I remember when I was a Mira Costa high School student, summer just starting, tried to forget about school as much as I could. This behavior is quite common among high school student. This ultimately would result with most of my friends and I spending the last weeks of summer reading non-stop all of our assigned summer reading books. As my family usually chooses to go on our family summer vacation during those weeks, my memory of those vacations is marred with memories of: If Beagle Street Could Talk, The Crucible, An Affair to Remember, One Flew Over the Cookoo’s Nest, and the other books our teachers said we needed to read.
Looking back I wished I started reading those books earlier in the summer. There was no real need to wait so long. I have heard kids make the excuse that if they start reading early in the summer they won’t remember the details and promptly fail the “rigorous” summer reading tests. While that line of reasoning seems quite logical, it’s also been accounted for by the Mira Costa English teachers. The summer reading tests are very simple short multiple choice exams, asking easy basic plot questions; the point is to just make sure that the taker simply had read the book. Over the first few weeks class time is spent reviewing the summer reading books preparing the students for a more involved analytical essay. So there is no advantage of cramming all the reading in the last weeks of summer. Instead, start those books right now. Read when you can. Find your-self with a spare hour or two at home with no plans? Spend some of that time on your summer reading. By reading a few hours at a time throughout the whole summer you can easily avoid cramming them all at the end. And in my case, I could have enjoyed my summer vacations much more.
If pushed to describe the biggest change I have seen at the Study Hut from A year ago to today, I think I could some it up in one word: Organization. There is a fancy new scheduling system and absolutely no confusion when a student comes in; the managers know exactly where the students are going and when they are going to be here. Of course I may not be in the inner circle, but it certainly seems there are no mishaps or surprises, at least on the staff side of The Hut.
Of course this wouldn’t be any sort of claim if the Study Hut had many less students than it did before, but this couldn’t be farther from the case. The Hut is BOOMING right now, with more students and Tutors than ever before, and the space to accommodate all of them. I’ve tutored kids from Palos Verdes High, Peninsula High, West Torrance High, and know a few students from my alma mater, Chadwick High School. All in all there has been incredible expansion, and all without making any compromises and concessions, but rather with an impressive
The Study Hut is more streamlined than ever. The hitches that face many young enterprises are all but forgotten, with near seamless scheduling and communication between tutors, supervisors, students, and parents alike. Students are learning and excelling academically more than ever with one-on-one tutors who are more than qualified, with many, if not most, of my peers in graduate programs and experts in more than one field of study. To top it all off, the fun, energetic, friendly core of Study Hut that I grew to love a year ago is itself booming. The tutors love their students and the students their tutors. People are learning, and having fun doing it. Rather than pressure students with the threat of grades or financial success, students here focus on their academics because they are working with tutors whose opinions the students genuinely care about. I feel very grateful and proud to once again be associated with the Study Hut name!
As a parent, you know that your child is a complex individual, full of surprises. You know their dreams and aspirations, their fears and dislikes, what influences and what motivates them. You know that though they may grow bored at school, frustrated with teachers or affected by their peers, that if someone could find the key to tap into your child’s potential they would shine as brightly as they do in your eyes. It is this uniqueness that we try to cultivate. There are a few special ingredients that make Study Hut such a sweet place to learn and one of them is that we recognize each student’s individuality. Tutors are paired students that allow us to foster genuine connections and have a real positive influence. That’s why we enjoy being tutors. While many of our tutors can teach multiple subjects, Study Hut takes the time to place students according to their personality and ambitions. Seeing our students strive for the same goals we’ve have strived for inspires us and we pass this inspiration onto our students.
A real understanding of who your child is also helps us tutor more effectively. Biology becomes a basketball team, physics becomes skate boarding and statistics becomes the probability the Lakers will win the championship (100%, of course!) Students are no longer just another face in a sea of students but part of the Study Hut family. Every child learns differently, and relates differently. Parents know this for their children; tutors should know this for their students. We don’t just teach a child, we teach your child.
From 3rd graders to high schoolers to college students, there seems to be a major misconception about what it truly means to “study for a test.” The common definition seems to be “that thing you do the night BEFORE you actually take a test.” And you know what? Sometimes that works. If you’re studying spelling words, or memorizing a list, studying close to the test is definitely beneficial. But let’s face it, high schoolers and collegiates: you’re not studying for spelling tests any more. The subjects you’re working on are harder, and the ideas you’re learning are more complex. The material has changed, so the way you’re studying for it has to change too.
Here at the Study Hut, we try to find out tests dates as soon as is humanly possible. Most tests require AT LEAST a week of prep time to be truly prepared (especially if you’re in an AP or Honors class). Some tests require more, some less. Of course, as the class goes on, you’ll discover how much time you need to prepare. But that amount of time is NEVER one evening. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you can’t guarantee a good grade off one night of studying.
