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Tutors help northern students make up for lost time

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Two years of virtual and hybrid schooling is leading to more kids falling behind, says a Sault-based tutoring agency.

And those tutors add that they are seeing more students now, with some years behind their peers.

Both of Monika Chiasson's sons are being tutored after home schooling during the COVID-19 pandemic was problematic.

 “It was harder to get them to learn in different things just at home, 'cause they were pretty much off right, more distractions at home,” Chiasson said.

Here sons see a tutor regularly, in part to help them get back up to speed.

“They struggle with language and reading and writing, and all that kind of thing," Chiasson said.

"So this definitely helped them understand better.”

Marco Roy of Tutors Plus said many children are falling behind. Roy has seen kids in Grade 6 struggle with basic reading and writing.

“Over the last few years, there might be a great number of children that have ended up building bad work habits, because they’ve really diminished the expectations," he said.

"A lot of kids didn’t have to write exams (or) tests.”

The Algoma District School Board said it has received funds from the province to help students get back up to speed.

“We’ve allocated time in each five-day cycle where teachers have time to devote time to one-on-one instruction or small group instruction throughout their week," said the board's Marcy Bell.

"It’s based on what we know of our students in front of us and who needs the help. So definitely the uptake is very strong because we know all of our students have various needs.”

Chiasson said that the more help kids can receive, the better. But she wishes the money for helping students went to parents, so they can hire a tutor their child connects with best. 

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