 hours a week . No , it’s 2 or not at all . It’s a war zone in this house when it comes time to pushing him out the door to see his tutor . The average ask for tutoring is $65 per hour  but there are many who ask in excess of $100 per hour . You only have to drive around Hermosa Beach and you’ll see’ after school ‘and ‘Holliday tutors’ situated on prominent corners of the major roads , they compete with fast food outlets for visual attention. According to our tutor there is quite a few Aussie kids who come into see him . It is recognised that the Aussie approach is relaxed and thus the kids need to be brought up to speed . It’s college or trailer trash . A fall back into the ‘trades’ is met with eyebrows raised and a step back .Of course living in an affluent area like the South Bay also brings an expectation from our tutor that we bring Tex in as much as possible on a one on one permanent basis for $70 per hour , just like some of his other Aussie families do . I’ve finally educated them that we are not one of ‘those Aussie families’ and a cheaper alternative needs to be found , hence $35 per hour shared with another student. It’s not just average students that are tutored it’s kids at all levels . It’s competitive and it’s a race to get ahead. Can’t wait for the summer break to end. Then it’s back to school and pouring on the large amount of homework to make up for time lost . Yep, I know another way .