My most successful students are the ones that make a plan, and follow through with it. For example, I recently had a student who had a Social Studies chapter test coming up. He wasn’t doing particularly well on tests, so we set up a plan. We set aside a certain amount of time each night so that he’d be studying only one section at a time. That way, the night before the test, HE HAD ALREADY STUDIED THE WHOLE CHAPTER! All he had to do that night was review the concepts he was having trouble with and strengthen his understanding. No cramming, no headaches. And he did markedly better on his test! He broke the work down into manageable bits over the course of a week, instead of stuffing everything into his head the night before. And it made all the difference.
I know we’re all feeling that summertime itch, but there’s one last hurdle
before the sun, sand and surf‹finals week.
And so, we will divulge a few finals tips to the stressed-out students out
there:
1. Take care of yourselves. Drink water, eat healthy and get lots of sleep.
Being sick on exam day is definitely something to avoid.
2. Take breaks. Try not to study for more than an hour at a time without a
10-minute break. Keeping your mind fresh is key to making the most of your
study time.
3. Write out a study plan and stick to it. Ideally you should have a study
plan for each of your subjects for at least a week before the actual exam.
1. E.x. MONDAY: U.S. History (World War II): 1 hour; Biology (Nerve System): 1 hour
4. DON’T CRAM. The chance of burning yourself out is too great, and sitting
through an exam with a semi-functioning brain is a special kind of torture.
It is much better for your G.P.A. and your sanity to pace yourself and allow
that knowledge to sink into your long-term memory instead of hoping it will
stick around in your short-term memory.
Keep these tips in mind as you head into the last weeks of this semester,
and from all of us at the Study Hut, “GOOD LUCK!”
It is our pleasure to announce that SAT training at Study Hut Tutoring will begin a new chapter this weekend. Our partnership with Beach Cities Volleyball has blossomed into a positive, synergistic relationship, and now students from all across the South Bay are able to benefit.
This weekend, Study Hut Redondo Beach will be hosting a free diagnostic test for all high school students affiliated with Beach Cities Volleyball. The results will be entered and analyzed, and beginning the following weekend, we will begin the actual training at the Rolling Hills Prep gym. This is a perfect environment for several reasons: the space is large and comfortable; the space is already familiar to players and family members of players in the program; and, the technology, equipment, and office furniture necessary for group instruction is already in place.
The SAT group course will run 14 weeks, and students will learn various strategies for domination the Critical Reading, Math, and Writing sections of the SAT. We will emphasize organization, time management, and strategies that help students improve their scores specifically, rather than just teaching zoomed out strategies that are supposed to be effective for the masses.
The group course with Beach Cities Volleyball is very similar to the course offered seasonally at all three Study Hut locations, so please feel free to call any of our branches, or email us at info@studyhut.com.
So you have a huge end-of-the-year comprehensive biology test coming up, and since you’ve been cramming every chapter test since the beginning of this year, you don’t remember anything. What do you do? Where do you even start? To begin, you should realize that for a huge subject such as biology, cramming all the details just isn’t going to work. There are way too many intricate details to be able to memorize each and every one from all the chapters. And before you think about cramming again for this final, consider this: most science majors require at least a year of biology in college, and a good chunk of the information is overlap from what you learned in high school. Therefore, the better a foundation you set for yourself now, the more it’s going to pay off not only now in high school, but in college, and maybe for the rest of your future as well.
To begin, break down biology into manageable chunks of information. Don’t just rush through reading every chapter and then realize you’ve already forgotten everything, but break it down by paragraphs and really try to visualize what’s going on. Carefully analyze the diagrams, draw your own pictures, watch (relevant) youtube videos, etc. There are lots of excellent visual resources online that can make understanding the material much easier, and they’re free! After visualizing the information, you’ll find it a lot easier to memorize, and then it’s just about reviewing the information consistently to reinforce what you’ve learn, while slowly adding more details to your knowledge.
Another great way to study biology is to review the information with your friends. Choose a topic, and popcorn each other to begin describing everything you know about the topic. Everyone always focuses on different aspects, and you’ll be able to take notes on what points you forgot to pay attention to.
Remember: there’s something in biology for everyone! Whether or not you love or hate science, biology plays a very relevant part to our everyday lives. Whether you want to learn the most effective way to work out, want to learn what to do to eat healthy and stay fit, or just how to prevent breakouts, biology will teach you the basics of how the human body works and allow you to make educated decisions to improve your health!
