Tutorials have become a general rule than an exception for many schoolchildren today. Even those in preparatory schools already have private tutors. Experts blame the working mother's guilt for the rise of the tutoring industry and there's one more adding to the anxieties of modern parents — tutor guilt.
Parents are usually hiring tutors for their kids only when they need to catch up with schoolwork or there is an incoming examination. But today, tutoring has become a routine as well-off parents see it as a means to keep their kids ahead of the pack. Almost everyone gets tutored and yet no one talks about it like it was their most-guarded secret.
Tutoring used to be limited to students who are struggling in class, according to Telegraph. Surprisingly, even the most brilliant student in the class has a tutor nowadays. But while the grades of those being tutored improved, their self-esteemed suffered. Tutorials can be stressful and can mean less hours for play and more homework for the children, not to mention the fact these can be quite expensive.
Children who have to go to tutorial lessons are always in a hurry because they are press for time, as per Tutor Doctor. Some experts believe that stressing out children with tutorials and over-hectic schedules will ultimately lower the children's quality of life.
One manifestation of stress is depression. In relation to this, a Stanford School of Medicine study indicated the over a hundred percent increase in the number of children being treated for depression from 1995 to 2001.
National Association of Head Teachers Gail Larkin said kids are being sent to tutorials because of competition among their parents, according to Daily Mail. Forcing children to go for tutorials after school has also been called a form of child abuse. She said children are better off spending their after-school hours playing or even learning how to swim or dance.
