Students may need tutoring for a variety of reasons. Whether to improve a grade or increase their understanding in a certain subject area; to stay organized and on track in all of their classes; or prepare for entrance exams and standardized tests, a tutor can be just the boost they need.

But for some students with slumping grades and rising frustrations, tutoring may not just be a boost but a necessity. Parents should consider when and why a child might need the extra help and support of a tutor.

Follow up:

Here are 6 signs your child may need a tutor:

• Grades begin to gradually decline
• Your child develops low self esteem about his/her ability in certain subjects, saying things like “I don't understand anything the teacher says” or “I'm too stupid to get it.”
• You find yourself constantly fighting with your child to complete homework assignments or study for tests.
• Homework takes too long or gets dragged out all night OR Your child seems to be completing assignments too quickly and study time for tests seems short.
• Your child lies about not having homework or tries to hide it from you; Claims he or she finished an assignment but the teacher must have lost the work or didn't give it back.
• Your child genuinely feels like a test or paper went very well only to be frustrated by a poor grade.

Some students find material difficult and “shut down.” They lose the motivation to keep trying and resign themselves to the fate of a poor grade. Others, no matter how hard they work, just can't seem to raise those grades.

A good tutor has the skills to help your child grasp difficult concepts and develop a strategy for successfully approaching the material. "A great tutor," says Creative Tutors founder Jan Van Blarcum, "does this while also instilling in the student a confidence in his or her own natural abilities." Explains Jan, “A great tutor is like a great coach. Many coaches can draw up a successful game-plan but the elite few inspire their teams with a sense of belief to actually execute that plan and win.”

If your child seems to be showing one or more of these signs a tutor might just be the thing to turn that frown, and those grades, around.