Study Hut offers Spanish and French tutoring and, of course, English; Chinese was, up until recently, a rough subject for tutors and students alike, ranking itself as, in all righteousness, one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn and acquire.
I am, although Chinese in nature, unfortunately, not a native Chinese speaker; ergo, I was initially uncomfortable — hesitant — with tutoring such a complex language. With this gracelessness notwithstanding, I sat down with Middle School enthusiast, Rees, and began what I would categorize as an extremely productive session where we went through the fundamentals of common Chinese dialogue. Writing Chinese characters was, surprisingly, a “cinche”, and Rees and I sped through a decent amount of material in a relatively short amount of time. Whereas I distinctly remember Chinese being rather abstract and difficult to comprehend, I was pleasantly taken aback by the current academic approach to Chinese as a foreign language, a consequence of crossing the cultural divide — integration at its best — globalizing and simplifying a language crucial to the growing world economy.
Chinese still lacks the omnipresence and fluency of English, ergo, making America the dominating country in the world, but this ancient language is steadily growing into a universal medium for commercial communication. Therefore, it is with great joy that Study Hut now offers Chinese as one of our subjects. We are extremely excited to support our students with this new systemic development!
Chinese tutoring taking over the world…one student at a time
June 14th, 2012Summer Writing Workshops
June 13th, 2012We’ve all been there.
It’s the dreaded blank sheet. The writing assignment stares up from the table, but you have no idea where to begin. Should you start with the thesis statement? Gather textual evidence first? Maybe it’s better to just wing it and worry about editing later.
It’s a frustrating situation, but there is help! Study Hut is offering a series of writing workshops this summer designed to review the different types of essays and prepare students for the next level of writing.
Each grade brings new expectations, particularly when it comes to writing. If a student enters the school year even moderately unprepared, it can turn from a small setback to a major problem in a hurry. It’s tempting to regard writing in terms of black and white; there are inherently good writers and bad writers. That, however, is far from the case. Good writing is a matter of discipline, strategy and lots and lots of practice.
The Hut’s summer workshop is designed to be all of those things and more. Each week, we’ll spend one-on-one time with students going over everything from correctly citing a source to crafting the perfect topic sentence. From college applications to AP tests to middle school lab reports, strong writing skills are always going to help students succeed.
Each student has one-on-one time with a tutor, so we can adapt the program to fit any skill level. We’ve put together instructional, age appropriate materials that will help any student prepare for the next step in the great journey of mega-awesome skillstastic writing! Also, we promise to discourage made-up words like “skillstastic.”
Contact us today by emailing Samantha@studyhut.com for more information on the writing workshop. Sample topics include: thesis writing, finding and citing sources, topic sentences and using evidence effectively in narrative, analytical, expository, synthesis and literary analysis essays.
El Segundo – first impressions of the Hut
June 5th, 2012When you are a student getting tutored, you want to be in a relaxed environment where you
can learn and have fun at the same time and the newly remodeled El Segundo Study Hut does just that. Here at the Study Hut, we pride ourselves on creating a comfortable environment where students are happy to get tutored, though also be motivated to study and do well. Our Study Hut in El Segundo has numerous rooms, each that have a relaxed beach feeling to them, and we hope that students can feel that relaxed vibe when they enter the study Hut.
When I walked into the Study Hut today for the first time, my attitude completely changed when I walked inside. As I was driving here, I was distracted and had a lot on my mind, though once I got to the Study Hut in El Segundo I became very relaxed and focused. The Study Hut is very organized, and it is not busy or overcrowded. The colors definitely helped me feel focused, since the colors on the walls are not overwhelming or distracting.
From the surfboards and the wood floors, to the bamboo and calming pictures on the wall, the
Study Hut has a great balance to it. As you look around the Study Hut, you will realize that the walls are painted different shades of green, which balances well with the bamboo and the wood floors. This Study Hut in particular has a very homey feeling, seeing as how it’s actually a living complex, with a full bathroom and that’s why it has many different rooms.
This Study Hut is usually quiet, since not many students are here at the same time.
Meet Jenna
June 4th, 2012Hi!
I’m Jenna, the newest tutor at Study Hut in Manhattan Beach.
I am so excited to be part of this team of awesome tutors who help students succeed and make them laugh at the same time!
