overtutored children

[Paulatim]

Hi, sorry if I ask this question, but I am new to this forum and I want to understand it better.
What do you mean when you say "overtutored children"?
Tutored to pass the exam? tutored when they are in the senior school? And when tutoring become overtutoring?
I did take my daughter to a tutor once a week from september until the January test. The reason I did that is because we (myself and my husband) are both italians and we were hopeless in helping her with english and math in a language that was not our mother-tongue and we never sat with her during her homework because of that. (and also because I always thought a child should do her homework independently, but that is another story).But also we somehow heard that it was common practice even for other children(either to have a tutor or a mother that was sitting with the child and working with her for long hours).
My doubt now is: when a tutored child becomes overtutored?
And will my daughter be miserable and in the bottom group if I tutored her before the exam and stop afterwards?
Will she end up in a school where she would not have been able to get without tutoring?
I thought there wouldn't have been a very different outcome in choices of schools for the same child wether tutored or untutored, but I might be wrong...
I would like to hear your opinions on this.

[baggies4ever]

Hi there! From what you say, your dc saw a tutor for one term before sitting entrance exams? That's not over-tutoring by any stretch - the brightest of kids will need familiarising with not just exam technique, but also the different requirements of each school. If your child's current school couldn't/ wouldn't help with that, of course you need to fill the gap either yourself or with the help of a good tutor. Best of luck to you & your dc

[simon]

I wouldn't worry too much about it - my oldest son, currently at Cambridge, had two tutors a week for 18 months.

[tabasco]

I would only think someone is overtutored if he or she needed repeated lessons to understand a particular topic/s of a subject which is expected for his/her age or year group. If the tuition is for learning something new (familiarising) or at a higher level than that is not overtutored.

[shootmenow]

Dear OP,
Clearly you took it 'slowly'.

[MAZER66]

your child has definitely not been over tutored.
It's a "nuclear war "out there, the days when a rough diamond could walk into an 11+ exams and pass are long, long gone
I always assess any potential student and if a child is not GS standard or does not have the potential to keep up to pace of work at highly selective schools, I am very direct and tell parents that their understandable ambitious expectations are not in the best interest of the child, good tutors don't have to chase work !
But some prep is essential to just compete, be it, DIY or from a professional tutor.
I NEVER tutor children from prep schools - jeez how much prep do they need!! This not from some ideological stand piont but it simply is not in the best interest of the child, and believe me I have been offered £200 per hour (and on one occassion to go to Barbados for 6 weeks fees/flight /accommodation payed for !) for such children of unrealistic parent!! Sad really.

[Reading Mum]

A class mate of my DD has been going to a tutor operation for years and has achieved a score that is pretty certain to have got her into the competitive GS. When I asked my DD about her the comment I got back about the result was 'She's very good at VR and NVR as she has been doing it for years but she's not so great in class' - this I see as an example of being over-tutored as she is likely to struggle in GS having been trained well purely in the aspects that were tested.

[MAZER66]

Too be fair NVR is so time restricted it's quite hard to tutor for
almost all chidren can get it right , given an infinate time to do it in, but to do it in 20sec ave is very hard , its takes 2hr to teach any child the 5-6 rules. rotations, mirror images ect, but it is the only part of GL exam that is puerly I.Q based IMO
VR mostly learned ect as with maths and english

[Pumpkin Pie]

It's a "nuclear war "out there, the days when a rough diamond could walk into an 11+ exams and pass are long, long gone

Have to disagree there. My DS didn't even have a go at one practice paper before his 11+. Passed with flying colours! So, it can be done!

[MAZER66]

you should be very proud of him!!
there are always candidates right at the extreme of the I.Q bell curve, they are special, nuture him !!
my DH was one ,essentially self taught xx