Three dead, two hospitalized, following collision in Fredericton: police
Three people are dead following a collision in Fredericton Sunday morning.
With September in the rear view mirror, school is in full swing which means tests and assignments are looming.
One expert says it can be tough to know whether a child is doing well in school ahead of report cards, as kids can be secretive or can feel shame around sharing troubles with a parent or guardian.
But there are ways to help support kids with their learning that will make them feel secure in opening up about their assignments, without impacting their motivation or causing unnecessary anxiety, said Vanessa Vakharia, the founder and director of Toronto-based tutoring service The Math Guru.
She told CTV’s Your Morning on Wednesday there are warning signs to keep an eye on to help determine whether a child needs help with their schooling.
The first is bad test scores. However, it’s not always clear if a child has taken a test yet, she said.
“I promise you, if you’re watching this right now your kid has had a test,” Vakharia said.
Another indication to look for, she said, is if a child is exhibiting signs of frustration or having a meltdown when doing their homework.
“Are you seeing them hit the table in frustration? Are they crying? We see meltdowns over math homework all the time,” she said. “And it’s not that kids just don’t want to do homework, it might be a sign that something is going on -- they really don’t understand what’s going on in class.”
Parents or guardians can intervene by pausing their child and asking why they are getting upset, Vakharia explained. She added it is important not to get angry with them.
“The more you talk to them, they might say ‘I just don’t understand how to do this’,” she said.
If you’re hearing from your child they are struggling to complete their homework, then it’s time to talk to their teacher about possible solutions, Vakharia said.
“There’s often a big disconnect between how the kid feels and how the teacher feels,” she said. In her experience, Vakharia said she has found the child may actually be doing fine in class, but is struggling with a single concept.
It’s also important to ask kids more probing questions about how school is going, she said.
“So I would start saying things like, ‘What are you learning right now?’ and see if they can come up with an answer,” Vakharia said. Parents can also ask if their children if they’ve had an assessment or a test yet in school.
“Maybe your kid hasn’t actually had a test, they’ve had a project,” she explained.
If your child isn’t providing information to you, then an email to the teacher would help, she said.
Vakharia said kids who want to skip school complaining of stress, stomach aches, or headaches may actually have anxiety around the classroom, which needs to be addressed directly, she said.
“I would even recommend saying, ‘Did you know there’s a connection? If we’re stressed or scared, it can manifest in our physical body’,” Vakharia explained.
Because it is still early in the year, she said there is time to improve concerns around kids’ grades.
“Catch it early and you’ve got a lot of hope,” she said.
Three people are dead following a collision in Fredericton Sunday morning.
Madonna put on a free concert on Copacabana beach Saturday night, turning Rio de Janeiro's vast stretch of sand into an enormous dance floor teeming with a multitude of her fans.
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busty stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.
People living in Puslinch, Ont. may have the answer to why their water smelled so bad last year.
A Montreal man is warning Tesla drivers about using the Smart Summon feature after his vehicle hit another in a parking lot.
If you're wondering whether you should splurge or save when it comes to buying skincare products and makeup this summer, we got some answers for you.
The Montreal-born actor, famed for his portrayal of Captain Kirk in "Star Trek," says he is open to reprising the iconic role in the sci-fi franchise as long as the storytelling is stellar.
One person is dead and another is in life-threatening condition after a driver was travelling in the wrong direction on Highway 401 in Milton Sunday, according to police.
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
A British Columbia mayor has been censured by city council – stripping him of his travel and lobbying budgets and removing him from city committees – for allegedly distributing a book that questions the history of Indigenous residential schools in Canada.
Three men in Quebec from the same family have fathered more than 600 children.
A group of SaskPower workers recently received special recognition at the legislature – for their efforts in repairing one of Saskatchewan's largest power plants after it was knocked offline for months following a serious flood last summer.
A police officer on Montreal's South Shore anonymously donated a kidney that wound up drastically changing the life of a schoolteacher living on dialysis.
Since 1932, Montreal's Henri Henri has been filled to the brim with every possible kind of hat, from newsboy caps to feathered fedoras.
Police in Oak Bay, B.C., had to close a stretch of road Sunday to help an elephant seal named Emerson get safely back into the water.
Out of more than 9,000 entries from over 2,000 breweries in 50 countries, a handful of B.C. brews landed on the podium at the World Beer Cup this week.
Raneem, 10, lives with a neurological condition and liver disease and needs Cholbam, a medication, for a longer and healthier life.