March 22nd, 2011
Study Hut Tutoring is proud to announce its involvement in this year’s Scholar Quiz at Palos Verdes High School. As many people in the South Bay know, Study Hut has been sponsoring the Scholar Quiz at Mira Costa High School for several years now. And with our involvement level as high as it is with the Palos Verdes High School AVID program, it only makes sense that we are now sponsoring the PV High Scholar Quiz tournament.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with Scholar Quiz, it is a fast-paced academic tournament in which students on teams of four are asked to answer questions as quickly as possible. It is a lot like Jeopardy, except students can stop the reader and answer the questions at any time.
Scholar Quiz represents all that is Study Hut. We love trivia, we love studying, and we love when students work hard and receive the recognition they deserve for all of their efforts. One of Study Hut’s founders, SP, made it to the semis at Mira Costa’s 2003 tourney. Today, many of our tutors volunteer as readers, timers, and scorekeepers for the Scholar Quiz at Mira Costa, and the Scholar Quiz at Manhattan Beach Middle School. MBMS’s Scholar Quiz is always fun, because oftentimes parents come to support their kids, and even students who are not signed up for the program still visit various teachers’ classrooms to root for their friends’ teams. Teachers are always excited to host all of the students in their classrooms, and some teachers get really into it, reading questions and facilitating the tournament in their classrooms like professional referees.
We are as excited as ever to be entering the Scholar Quiz season, and for those of you who go to Mira Costa or PV High, we hope you enjoy the t-shirts this yea.
Tags: academic tournament, mira costa, mira costa high school, Mira Costa Scholar Quiz, Palos Verdes Scholar Quiz, pv high, PV High Scholar Quiz, Scholar Quiz
Posted in 9-12, General Articles, high school, Learning, life skills, Palos Verdes, South Bay, Teaching, Tutor Tips, Tutors |
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March 21st, 2011
Education reform is a hot topic in politics and our communities. With documentaries like Waiting for Superman and powerful people taking a stance in education, people are starting to realize that things need to change. Successful schools have proven that outstanding teachers, extra time spent on education and high expectations for all students are key to academic achievement. At Study Hut, our tutors put these educational goals into action have seen exceptional results in our students.
Why is it so important to have high expectations for students? High expectations show students that we believe that they are capable of achieving their full potential. This turns into motivation for students to prove to us and to themselves that they can do well in school. I often hear fellow tutors saying “you are going to do an awesome job on your test tomorrow!” Students leave knowing their tutors expect them to perform well. When students at Study Hut are as excited to come in and tell us about an A on a test as much as we are, we know we are doing our job.
Excellent tutors at the Hut also add to students’ academic success. Students come to us because they need clarity, review and a fresh approach to teaching. If it takes a funny song to remember Spanish Vocabulary, we’ll make one up and sing it with our students. If history isn’t making sense, we will relate it to something relevant in a student’s life to show them the importance of a historical event. Thinking outside the box and connecting with students is a common method we share with schools in our community. The South Bay School Districts all have a mission to “strive for academic excellence by forming partnerships with the community.” Study Hut enjoys working with schools and students to be part of this partnership in promoting confidence and academic success in our schools.
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Posted in 6-8, 9-12, Comprehension, El Segundo, elementary school, General, General Articles, Hermosa Beach, high school, K-5, Learning, life skills, Manhattan Beach, middle school, Palos Verdes, Peninsula, Poor Test grades, Redondo Beach, retention, South Bay, South Torrance, study skills, Summer Tutoring, Teaching, Test taking anxiety, Testing, Tutor Tips, Tutors |
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March 7th, 2011
Everyone who comes in for tutoring at the Hut has the same goal: to do better academically. Of course, methods and results can vary drastically from person to person. So, a major question that everyone should ask themselves as they walk in here is this: “What can I do to make the most out of my Study Hut experience?”
