To Parents & Students that have not signed up with the Study Hut:

Is your child having trouble with school, and you are looking for affordable and effective tutoring in the South Bay? Are you interested in signing up for an info session with one of our fantastic tutors? Well, the Study Hut has a contact page! Provide us your contact information and we will contact you at your earliest convenience to schedule an appointment.

When you walk into one of our offices, you’ll be greeted by one of our friendly staff members, including Rob and Sean-Patrick in Manhattan Beach and Tamer in Redondo Beach. To begin your tutoring session, you’ll fill out a “New Student” form to give us the information we need to contact you and understand a little bit more about your tutoring needs. Please don’t forget to tell us how you heard about the Study Hut, and give us the names of other Study Hut students you know, if any.

After you fill out the “New Student” form, you can schedule an appointment from Monday through Thursday between 2 – 9 pm, on Friday between 2 – 8 pm, or on Sunday between 2 – 8 pm.

Our tutoring sessions are typically one hour long, but longer sessions are available upon request, especially for SAT tutoring. To get more information on our special SAT tutoring offers, visit our website at www.studyhut.com, call our Manhattan Beach or Redondo Beach office, or come and see us in person.

Study Hut in Manhattan Beach
880 Manhattan Beach Blvd
Manhattan Beach, CA 90266
310-546-2408

Study Hut Redondo Beach
210 Avenue I Ste. D
Redondo Beach, CA 90277
310-540-5888

Do you still have questions? Please shoot us an email at: info@studyhut.com, and we will do our best to promptly answer your questions.

It’s been 11 days into the new year, and school has already been in session for some students, while some started today. I know many students dread going back to school, especially after a long and relaxing vacation. If you took my advice in a previous December article, then you shouldn’t have any issues coping with classes already. If not, well, it’s not too late to get back into “school mode” once more.

The key to getting back into the swing of school is setting goals. Setting goals to do better in school should jump start your motivation and desire to do well in school… but for some kids, it doesn’t. Why? Well, there are a few reasons why goals don’t work for some, and what you need to do to avoid falling into that category.

1. Self-Limiting Beliefs
This is one key reason why people don’t set goals for themselves. They only dream of what they want, but when it comes to writing their goals down and making a commitment, they start giving excuses like, “I’m not smart enough,” “It’s too hard for me,” “I’ll never or can’t be an “A” student,” etc. You should realize that you’re only hindering yourself from achieving your goals, so put away those negative thoughts and start creating positive and empowering ones instead!

2. Not Knowing What You Want
The first step in setting a goal is to know very clearly what you want in the first place. Ask yourself, “What do you really want in life”, but remember to think about what you want, and how you can go about achieving it. Don’t be too haste and say that you don’t know what you want because as humans, we always have desires.

3. Having the Fear of Failure
Again, this is what stop people from setting goals most of the time… the fear of failing. Well, get it through your head kids – failure is inevitable. Anyone who tells your otherwise is in denial. Look, failure will happen, but don’t let it discourage you from your dreams and goals. It’s been said that Thomas Edison failed over 400 times before he invented the light bulb. Whether that is true or not, it’s up to you to believe. The point I am stating is that the famous people you idolize today didn’t get to where they are without having to experience failure at least once in their lives. Don’t give up after you’ve failed at something. Get back on your feet, and keep on marching onward. Take those “failures” as learning opportunities.

4. Not Willing to Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
When students start thinking of sacrificing a few hours of their computer games and start studying, they feel uncomfortable and are turned off by the thought of actually having to do some hard work to get good grades. They are too used to the “slacker” lifestyle, and don’t make any or enough sacrifices in order to achieve their goals and desires. In order to succeed in any area of life, you have to make certain sacrifaces and you need to push yourself out of your comfort zone in order to do better and to become a better person. The rewards are out there waiting for you! What are you waiting for?

I hope I have given you enough ideas on how to set powerful goals that can drive you everyday with motivation. Remember, stay focus and live your dreams!!!

Parents often don’t realize that when their child gets bored with school, their grades usually suffer. Once the report cards come in, and the poor grades are shown, parents of these bored children will more than likely, freak out, and yell at their child. This is not help the situation, so instead of getting angry at the child, parents should realize that learning to make a boring situation like school more fun and interesting (and sometimes this can be achieved by challenging the child) is the most important thing for the child’s learning environment. If you want to make sure school isn’t boring (although your child might answer that he or she finds it boring, but in a tedious chore way and not the “I-find-school-to-be-easy” bored way), here are some questions to ask your child to assess if he or she is bored at school.

• “Are you caught up with your school work and homework?”
Students that don’t understand or can’t follow along with what his or her teacher is lecturing are more than likely to be bored than students who follow along with the lecture.

• “Do you sometimes not pay attention?” Asking this question will make your child realize that they are probably bored in class because they are not consciously making an effort in paying attention.

• “How are you doing in class? Do you have trouble understanding something?” These two questions ensure that you don’t get a “I’m bored” reply out of your child, and if your child’s grades aren’t what they need to be, you should contact the Study Hut (Manhattan Beach: (310) 546-2408 or Redondo Beach: (310) 540-5888) to get your child the tutoring he or she needs.

