Ready to Understand What Your Child Needs?

In preschool, children often feel confident trying new things and believe they can do anything. But as they move into elementary school, difficulties with reading, writing, math, tests, and homework can make them feel less confident about their ability to learn. They start saying things like, “I'm not smart.” “I'm just not good at this.” “I'll never get it.” As a parent, of course it's difficult to watch your child who is bright and capable start to doubt themselves. You mig

When a child struggles with learning, parents usually start by requesting additional support from their child's classroom teacher. They may enroll their child in a cram school, or seek help from a retired schoolteacher or university student to help get their child back on track. These are all very reasonable steps to take. But after months of extra lessons, they see that their child is still struggling. Sometimes, the problem isn't that a child needs more lessons. It's that

When a family entrusts me with their child's learning, it is one of the highest honors I can receive. I hold myself to an uncompromising standard because I understand how much is at stake. I work with a small number of families each year because I believe every child deserves individualized attention. When parents choose to work with me, their child's education may be on the line. Their child may be falling behind, losing confidence, or struggling despite previous tutoring. T

Not every child needs to work with a learning specialist. Some do perfectly well with regular tutoring. But sometimes, tutoring isn't enough. Here are six situations where it may be worth looking at a different level of support. Your child's place at their international school in Tokyo may be at risk. Perhaps the school has raised concerns about academic progress, your child is struggling to meet grade-level expectations, or you've been told that the school may no longer be

When parents prepare their child for preschool or kindergarten admissions in Tokyo, they often focus on academics. They worry that their three- or four-year-old needs to be able to read sight words, count to 100, or write their name perfectly to pass the admissions assessment. But after observing hundreds of admissions screenings at international schools in Tokyo, I can tell you that schools often care much less about these early academic skills, and focus more on your chil

One family I worked with came to me after their child didn't pass the admissions assessment to enter an international school in Tokyo. We looked closely at the skills their child was struggling with, worked on the areas that needed development, and then regrouped and tried another school. Their child got in. That experience is important because “not quite ready” doesn't automatically mean your child won't succeed in an international school environment. Sometimes your child s

As an international school teacher who has taught at The Montessori School of Tokyo, ASIJ, Nishimachi, and ISSH, here are four things I would look at before choosing a school for your child. When researching international schools in Tokyo, it is easy to focus on reputation, facilities, and what other parents say. Those things matter. But they don't tell you whether the school is right for your child. 1. Don't choose a school just because everyone knows it. A strong reputatio

Choosing the right international school isn't just about finding a good school. It's about finding a school where your child has a realistic opportunity to succeed. That's something I help families look at before they make a school decision. Having worked at several international schools in Tokyo, I can help you look at the demands of a school alongside your child's current strengths, challenges, independence, and learning needs. One of the places parents often start when re

Most international school parents in Tokyo focus on their child's destination. They will tell you, “I want my child to get into a top school.” They have a clear picture of where they want their child to go and who they want them to become. That is completely natural as a parent myself, I want the absolute best for my children too. At More Than Just Tutoring Tokyo, we work directly with your family and your child to build the roadmap to get them there. We look closely at whe

After so many months of applications, paperwork, and waiting, you find out your child didn't get in. Of course it hurts. You spent time, money, and a whole lot of anxiety getting here. Now, rightfully so, you want to know what happened. You will probably never know exactly why the school said no. Sometimes, when you apply to a school, there simply isn't enough space for all the children applying. Other times, though, the admissions process reveals something you need to pay

Don't panic about one bad moment. If you're worried about how your child will be perceived, talk to someone like me (Kinota Braithwaite) who has actually worked inside these schools and understands what educators are looking for. It is every international school parent's worst nightmare during a preschool or kindergarten admissions process. You have done all of the paperwork, paid the school's application fee, and finally arrive for the observation day at your child's future

If you're preparing your 3-year-old for an international school preschool interview, I can help you prepare them for what the school is actually looking for not train them to perform like a miniature adult. I recently read an article describing the extreme lengths some parents go to prepare their children for preschool admissions. According to the piece, some parents are hiring learning specialists to train 3-year-olds for "school interviews": teaching them to walk into a roo

Before you apply to an international school, I can help you understand your child's current academic and learning profile, identify the skills that may need attention, and give you time to work on them before you apply. Why does that matter? When your child applies to an international school in Tokyo, their current school will usually be asked to provide a confidential teacher reference. You can't control what a teacher writes. But you can control what your child is working o

If the relationship between you and your child’s current international school in Tokyo is strained, or you are thinking about applying to another international school in Tokyo, there is a requirement you need to consider which is the confidential teacher reference. Most schools of the school that your family will be applying to will ask for one, so you need to think carefully about how you will handle it. What you don't want is a negative reference affecting your child's appl

If your child is struggling with writing, don't leave it to chance. Writing is a skill they will need throughout school and beyond. They will need to explain their thinking, communicate their ideas, complete academic work, prepare for entrance exams and applications, and eventually communicate effectively in interviews and the workplace. The earlier children develop those skills, the more time they have to practise them and become confident using them. Writing becomes more

Does this sound like your child? They can read a word easily in a book, but can't spell it when writing. They spend hours practicing weekly spelling lists, score well on Friday, but forget the same words by Monday. They guess letters based on how a word sounds rather than following clear rules. They avoid writing longer stories because they are afraid of making spelling errors. Your child's weekly spelling test only measures short-term memory. It tells you how many words they

Dyscalculia is a learning disability that makes it difficult for a student to understand and work with numbers and mathematics. It is not simply being “bad at math,” and it isn't caused by laziness or a lack of effort. A child with dyscalculia may have persistent difficulty with things such as: understanding quantity — knowing that 8 means a collection of eight things recognizing numbers and connecting numerals to quantities understanding place value — what the 3 means in 32

ADHD is a neuro-developmental condition that can affect a child's attention, impulse control, activity level, and ability to manage everyday tasks. It is not simply a child who is distracted, energetic, forgetful, or doesn't listen. A child with ADHD may have difficulty with things such as: staying focused on tasks following through on instructions remembering what they have been asked to do getting started without repeated reminders organizing their belongings or schoolwork

Dyslexia is a learning disability that primarily affects reading and language-related skills. A child with dyslexia may have difficulty learning how sounds in spoken language connect to letters and written words. This can make learning to read, spell, and write difficult. Sometimes the signs show up before a child even starts school. If your child is in preschool, you aren't necessarily going to see them struggling to read. Instead, you might notice difficulties with things

If you are concerned about your child's reading development, a checklist can be a useful starting point for observation. The British Dyslexia Association (BDA) provides dyslexia checklists for learners at different stages, including a Foundation Stage Checklist for younger children. These checklists are not diagnostic tools. The BDA is clear that they cannot tell you whether a child is dyslexic. What they can do is help parents and educators look more closely at a child's str