Now, some people might think that the smartest students are automatically the ones who will do best. I am here to tell you, this is not the case. Natural intelligence is rare. The one common quality, or “common denominator” for you math fans out there, is attitude. All of the students who show the most improvement all have that in common: a great attitude. It doesn’t matter if you’re Albert Einstein; if you come in here with no interest in working, no desire to improve, and no excitement for the material, odds are you won’t make much progress. The students whose scores improve the most are the one’s who come in with the goal of doing BETTER. They may not understand the material well, or even at all, but they want that to change and are prepared to work for it. Some of our students come in knowing EXACTLY what they want to work on, have done the appropriate preparation, and eagerly accept the tutor’s help. Other students come in mumbling, having no prep work done, and couldn’t care less if they learn the material. I’ll give you one guess as to who has the more rewarding experience.
Attitude is what it comes down to. The one’s that want to learn, and are excited about learning are usually to one’s to excel. And they’re ALWAYS the one’s to appreciate the Hut the most.
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Posted in 6-8, 9-12, Algebra, Algebra 2, El Segundo, elementary school, Hermosa Beach, K-5, Learning, life skills, Manhattan Beach, math, middle school, Palos Verdes, Peninsula, Redondo Beach, South Bay, South Torrance, Tutors |
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March 1st, 2011
Life at the Hut has been awfully exciting this week, especially for Rob and SP. Today, March 1, 2011, marks the first official day at Study Hut Tutoring in El Segundo. We are extremely excited about our new office, but with this excitement comes responsibility and a very long task list. We have been working long hours to get the walls and floors looking pretty, make the plants grow, and get some furniture in the shop. Then comes the hard part – finding the best local tutors available. Study Hut is all about, “We’ve had your teachers, and we’ve sat in your classrooms.” And we aren’t abandoning this principle as we grow and experience more success. Rather, we are embracing the reasons for our success, and adding value by improving the services we provide.
At Study Hut, we aim to provide the best possible one-on-one tutoring experience possible. Our team aims to diversify in terms of subject strengths, meaning that we like having a math tutor “expert,” a science tutor “expert,” an English tutor “expert, and so on. With this approach, we are able to cover all necessary subjects, and make sure that we are able to help our students in all subjects across the board.
Another of our huge challenges is finding an awesome SAT tutor. Study Hut prides itself on offering the best SAT tutoring available. We use the premier software in our industry to maximize each student’s efforts, and we only hire successful, intelligent SAT tutors.
Tags: El Segundo, El Segundo Study Hut, El Segundo Study Hut Tutoring, El Segundo tutor, el segundo tutoring, English tutor, math tutor, SAT tutor, SAT tutoring, Science tutor
Posted in 6-8, 9-12, El Segundo, elementary school, General Articles, high school, K-5, math, middle school, SAT, South Bay, study skills, Tutors |
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February 28th, 2011
Young children are often overlooked when it comes to the tutoring industry. At the high school level, parents work hard to motivate and challenge their children academically. They pressure their child to work hard and get good grades at the hopes of the acceptance into a prestigious and well renowned school. Why not start at a young age?
Learning good study habits is imperative to the success of a student; not only in the school setting, but outside as well. Children need to learn study skills, reading skills, and good work ethic from the beginning. In the primary grades, students’ brains are developing at such a rapid rate that this time period proves to be the most crucial in a student’s life. By setting that foundation, the student will have a more transparent view of how to be an outstanding scholar. At study hut, we provide tutoring to all ages. In the younger grades, a student’s academics are primarily focused on literacy. We cater to children by assisting them with fluency, comprehension, and accuracy. The extra practice allows them to feel more confident and motivated in the classroom which produces overall better grades. Needless to say, extra tutoring for young students in the primary grades is extremely beneficial and should not be dismissed.
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Posted in 6-8, Comprehension, El Segundo, elementary school, foreign languages, General, General Articles, Hermosa Beach, K-5, Learning, life skills, Manhattan Beach, middle school, Palos Verdes, Peninsula, Redondo Beach, retention, South Bay, South Torrance, study skills, Teaching, Tutor Tips, Tutors |
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February 22nd, 2011
For older students the incentives are easier to see, better math skills lead to higher grades. For younger children the final incentives of productive studying are harder to see, which is why we sometimes need to provide an extra boost of encouraged learning with a small piece of candy for a correct answer. Getting students in the mood to learn, and to appreciate their education can be one of the hardest things to accomplish as a tutor.
