A passionate young tutor is urging parents to act quickly if they see their child struggling in school.

"Don't wait," urges Sergio Pitcher, of By the Numbers Professional Tutoring Service. "If your child is not doing well in school get them extra help!"

According to Mr. Pitcher the longer you leave the child, the more the problem will continue to compound — and it compounds fast.

Mr. Pitcher has been a teacher for close to a decade and knows all too well the challenges students face in the classroom. "There are some students who don't take education as seriously as they should (and) they are lacking in basic skills," he said. "I also see that some children just need that extra help.

"When they are in a class with 20 other children some of them are shy and don't ask questions; they don't ask for that help. Sometimes the teacher doesn't know or sometimes they just have a hard time teaching that child."

"With tutoring they get into an environment that gives them individual attention," he explained.

Mr. Pitcher started By the Numbers Professional Tutoring Service two and a half years ago. And with the help of eight other staff members has been able to see people of all ages improve in areas such as math, English, reading and science.

"I see a huge difference, the grades improve (and) they get confidence... those are the main improvements that I see. They feel better when taking exams and just better in class."

In fact some of his greatest accomplishments come from seeing a positive change in his students.

He told The Royal Gazette: "When I see my students a few years later and they come up to me and they start telling me about what they are doing in life that's positive- like going to college or pursuing their career goals, or working or starting a business, that's encouraging".

Mr. Pitcher is passionate about tutoring and admits that he loves children and wants to see them do well in life. "There is so much opportunity here in Bermuda and I see so many children that are not taking advantage of what's available," he said.

"I want them to find employment that they enjoy, not something they are forced to do because of lack of education".

Mr. Pitcher admits he wanted to become a teacher since the age of 19 and has been pursing his goal ever since. "I just wanted to help the youth, help young people," he said. " I just saw too many young people sitting on walls, wasting their lives doing nothing.

"That's why I got into teaching in the first place- that was about ten years ago."

When it comes to the new school year he encourages students and parents to work together to ensure academic success, and urges parents to support the school and teachers.

He also believes that parents need to show their children they really care — and children need to feel that they are loved and appreciated by their parents.

Mr. Pitcher also suggests parents check their children's homework and make sure its being completed properly and to spend more time reading with their children.

Though it is important for parents to play a role, ultimately it is up to the students to take initiative for their own education. He urges students "to pay more attention in class" and do as they're told, ask questions and not to play around in class.

He added: "Take advantage of everything schools have to offer (libraries, computers) and students need to take education seriously. Get help, get a tutor if you can. If you can't afford a tutor, find out what the school can offer or someone in the family that can help. Doing nothing is just going to make the situation worse."