June 19th, 2014
Summer Adventures!
It’s finally summertime! That means lots of free time on your hands to explore and try new things. Luckily, we live in an area full of interesting things to do and see. If you are stuck, here are a few ideas to get you started.
- Check out an aquarium! We have several great aquariums nearby showcasing both local and exotic marine life. Try the Roundhouse Aquarium on Manhattan Beach Pier, the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, the Santa Monica Pier aquarium or the Aquarium of the Pacific. All have great informative exhibits and touch tanks to get up close and personal with the animals.
- The Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits. Ever wonder what lived in Southern California before people? Find out at the Page Museum! They have a great collection of prehistoric skeletons, from giant sloths to direwolves to mammoths. There is even a live excavation site outside as well as a real bubbling tar pit.
- See a concert at the Hollywood Bowl. This beautiful outdoor auditorium has a great program of both classical and modern music performances throughout the summer, often with famous musicians. There are even sing alongs! Pack up picnic and enjoy the weather while listening to great music.
- Get outside! We live in a beautiful area with virtually perfect weather, along with miles and miles of beaches. Learn to stand up paddleboard, or kayak or bodysurf. There are beautiful hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains, and tidepools galore in Abalone Cove. Pick a new trail and see what you find!
- Learn a new sport! If you are in the off season for school sports, why not pick up a new one? Ultimate Frisbee is a classic, or you could pick up an outside the box option like quidditch or beach tennis. Even better, make up your own!
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Posted in General, General Articles, South Bay, summer programs, Summer Tutoring |
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August 21st, 2012
Here at The Study Hut sometimes saying goodbye is a happy occasion. As the summer is coming to an end so we say goodbye to a few of our tutors. Not to worry! Their departure is not due to sub-par performance or conflicts between other tutors, but because they are once again joining the ranks of US college students or are exploring the world in hopes of expanding human knowledge.
We are happy to see one tutor off to Columbia University this fall. Jenna who has worked with us this last year came to us already with some teaching experience. She had taught and substituted for a few of the lower elementary grades after finishing school. Now she is going for her Masters degree in education. We are always happy people using their skills to teach other and help others.
Another tutor will also be leaving not just us, the whole United States. Jenny, after a few years helping kids in our Redondo office, is packing up and leaving for Australia. A marine-bio major, Jenny spent time studying sharks while in school. Now she plans on continuing that hobby/love. She will be camping out on the remote coast of Australia tracking, recording, and studying the local shark behavior. After a few months she will then be attending graduate school in Australia.
We wish Jenna and Jenny the best of luck on their new adventures.
Tags: college, columbia, graduate school, Redondo Beach, study Hut, teaching, tutor, Tutors
Posted in 6-8, 9-12, Biology, elementary school, high school, Learning, life skills, Manhattan Beach, middle school, science, South Bay, Summer Tutoring, Teaching, Tutors, Uncategorized |
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April 6th, 2012
Today, two bright-eyed and bushy tailed owners, actually, we had some scruffy scraggles left on the face from Spring Breaking, and it was pretty early at 6am so we weren’t too bright eyed, embarked on a journey to have breakfast. Our Destination: the Hacienda Hotel. Our reason: to join the elite do-gooders of El Segundo for their 45th annual Mayor’s Breakfast. 100% of the proceeds will be going to benefit the El Segundo Teen Center and the El Segundo Ed foundation. The El Segundo Rotary Club makes this all possible, among others. It was a quite a treat if I dont say so myself. I had pancakes, bacon, hashbrown cakes with lox, and coffee, with chocolate creamer. It was heart-stopping. We heard a motivational speaker, and listening to him made we almost want to put down my fork and head to the gym. Apart from the food, we met some wonderful individuals. We met the heads of the local churches and school board, and they were thrilled to meet some fellow educators who were also passionate about El Segundo middle school tutors. They quickly acknowledged that tutoring in El Segundo was something that was recognized as fruitful and important. El Segundo high school students need tutoring in chemistry, biology, algebra, geometry and specific training in preparation for the SAT tests. Moms and dads in El Segundo were encouraged to know that Study Hut Tutoring provides a reliable and local tutoring service to the students at both El Segundo Middle School and El Segundo High School. Parents were eager to send their students to Study Hut tutoring for chemistry tutoring because they know how tough that class is, and how difficult the college application process can be with a low mark in that class.