When the students learn how useful math can be to them and how they can apply specific math skills to real-life situations, they work harder and perform better. Mathematics revolves our daily lives. Teaching kids about everyday uses of math helps them to better understand the real world around them. Some examples of everyday uses of math included: problem solving, budgeting money, time management, calculating tips and tax, memorizing important number data i.e. phone numbers and locker combinations, and estimating distances and weights. These real world skills have major benefits towards the academic success of an individual, and can lead to a greater success in careers that you might not expect to be math-intensive such as, agriculture, law, business, politics, psychology, and music.
Daily mental math exercises to help keep your brain active are a great way to stay on top of your mathematical game. Solving puzzles and exercises such as, suduku or homework problem sets, keeps your mind sharp and ready to tackle any challenge. Mathematics may seem to be an underrated subject, but it has lasting influences in our lives everyday. From the moment we wake up to check the clock, to the number of hours we work each day to make a living, we are constantly surrounded by numbers.
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Posted in 6-8, 9-12, Calculus, El Segundo, elementary school, Geometry, Hermosa Beach, K-5, Learning, Manhattan Beach, math, Palos Verdes, Peninsula, Pre-Calculus, Redondo Beach, South Bay, Statistics, Summer Tutoring, Trigonometry, Tutors, Uncategorized |
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February 17th, 2011
One of the most gratifying things about being a tutor at the Study Hut is when students have an “a-ha!” moment. We’ve all had a few of these; when nothing seems to be making sense and then all of a sudden, everything clicks. It’s a great feeling and one I personally enjoy seeing in our hut students.
Mason is a student at Palos Verdes High School and doesn’t particularly enjoy writing essays. He came in one day with an assignment to write about someone who has influenced his life in a positive way. Mason had a lot of great stories about his football coach but couldn’t figure out how to organize all of this overwhelming information into a structured essay. Mason asked, “Why do I have to organize this? It takes away from the fun of writing my story.” When I told him that an essay is a way of convincing the reader of something you believe in, everything clicked. “Ohhh I can totally convince you.” Mason said with a big grin. After I told Mason to tell me why his coach motivates him, not only was Mason listing positive attributes about his coach, but he was also giving me descriptive reasons and examples that helped support his argument.
After he told me everything, we got it down on paper in an outline format. Mason expressed that outlining the essay actually wasn’t as hard as he originally thought. He also even thought it was cool that he was able to write an essay about something that was important in his life.
Whether it’s writing essays, studying for chemistry or working out A.P. calculus problems, students are bound to have many “a-ha!” moments while working with tutors at the Study Hut.
Tags: Palos Verdes Tutor, Palos Verdes tutoring, peninsula tutor, Peninsula tutoring, penninsula tutor, penninsula tutoring, PV tutor, PV tutoring, Redondo tutor, redondo writing tutor, south bay tutor, South Bay tutoring, writing teacher, writing tutoring
Posted in 6-8, 9-12, Calculus, Chemistry, Editors, elementary school, General, General Articles, high school, K-5, Learning, Manhattan Beach, math, middle school, Palos Verdes, Peninsula, Redondo Beach, South Bay, Tutor Tips, Tutors, Uncategorized, writing |
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February 14th, 2011
It’s that time again. SAT season! This can be a time of tremendous anxiety for many, but it doesn’t have to be. Here at the Study Hut we work to prepare students for conquering this test. We focus on vanquishing the SAT and getting our students excited about college. Our approach is multifaceted and familiarizes students with the exam. Often our students are most nervous about the math section of the SAT. The Hut provides students with comprehensive materials to dust off older material and reinforce newer concepts. The most important thing is that students are familiar with the structure of the test, especially with the math section. When they know what to expect, students approach the SAT with more confidence and are more successful. We review everything from common denominators to parabolas!
Study Hut tutors will work side-by-side students to get them ready for the next stage of their lives! We will help make this potentially nerve racking time into one of excitement. Many of our students see their scores jump after preparing with us. We have many Redondo High and Palos Verdes High school students in our group course, as well as taking advantage of our one-on-one services. No matter their preference, our approach minimizes the stress and makes SAT prep more manageable. College is just around the corner!
