The best way to meet a long term goal, whether it be school related or not, is to set bench marks and short term goals along the way. It was Arnold Schwarzenegger who said, “Set an impossible goal and achieve it.” He’s pretty much owned that quote through showing the world that an immigrant body builder can become the world’s most famous movie star and be elected Governor of California.

At Study Hut Tutoring in Manhattan Beach, students from all the schools in the area (Mira Costa High School, Loyola High School, Redondo Union High School, Chadwick High School, Vista Mar High School, Manhattan Beach Middle School, Grandview Elementary School, Pacific Elementary School, Pennykamp Elementary School, Meadows Elementary School, and Robinson Elementary School) set goals using their daily planner. The first step is to make an appropriate and attainable short term goal that fits within your larger goal. If one desires to “earn a 4.0 GPA,” then setting a monthly goal of missing zero assignments is a great first step. At that point it comes down to writing everything down, and crossing everything off, each and every day, every time a task is completed. When there are tasks left wide open, and laziness was not a factor, then some closer time allocation and planning is required.

Study Hut Tutoring students dig in with their daily planners each and every hour they are here. It’s a major component in staying in the game and achieving goals.

Elementary school tutors show students some simple first steps in the planning process, laying the groundwork for future success. Students from Mira Costa High School are rewarded with positive grades and feedback when goals are set, and intermediate goals are completed each and every week.

It’s wonderful to see students dominate using the planner.

Valentines Day spirit is in the air at Manhattan Beach Study Hut! We are THE place to be V-day. For one, we have the best manager ever who made us all cookies with our names on them. We also each get a list of V-day topics to talk about with our kids. We ask questions like “who is your celebrity crush?” and “what is your favorite kind of chocolate?” to keep the kids engaged and not as bummed about doing homework on a holiday. The drawer full of candy also adds to the valentines spirit. …although this is year around. For me, everyday at the Study hut is like Valentines Day because I love the people I work with and care deeply about all of the kids I tutor. Also, we have a lot of baked goods here all of the time so it adds to the mood.
Our goal is to turn studying, something that is usually somewhat painful, into something fun and exciting. All of our tutors our able to accomplish this because we all have a passion for learning and for helping others. I think that this is exemplified on a day like today where love and compassion are in the air. All of us tutors try and stay connected and get together outside of work to keep a united spirit. In a couple of weeks we are going to have a girls night, and we just got done with doing a really fun murder mystery party. Having close relationships at work is important because it allows us to work as a team when tutoring. When I’m not sure of a science question, it’s nice to feel comfortable turning to Roxy and asking her help on a question. So while the cookies and candy definitely create a great Valentines mood, it’s the love and compassion that our tutors have that really make Study hut a Valentines Day everyday.

Ski-Week is upon us! Time to goof off, watch TV, and do nothing, right? WRONG! Ski week is an opportunity, my friends, and one that I suggest you ALL take. We suggest to ALL of our students (regardless of GPA) to come to their regular appointments during Ski-Week, because this is the time that can prepare you for the rest of the year. The Manhattan Beach Study Hut is open and ready to help!

Don’t get me wrong, you should absolutely use this week as a chance to relax, decompress, and recharge the batteries. Just not for the whole week. As the semester goes on, more and more information and work will be piled onto you. And understanding most of this material will be dependent on understanding the material that came before it (most importantly, the information from the very beginning of the semester). If you miss out on even a single lesson, you can find yourself losing points all over the board, and missing out on understanding entire chapters.

That’s where this week comes in. Ski-Week is a wonderful opportunity to make sure that you’re foundations are firm for the rest of the semester, thus giving you a better chance of success. This is what you should do:

1.) Make a list of all of your classes, and organize any graded material.
2.) Go through all of the graded material, and correct all mistakes.
3.) Find out what material you don’t understand, and bring it to one of the tutors here, so you can relearn the material.

If the final semester of the year is a barren, desolate, scorching desert, then Ski-Week is the oasis in the middle. It’s your opportunity to gather the resources, energy, and support you’ll need to cross that haunting wastleland. So, in short, find out your problem areas, come in and SOLVE those problem areas, and then go off and enjoy your well-deserved vacation. Happy Ski-Week, y’all!