Introduction

It’s not always easy to tell when your teen needs extra support with reading or writing. Struggles with these skills can show up in subtle ways, often disguised as frustration, avoidance, or falling grades.

Here are some key signs to watch for that might indicate your teen could benefit from a private tutor for academic writing and reading.

1. Consistently Poor Grades in Reading or Writing Assignments

If your teen is regularly receiving low grades on their reading or writing assignments, it’s a clear sign that something isn’t clicking.

Whether it’s difficulty understanding the material, organizing their thoughts, or adhering to the rubric for a given assignment, a tutor can help pinpoint the issue and provide targeted support.

2. Difficulty Summarizing or Analyzing Texts

Summarizing and analyzing texts are essential reading skills, but many teens find these tasks challenging.

When summarizing, they often struggle to pinpoint the main ideas and instead focus on unnecessary details, making their responses lengthy but unfocused. This difficulty in identifying key points creates a shaky foundation for deeper analysis.

Analysis takes things a step further, requiring teens to interpret those main ideas and determine the author’s intent or central message. This level of critical thinking can feel overwhelming, as it asks students to go beyond understanding what happened in the text and explore why it happened and what it means.

A tutor can guide your teen through these processes, helping them identify main ideas more effectively and build the skills needed to analyze texts with confidence and clarity.

3. Repeated Grammar and Sentence Structure Errors

Grammar and structure issues are common hurdles for teens, often making their writing harder to follow. Frequent mistakes, such as incorrect comma usage, run-on sentences, and sentence fragments, can distract from the content and sometimes obscure the intended meaning.

Structural problems go beyond sentences. Teens may rely on simple sentences, making their writing feel choppy, or they may struggle with transitions, leaving ideas disjointed. Without clear organization, it’s difficult to distinguish one supporting detail from the next.

These issues won’t fix themselves, but with targeted support from a tutor, teens can develop stronger, clearer writing skills that build confidence and improve grades.

4. Late Reading and Writing Assignments

If your teen frequently turns in reading and writing assignments late, it could be a sign they’re struggling. They might feel overwhelmed by the work, unsure how to approach it, or lack the confidence to complete it on time.
This delay often points to underlying challenges, such as difficulty understanding the material or organizing their thoughts.

A tutor can help them break assignments into manageable steps, build their skills, and regain confidence, making it easier to complete their work on time.

5. Frustration, Stress, or Low Confidence

Struggles with reading and writing often lead to emotional challenges, such as frustration, stress, or low confidence. You might hear your teen respond with “I don’t know” when asked about a text or see them repeatedly ask for help to answer a writing prompt. These behaviors suggest they’re unsure how to approach the task and feel overwhelmed by their own uncertainty.

Low confidence can create a cycle that’s hard to break. Without effective strategies to improve their skills, teens may believe they’ll never get better at reading and writing. This can lead to giving up entirely, accepting poor grades in English Language Arts classes, and labeling reading and writing as lifelong weaknesses.

When teens see progress, even in small steps, they start to rebuild their confidence and realize that improvement is possible, with the right guidance.

6. A Desire to Improve or Prepare for the Future

Not all tutoring is for struggling students. Some students might simply want to take their reading and writing to the next level. If your teen has good grades but wants to strengthen their reading and writing skills for high school, college, or future goals, tutoring can provide that extra boost.

Advanced students benefit from personalized challenges that help them reach their full potential.

Final Thoughts

If you recognize any of these signs in your teen, it might be time to consider a reading or writing tutor. With the right support, including a private tutor for academic writing and reading, your teen can build their skills, gain confidence, and approach assignments with less stress.

I’d love to help your teen on their journey to success. Contact me today to learn more about how my tutoring services can make a difference for your family.