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Posted in 9-12, El Segundo, General, General Articles, Hermosa Beach, high school, Manhattan Beach, Poor Test grades, SAT, South Bay, South Torrance, Summer Tutoring, Test taking anxiety, Testing, Uncategorized |
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February 10th, 2011
What began as a modest, experimental finals-season gesture became one of the busiest and most auspicious events that the Study Hut has ever participated in. Early in January, the Hut got in touch with Mary Lou Cordaro, who works with the library at West High School. The Hut volunteered its services for any West students ambitious enough to sign up for extra tutoring on the Friday and Saturday (January 21 and 22) before exams. A few tutors from each of the Hut’s branches signed up to work at “stations” according to subject, which students could move among during the three hours per day that we would be there. We expected a slight crowd, an atmosphere perhaps even casual (or as casual as possible with finals looming ahead). But Mary Lou, one of the most enthusiastic educators we have ever had the privilege to work with, tirelessly promoted the event until the roster had racked up the names of over one hundred students eager for all the help they could get their hands on.
Suddenly, it was all hands on deck. Subject stations were set up throughout the library’s spacious first floor. Textbooks were handed out. The library doors opened like floodgates, and the place was teeming with students. All grades were represented, and for three hours each day the students moved among the tables and classrooms to garner whatever study tips they could. To those students who stayed long, paid attention, and were reluctant to leave even at the two-minute warning, tutors passed out vouchers for free hours of final exam tutoring. Thanks to the students, tutors, and of course, Mary Lou, those were two of the most fruitful days in Hut history. After it was over, many students redeemed their vouchers before their exams, and several of them have begun to stay on for regular help.
Before January 21, while we had been looking forward to the event, we had not expected such bewildering success. It was a great educational experience, not only for the students, but also for the tutors, many of whom had never worked with such large groups before. And it was fun, to boot! As the Hut plans for its future, we are looking forward to many more tutoring opportunities like it. Thank you to the Mary Lou, the tutors, and the students who made this first one so great!
Tags: bert m lynn, finals tutoring, history tutor, jefferson middle school, math tutor, Parras Middle School, parras tutoring, Science tutor, South Bay tutoring, South Bay tutors, st. james tutoring, Torrance tutoring, torrance tutors, Tutoring in the South Bay, tutoring in torrance, west high school, west high tutoring
Posted in 9-12, AP US History, Biology, Chemistry, foreign languages, General, high school, Redondo Beach, South Bay, South Torrance, study skills, Test taking anxiety, Testing, Tutors, Uncategorized |
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May 10th, 2010
April has been the boldest month of 2010 at the Hut. To motivate students to finish out the year strong, we have turned up the heat and let loose the competition. Study Hut’s “Student of the Month” award has just been instituted and the first draft winners have been chosen. Our high school winner was one of my most successful students because she has shown such vast improvement in the short amount of time I have tutored her. Paige first came to me with unspeakable grades in her algebra class. At first, I was confused because she understood most of her homework but showed a plethora of poor test grades.
Through talking to her about her thought process, we discovered that she had a mild form of test-taking anxiety. After consulting my boss about an effective approach with Paige, we went to work. She increased her visits from one to three sessions per week with me in order to allot time for timed practice tests. My approach was to do her math problems alongside her and compare our answers instead of watching her do all the work by herself. She worked exceedingly well with my “team” approach because it helped her correct her own mistakes and take control of the session.
After working with Paige for several weeks, I have seen rapid improvement in her comprehension, retention, and esteem. She craves the practice problems because she has seen the positive results for herself. After she brought in her first ‘A,’ I jumped at the chance to nominate her for this award. Since then, she has walked through the door with two more ‘A’ test scores and higher expectations for herself. I look forward to our sessions and when she brings in her tests, I vicariously feel like an ‘A’ student all over again. Students of the month keep this job rewarding and engaging. Keep the good grades rolling!
Tags: Comprehension, manhattan beach tutoring, math tutor, math tutors, MCHS Student, mchs tutor, MCHS Tutoring, mira costa high school tutor, Mira COsta High School tutoring, Poor Test grades, retention, Self esteem, Student of the month, Test taking anxiety
Posted in 9-12, Algebra, Comprehension, high school, Manhattan Beach, math, Poor Test grades, retention, Self esteem, South Bay, Student of the Month, study skills, Test taking anxiety, Tutor Tips, Tutors |
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