Tags: Chemistry tutor, chemistry tutoring, Chemistry tutors, El segundo hut, El Segundo Study Hut, El Segundo tutor, el segundo tutoring, el segundo tutors, Study Hut El Segundo, Study hut tutoring in el segundo, tutor el segundo, tutoring el segundo, tutors el segundo
Posted in 45th annual Mayor's Breakfast, 6-8, 9-12, Chemistry, El Segundo, El Segundo Events, high school, SAT, South Bay |
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February 14th, 2012
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.
Tags: goals, homework hut, hut. learning hut, Manhattan Beach Study Hut, passion for learning, Study, Study Hut Manhattan Beach, studying
Posted in General, General Articles, high school, Learning, Manhattan Beach, Positive Vibes, Self esteem, South Bay, team building |
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November 8th, 2011
While the key to doing well on any exam at Mira Costa High School, Manhattan Beach Middle School, Pacific School or American Martyrs school is to conceptually understand the material backwards and forwards, there are some tips you can employ to give you
an edge and make your time spent studying as efficient and effective as possible.
What kind of learner are you? Everyone is different in the way they learn and
absorb information so its best to identify what kind of learner you are when
deciding on what study strategies to use.
Cramming doesn’t pay! Don’t wait until the night before a test to review all your
materials. Space out your studying up to several days or weeks before your exam
which will keep you from getting overwhelmed and increase the likelihood you will
understand and recall the information you need to.
See, Write, Say! – Experts maintain that your chances of recalling information
increases greatly when you look at a given piece of information, write it out again in
your own words or way, and then say it aloud to yourself.
Summarize information, concepts, and big picture ideas in concise charts, graphs,
or outlines. This will make the information easier to recall and extrapolate upon to
answer critical thinking type questions.
Study actively! It is best to study during daylight hours. Don’t study in your bed to
avoid being tempted to fall asleep. Also ask yourself questions as you go through the
material to keep yourself actively engaged in the material at hand.
Avoid distractions! Find a place away from things you’re easily distracted by. A quiet
room away from the computer, television, and disruptive friends or siblings is an
ideal study location. Sometimes music such as jazz or classical may help keep you
more interested and stimulated if complete silence is unappealing to you.
Take a break! It’s good to periodically take a short break from long periods of
studying. Get up and walk around to get your blood flowing or go and make yourself
a nutritious snack. Your brain may only account for 2% of your overall bodyweight,
but it consumes 20% of your calorie intake. While studying, this figure can increase
to nearly 40%! Snacks rich in nutrients such as nuts or fruits are great to munch on
while studying to keep your brain working at full capacity.
Tags: american martyrs, Manhattan Beach Middle School, mira costa high school, pacific school, Study, tutor, Tutoring, Tutors
Posted in 6-8, 9-12, American Martyrs school, focusing, General Articles, high school, Learning, Manhattan Beach, Mira Costa High School, pacific school, South Bay, study skills, Tutor Tips |
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October 11th, 2011
You sit, minding your own business. Suddenly, you feel a twinge of unease crawl up your spine. A feeling as if someone, or something, is watching you. You shake it off. Clearly, you’re just being paranoid right? You look back down at your desk. And then… IT HAPPENS. Suddenly, tiny Tialde, mild-mannered 2nd grader is throwing paper around the office, laughing hysterically, and running out of here as fast as he can!
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!
You just found yourself victim to one of the Study Hut’s new competitions: who can keep their room the cleanest in exchange for pizza! Actually, you’ve found yourself victim to the inevitable aftermath of such a challenge: who can mess up everyone else’s room enough so they don’t get pizza! This, the first of many new challenges being formed around the Hut, is part of a new initiative starting up this semester. Now, at first glance, this may seem like meaningless prankerism (trust me, it’s a word) and time-wasting nonsense. But it’s actually a piece of what sets the Study Hut apart.
You’re children spend all day in a very ordered environment. They’re told where to sit, when to stand, how to speak, and what to do. To be fair, in a classroom of 30 children, such order is necessary. But the Hut doesn’t exist just to replicate school. We’re not here to just provide an environment that students just have to come to due to bad grades. We’re here to provide an environment that students want to come to (to help improve bad grades!) Initiatives like this promote better communication among tutors, which leads to better tutoring, and smarter students. And involving the students, like we did Tialde, promotes the idea that this is a place where that they can look forward to coming too. Most students here know most, if not all the tutors: not just the one they work with. They come here because the Hut is a place where people know you, get the work done, and have help in the process.