I grew up in Manhattan Beach surfing and playing soccer and tennis at Mira Costa High School. As hard as it was to give up the beach for a few years, I moved to New Orleans to study Economics at Tulane University and, of course, to celebrate Mardi Gras! After graduating from college, I taught elementary school in New Orleans with Teach For America for a couple of years. I adored my students and wanted to continue teaching but I also wanted to study Spanish so I moved to Ecuador to teach English. I taught students of all ages and fell in love with the country but missed my family very much so I cam home after a year.
Now that I am back in Manhattan Beach, I am thrilled to be working with the most energetic, dedicated, fun-loving tutors in the area! The Study Hut crew is an amazing team of all-star tutors that work together to make sure the students master everything from Spanish and Calculus to learning how to read. In my first week here I have seen how the Study Hut tutors work together as a team to tackle the goals of each student. The team dynamic is truly unique in a tutoring environment and gives the students the best of the best! Study Hut tutors have made me feel at home and I can confidently say that it is truly one of the best work environments that exist. Of course, the students are the best part of this job and I can’t wait to meet more of them at Study Hut Manhattan Beach.
Jenna Schaeffer
B.A. Economics
Certified Teacher
Algebra II Prep Course this Summer!
May 30th, 2012After an entire year off from Algebra, students often need help getting reacquainted with the foundational math concepts that they will build on in Algebra II. Students who were geometry masters, may become flustered and embarrassed when, come September, they realize that they’ve since forgotten how to find and graph the equation of a line.
Don’t fret, though, there is hope! This summer, Study Hut Tutoring is bringing back its five-week Algebra II prep course, just in time for Fall!
Beginning Tuesday, July 24th and ending Thursday, August 23rd, this two-hour, twice weekly course will span the Algebra II coursework delineated by the California State Standards and will offer experiential and material support for students to bolster their mathematical comprehension before the start of the school year.
Algebra II expands the mathematical concepts learned in Algebra I and Geometry, such as: utilizing order of operations, solving equations and inequalities through computation and graphing, coordinate and trigonometric geometry, and manipulating functions and inequalities. This course’s content will serve as the basis for your student’s success in future mathematics courses – Precalculus, Statistics, Trigonometry, and Calculus alike – as well as on the SAT Exam’s quantitative reasoning section!
Hut’s Algebra II Summer Prep course will begin with a review of basic Algebra, including: solving systems of linear equations and inequalities by substitution, elimination and graphing; solving polynomials by factoring and long division; and review the most foundational mathematical concept: the order of operations.
In the span of just twenty hours, students will be introduced to the concepts of: quadratic, logarithmic, and exponential functions; complex numbers; and conics and radical expressions; long before their classmates have even heard of such mathematical monstrosities! And their enhanced ability to demonstrate a working knowledge of how these equations are related, both arithmetically and graphically, will give them a log up come Fall. 
New Tutor Mena
May 23rd, 2012My name is Mena Hanna and I am a new tutor at Study Hut in Manhattan Beach. My employment here has not yet exceeded two weeks and already I have been able to connect with the staff as well as the students that come through here. The staff is composed of college graduate and undergraduate students who are buzzing with knowledge and enthusiasm. Everyday here is a new experience and every encounter with a staff member is warm and friendly with just the right amount of cheerful comedy.
The students that come through here are bright, delightful kids who are incredibly outgoing. Students come from all around Manhattan Beach including Redondo Union High School and Mira Costa and that’s only high school! Elementary school students come from Pennekamp, Pacific, Grandview, and Robinson. Middle schooler from Manhattan Beach Middle School, American Martyrs, and Hermosa Valley. With all those mentioned, there are still others. What’s great about students all coming from one district is that many of the kids are familiar with each other and that adds to the incredible environment that is evident as soon as you step into the door.
With the combination of friendly staff and outgoing kids the atmosphere is awesome! Kids come to get tutored and have a great time doing it. They have the opportunity to create friendships with some very amazing people. Just the other day I walked in and was greeted by a student who I had only tutored once before. The greatest thing is that no one here can be considered an outsider. As soon as you walk in you have officially joined the Manhattan Beach Study Hut family, a family with strong values and character. I believe that this will be an extraordinary experience and I have no doubt that I will love every minute of it!
