There is a fine line between starting too early and being left behind.

Let me present you with two possible scenarios for your child's first year of high school. Scenario #1: It's October, your teenager started grade 9 at the beginning of the school year with a positive and hopeful attitude. They have transitioned to high school with an IEP that indicates that they are unique. They are either neurodiverse or have been identified as having a learning difference. They were well supported in Elementary school and their Special Education teacher or School Counselor said that they are ready for Secondary School and they will be fine. You believe them, you take a deep breath for the first time in years. Then, your phone rings or a midterm report comes home or you have a parent teacher meeting or your kid has a meltdown because they have failed another test. Hopefully, it is not a phone call near the end of the semester telling you that your child is going to fail and it was their responsibility to let you know about their challenges in school. You are a full time working parent with 3 children or a stay at home mom of one, yet, you didn't know. They said that school was good. They said they were doing homework, that they have new friends. You have stress from your job, your parents are older, you are a personal Uber for your kids and you barely have time to breathe. You hope beyond hope that the quiet from school is a good thing. You are hoping that after all these years of struggling that your child has figured it out. Unfortunately, this is not the case and you will need to spend a significant amount of time getting to the bottom of the issue and helping your child NOT give up. There is also that wonderful added bonus of the hormonal gush that happens in ninth grade. Disaster is not too extreme a word to use. Trust me, I have been there. The good news is that whatever happens in Grade 9 can be corrected before they graduate. The bad news is that this difficult experience at the beginning of high school could sabotage their self esteem and if it is not dealt with early, it can lead to many issues down the road. You pick up the phone and call Laughing Lion Learning Connections in tears in the hopes that we can help you to fix this mess. We can and we will care about you and your child as if they were our own. We will work on creating a strong relationship with your child and we will slowly help them to be successful, using their own strengths and abilities.

Let me give you the second scenario. The last year of elementary school is done and you have worked closely with the Special Education teacher at your child's school to understand the needs of your child in Secondary School. You contact Laughing Lion Learning Connections not long after the school year has ended. Your child is a reluctant, but active participant in the planning of how to prepare for the next school year. After consultations with you, your child and their teachers, Laughing Lion Learning Connections will match your child with a tutor who has experience working with students with unique learning profiles and, using your child's strengths and abilities to develop strategies with your child that will help them to succeed. It may be visual notes, it may be pre-teaching of the math curriculum or a few weeks of review of the concepts including notes to use in class to help remember ideas. It may include a specific way to organize notes or it may about organizing time in chunks. A big issue is anxiety. Math anxiety is prevalent in many students because they have been told that they are not good at math and are made to feel stupid because of it, Could it be that they are not being taught in a way that they understand so they cannot understand the concepts? Giving students the vocabulary to ask for a different explanation that honours their processing time and the way their brain works provides them with an opportunity to learn and be successful. The best part of this scenario is that you are not pulling your hair out and the school year can proceed fairly calmly, academically anyway.

It may seem like you are jumping the gun calling in a tutor or an educational consultant before the school year has even started, but a few sessions and the knowledge that there is someone in your corner can make all the difference in the world. I have always told my students that high school is a 4 year chance to learn about yourself, find your people and discover your passion. With the right support, all students should have that chance. I know there are some things in students' lives that cannot be fixed with coloured markers and a good day planner, but removing the stress of feeling stupid or a failure from their lives can make a significant difference. Wouldn't it be cool if all kids learned at school and no one felt like they were a failure?