Plus, you get to occasionally throw paper around in exchange for pizza. That’s awesome.
Tags: 2nd grader, 2nd graders, children, hut, school, smarter students, student, students, study Hut, Study Huts, The Hut, Tutoring, Tutors
Posted in 6-8, 9-12, elementary school, General, Hut competitions, K-5, Learning, Manhattan Beach, Positive Vibes, South Bay |
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October 9th, 2011
When a students claims Junior status in HS, we realize it’s not only a moment for discrete gloating but also a time for stress and scrambling for steady ground. Juniors have the most coursework. Unfortunately, this is just how things work. Juniors have to mark down the upcoming SAT dates, ACT weekends, and AP exam weeks. On top of that, they have to start looking at colleges and majors. College Board is responsible for all the SAT & ACT exams. Juniors have to get off their FB accounts for a couple min, stop Twittering, and get onto the College Board website, make an account, and register for tests. Once you register, the stress starts. We will do all we can to ensure students meet their deadlines and are ready for the exam. We provide SAT, PSAT, ACT, and ISEE diagnostic tests. We assist not only in the academic coursework but also in how to juggle the immense workload of stuydying for the SAT, AP, and midterms in U.S. Government. ACT is optional, but if students find themselves splattering over the SAT, they have to take the ACT. So, how do students know if they need to take one or the other if the SAT and ACT registration dates are so close? SAT diagnostics. Juniors, whether they are confident in their ability or if they are not even planning to study, have to test the waters and check where they stand. Once they know where they stand, everything starts growing clearer — set a schedule, take another SAT diagnostic every other week, and stay for extra time at Study Hut to ensure you will know what you are doing when the awful date comes. We have cereal so feel free to stay — but no overnights…obviously. With SATs done, Juniors should be ready for AP exams. What the — ? While studying for the SAT, Juniors have to stay on top of their AP courses in order to prepare for the AP exams. Unfortunately, this is how it is. On top of all of that work, Juniors have to start thinking about Senior status. Start volunteering in community events to rack up the minutes, join a writing competition, work your stress away in track and field, juggle your academic coursework with extracurricular activities — it will all come back not only when college apps are due but also when you gloat about it in interviews and over Christmas when you are starting on the 30s. While this may be an overwhelming academic year for Juniors, Study Hut is there to set a schedule, give diagnostics, comment, give quizzes on the functions of the mitochondria and the political reasonings of the English Civil War. We will assist in the year of cramming and if students start hallucinating from the stress — we are there with crunchy granola with dark chocolate — and then it is back to grinding out information, constantly editing the weekly schedule to fit their needs, and prioritizing work to make things just a bit less stressful.
Tags: ACT exam, ACT exams, ACT tutor, ACT tutoring, ACT tutors, AP Tutor, AP tutoring, AP tutors, ISEE diagnostic test, ISEE diagnostic testing, ISEE diagnostic tests, ISEE tutor, ISEE tutoring, ISEE tutors, PSAT, PSAT tutor, PSAT tutoring, PSAT tutors, SAT exam, SAT exams, SAT tutor, SAT tutoring, SAT tutors
Posted in 9-12, ACT, College Applications, high school, SAT, SAT, South Bay, Testing, Tutor Tips |
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September 29th, 2011
I’m sure there are plenty of tutoring spots in Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, Redondo Beach and countless more in the south bay but I’m in inclined to believe that few can measure up to The Study Hut in Manhattan Beach. Many parents struggle with where to send their children to get some help. They try to give their children a leg up so they maybe they won’t have to struggle as much in the future. The choices for giving a child an advantage can be mind boggling at times. There are so many places making claims about improving grades and how they will accomplish this amazing transformation in your child. They make promises of making them an “A” student over night. The truth is there is no magic formula. There is no making your child an overnight genius. Change comes with work and constant work to boot. The work is a communal project; it can’t come in a tutor session alone. Now, this is the place where the real separation comes into play. Other places say they will change the culture your child has developed but only care about what occurs in the tutoring session only. However the dedicated folks at the study hut aka the hut make sure to communicate with the parents on the work which is accomplished and needs to be accomplished on a nightly basis. They call home and let parents know their child still have 3 hours worth of work left and work to develop strategies to make sure this isn’t the norm. They make sure the culture created at the hut also becomes the culture the student sees at home. Because it takes a village to raise a child, no matter how big or small the village might be.