Study Hut Tutoring, led by Sam Prins and Whitney Griffin, gave a sudsy high five to participating students, parents and members of the community this past Friday during the Study Hut’s first ever Fundraising Car Wash for Relay for Life. Study Hut has a team this year aptly dubbed “I’m Too Sexy for My Hut.” The team has been putting together impromptu philanthropic events in order to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The Study Hut team is proud to donate to the American Cancer Society because we all know someone that has been affected by cancer. What a better way than to throw a car wash the week of: “People were really fired up and stoked…one lady tipped us 20 bucks and that really gave us a lot of energy to go out and wash more cars on a sunny day to raise money for Study Hut Tutoring’s Relay for Life team.” Exclaimed as jazzed up and freshly misted Study Hut friend of the family Natalie “the blond” (From far away, the mist from the water bouncing off the hood of the car created almost a Golden shower with her blonde hair) “How can you not love Tutoring at Study Hut, raising money for Study Hut’s Relay for life Team, and having a great day in the Sun?!” Each tutor was more fired up than the next as each of the tutor team members meticulously scrubbed a quarter panel. “The Team effort at Study Hut is sensational today…you can easily tell that the tutors like working here when they are coming to pitch in on their day off.” The tutors at Study Hut are working diligently on and off the dance floor, arriving early and staying late, because it’s clear that not only is that a motto at the Manhattan Beach Study Hut, but a lifestyle. When asked about this cool style of dominating at work, John Lopatto, future opthomolgist, declared, “Well when the kids need it, and you can tell when they’ve got it [understanding of material/concept], it’s easier to feel like you’re on fire [figuratively speaking] in the next part of my day, no matter what it is that I have planned in my planner.” John is obviously “on fire” as his students have steadily improved and are tracking towards meeting their goals. When Sam Prins was questioned by Rob regarding the Car Wash, Sam quickly retorted, “Rob, I’ve got this… They don’t call me the Party Secretary for Nuthin'” Best quote ever by the way. Study Hut is carrying this positive energy right into the tournament a.k.a. the school week and the first week of May. Congratulations and Thank You to all the tutors who participated in the Study Hut Tutoring Relay for Life Fundraiser Car Wash. Thank you for using compostable and environmentally approved degradable car soaps. Pretty sure my car has never looked better.
“When am I ever going to use this?” That may just be the most common complaint vocalized by the students at Study Hut. And their concern isn’t entirely unjustified. It really does seem that a solid chunk of the material covered in high school may never again need to be used later in life. No one is going to ask you to regurgitate the quadratic formula any time soon, right? Maybe not—maybe so. Students at Palos Verdes High School are currently participating in a Brobdingnagian battle of brains (Brobdingnag is the land of the huge in Gulliver’s Travels, in case that’s a question). The annual Scholar Quiz kicked off last week and the competition has been heated. Some of the tutors from Study Hut and I had the opportunity to watch our tutees flaunt their knowledge of (seemingly random) topics from across the board, academic and otherwise. I watched as competitors embarked on missions of rapid thought, evaluating solutions to formulas, testing knowledge of geography, and requiring an appetite for up-to-date pop culture and news. As one of the official sponsors for PV’s (and Mira Costa’s) Scholar Quiz, Study Hut has been thrilled about the emphasis on knowledge of both the fundamentals and specifics of topics we teach every day. The final showdown is tomorrow—come out and support your favorite team! Peace out.
From 3rd graders to high schoolers to college students, there seems to be a major misconception about what it truly means to “study for a test.” The common definition seems to be “that thing you do the night BEFORE you actually take a test.” And you know what? Sometimes that works. If you’re studying spelling words, or memorizing a list, studying close to the test is definitely beneficial. But let’s face it, high schoolers and collegiates: you’re not studying for spelling tests any more. The subjects you’re working on are harder, and the ideas you’re learning are more complex. The material has changed, so the way you’re studying for it has to change too.
Here at the Study Hut, we try to find out tests dates as soon as is humanly possible. Most tests require AT LEAST a week of prep time to be truly prepared (especially if you’re in an AP or Honors class). Some tests require more, some less. Of course, as the class goes on, you’ll discover how much time you need to prepare. But that amount of time is NEVER one evening. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and you can’t guarantee a good grade off one night of studying.
My most successful students are the ones that make a plan, and follow through with it. For example, I recently had a student who had a Social Studies chapter test coming up. He wasn’t doing particularly well on tests, so we set up a plan. We set aside a certain amount of time each night so that he’d be studying only one section at a time. That way, the night before the test, HE HAD ALREADY STUDIED THE WHOLE CHAPTER! All he had to do that night was review the concepts he was having trouble with and strengthen his understanding. No cramming, no headaches. And he did markedly better on his test! He broke the work down into manageable bits over the course of a week, instead of stuffing everything into his head the night before. And it made all the difference.
