Tutoring isn’t just for children who are struggling in class. Students who are getting good grades or overachieving can significantly benefit from having a tutor who can challenge them and help keep them focused and inspired.
At Scholars, we teach all types of students at every grade level and subject. Not only do each have their unique learning style, but they also face unique challenges on their path to success. Tutoring overachieving students presents us with many opportunities. Many of these students possess an impressive drive for success but can be hindered by perfectionism, burnout, boredom in class, or other factors. Keeping these students stimulated intellectually helps to keep them interested and engaged in school. Tutoring can positively affect these students by challenging them skillfully while supporting their well-being.
Here are a few ways to tutor overachieving students effectively:
Give Them New Challenges
Providing our overachieving students with advanced problems or topics helps to keep them engaged. Encouraging them to go beyond what is being taught in the classroom and to dig deeper into the topics that interest them provides them with exciting new challenges and allows them to feel motivated to learn without feeling constrained by their textbooks. This helps to broaden their perspectives and encourage them to be curious.
Promote Collaboration
Learning with other students creates opportunities for group discussions and peer tutoring, which can enhance learning through teaching. Solving problems with their friends and peers not only helps to make learning fun but also aids in developing their interpersonal skills, communication, and confidence.
Provide Resources
At Scholars, we have the resources to help our overachieving students learn beyond the curriculum to ensure further enrichment. We can help them dive deeper into topics that interest them, encouraging exciting research projects at Scholars and home. Aside from the extra research, teaching students overachieving in executive skills such as time management, organization, and problem-solving can help them prepare for college, university, and beyond. Helping them to set goals will also keep them motivated to maintain their high marks in school while hitting personal learning milestones outside of class.
Providing a Supportive Environment and Celebrating Success
Providing a space where students can feel comfortable discussing their challenges is essential. Many overachieving students benefit from learning strategies to recognize and manage perfectionism. Students need to learn the value of seeking help when it’s needed, both academically and emotionally. Recognizing a student’s efforts and achievements also contributes to a supportive environment as they begin to understand the lifelong lesson about the value of hard work and dedication. We encourage our overachieving students to balance striving for excellence and enjoying their learning journey.
It’s essential to recognize that overachieving students need help and attention too! It’s easy to look at a student getting straight A’s and think that everything is great, but giving these students the attention and care they need to continue succeeding is essential.