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Posted in 6-8, 9-12, General Articles, Hermosa Beach, K-5, Manhattan Beach, middle school, Redondo Beach, South Bay |
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September 27th, 2011
One of the biggest misconceptions about tutoring is its purpose. Many a time, students will come expecting one of three things: that we’re here to do their homework for them, that we can help them cram 5 chapters of material in one night for a test tomorrow morning, or that they’re done for the night the second their tutoring sessions over.
Needless to say, these ideas are false. Tutoring is not, nor ever shall be, a substitute for actual, nose-in-the-book work. We’re not here to do the work for you, teach you short cuts, or help you simply “skate by”. That might help you get a decent grade on tonight’s homework assignment, but you’d be in major trouble the first time a quiz came along. And we’re not here just to help you with the next test, or tomorrow’s assignment. Here, our focus isn’t to teach you the material. It’s to teach you HOW TO STUDY the material. Our major goal is to make it so that you don’t need us anymore. We want to get you to a point where you know how to break down a chapter, write an essay, compose an outline, and solve an equation without someone looking over your shoulder. But, of course, if you still need our help, we’ll still be here to help you again. Doing well in school is not a sprint. It’s a marathon.
Time and time again, the students that I’ve seen do the best are the one’s working before the come in, and ready to work after they leave. They’re the students who have already read and outlined the chapter, but are coming in to help with understanding it. They’re the ones who just spent an hour and a half working with me, and are already putting together a plan for what they’ll work on at home. These are the students who are not only preparing themselves for tomorrow, but for the rest of the year.
Tutoring is meant as a supplement to your learning. If you rely on it completely, without putting in the extra work, it’s not going to be effective. But if you truly work your butt off, utilizing as many advantages as you can (including tutoring at the good ol’ Study Hut), you’re going to see the kind of change you want.
Tags: homework, homework assignment, how to study, material, quiz, school, students, study Hut, teach, test, tests, Tutoring, tutoring session
Posted in 6-8, 9-12, elementary school, K-5, middle school, South Bay, Teaching, Tutors, Uncategorized |
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September 19th, 2011
It is not uncommon to have your local public schools fill each classroom to the brim. In a sea of 30 plus students, it’s a wonder that kids tend to fall through the cracks. The curriculum is set for each grade and the teacher attacks the lesson plans daily. In the process of introducing materials to students, a few common trends occur. The brainiest of the class rise to the top, and the material is easy for them. The lower regions of the concur phenomenon are lost and require special attention in order to not fall behind. The public school system provides after school programs, tutoring and extra time for the ones who fall behind. So where do the brainiest pupils go? They tend to finish before the class and end up staring at the ceiling, or paper. At times they tend to help other pupils who stare at them in a bewildered stare after given a recent assignment.
As recent college graduates, our tutors have experienced both extremes. We know either one is not preferred and honestly quite extreme. Here at the Hut we accept both types of students. In one corner the brainiest students come in and we push them even further than they thought they were capable of. We do this so well that in many cases they go home pondering how we managed to stump them. A particular student who has recently has been striving to be a better scholarly example is our very own Asher. Having fallen through the cracks at his school, we took this first grader under our wing and amplified his skills with every hour session. We are proud of Asher and are so very content with his improvement over the past few sessions. Upon entering first grade this year, his teacher noticed his improvement in math and has now placed him in the second grade math class! He is rock star here at the Hut!!! Students such as these are the types of students we love to help. I mean after all, we strive to better your student or bust.
Tags: classroom, classrooms, college graduate tutors, college graduates, curriculum, first grader, first graders, grade, hut, improvement, lesson plan, lesson plans, local public schools, public school system, public schools, scholarly, school programs, second grade, second grade math, student, students, study Hut, teacher, teachers, tutor, Tutoring, Tutors
Posted in 6-8, elementary school, K-5, Manhattan Beach, math, South Bay, star students, Success Stories, Summer Tutoring, Teaching |
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