• “Do you participate in class discussions or activities?” You should encourage your child to actively participate in class discussions or activities. Children who participate in class are less likely to be bored while in class than those who don’t actively participate.

• “Do you ask your teacher questions?” Asking questions requires thinking and participating, which will leave your child to be less bored than ones who don’t speak. You should encourage your child to ask questions in class whenever possible. If your child can’t think of one at the time, or did not get the opportunity to ask the teacher a question, encourage him or her to write down his or her questions after talking about them, and tell your child to ask the question(s) during the next day of class.

• “Do you take notes while the teacher lectures?” Taking notes while the teacher is talking will increase a student’s involvement in the class, thus lowering his or her boredom.

Although I can’t guarantee that these tips will work for your child or turn attending class into an exciting adventure, I do encourage you both to try them out to see if they will work for you. In hindsight, I realize that I was bored at school during my teen years because I did not actively participate in class, wasn’t consciously and actively paying attention while in class, and I rarely asked my teachers questions; I only focused on doing homework and writing notes, yet I still found myself bored at times. So I encourage you to ask your child to try these tips to see if it will help ease boredom at school.

The kids that come to the Study Hut Tutoring in both Manhattan Beach, CA and Redondo Beach, CA agree that local and recent college grads at the Study Hut are the best South Bay tutors that they’ve come to learn from and love. The reason for this is because our tutors are local to the South Bay, and we hire only the most qualified candidates to tutor your child. Whether if you’re located in Rancho Palos Verdes, Torrance, El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, or Manhattan Beach, the Study Hut has you covered. We have central locations to all the South Bay cities; our Manhattan Beach center is centrally located in Manhattan Beach, close to both Hermosa Beach and El Segundo, while our Redondo Beach center is located in south Redondo Beach, close to Torrance, Palos Verdes, and both our centers also have clientele from other South Bay area cities.

Come to the Study Hut to work on becoming a better student, and start earning the grades you deserve! The experienced tutors at the Study Hut know a lot about the South Bay schools curriculum, so they know how to effectively help you get going in the right direction. Call the closest center to you to see what we’re all about!

Manhattan Beach: (310) 546-2408

Redondo Beach: (310) 540-5888

With school starting again in a few more days, many students are preparing to get back into “school mode” once again after a long vacation break. For some, it will be an easy transition, and for others, it will be difficult. Instead of letting the latter suffer and struggle getting back into being a “good student” again, here are a few tips for them. Follow them diligently, and in no time, you’ll find yourself getting back into the swing of all things academic related.

1. GET TO CLASS ON TIME.
Students who walk in late are not only disrupting the teacher, they may be missing out on important information. You don’t want to start off the new year by being late, and leaving a bad impression on your teacher and classmates.

2. GET FRONT ROW SEATING.
No, I’m not talking about getting front row seating for the movie theater. I’m talking about getting a front row seat in your classroom. It will allow you to see and hear the teacher better, AND prevent you from being distracted to those rude and disruptive students who tend to sit in the back of the classroom.

3. COME TO CLASS READY TO LEARN.
Which means, TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONES, people! Don’t leave your cell phone on vibrate either; it is still a disruption to the class when your cell phone rings. When you’re in class, your primary focus is to learn and be taught, not to talk to your friends or classmates. Also, be sure to come to class prepared with all the school supplies you need such as pencils, lead refill for those with mechanical pencils, pens, erasers, highlighters, and notebook paper. The third most disruptive thing to a class aside from students walking in late, or cell phones ringing in class are students who disrupt others asking to “borrow” supplies. So please be kind, and come to class throuoghly prepared.

4. START WORKING ON ALL ASSIGNMENTS AS SOON AS THEY ARE GIVEN.
Time goes by faster than you expect it to, and we can’t always foresee incidents that will get in the way of our homework. Also, if you plan to get an “A” on your assignment, you will probably need to spend hours working on it instead of depending on dumb luck to earn your “A”. We need to realize that earning “As” requires a lot of hard work and dedication, not procrastination and wishing on earning an “A”. If you have any questions about how to do the assignment or when to turn it in, consult your syllabus, fellow classmates, or your teacher.

5. TURN IN YOUR ASSIGNMENTS ON TIME.
This would seem like a no-brainer, but many students fail to do this. Also, be very familiar with assignment make-up policies. If you have a special situation, talk to your teacher before your assignment is due to see if you can get an extension.

6. LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES.
This means if your teacher writes, “Use better grammar” than you should study grammar. If your teacher writes, “Good work, but you need to write a stronger conclusion” then study how to write a proper conclusion. If you completely bomb a test (and we all do occasionally), that should be a wake-up call to you. It means, WORK HARDER. Go to your teacher for proper feedback and more clarification, if necessary. I recommend doing this anyway because not only will you get more feedback than what’s written on the paper, it also shows your teacher that you’re serious about being a good student.

7. COME TO CLASS WITH A GOOD AND POSITIVE ATTITUDE.
People who show up to a class and complain all the time, talking on their cell phone and behind the teacher’s back, are really only displaying their immaturity. In addition, they are also the “annoying ones” that other students dislike and probably treat coldly. Leave your personal problems at home, show up with a smile, and try to imagine why you might need to know this information, if it doesn’t seem obvious. (But I hope it is.)

1. GET TO CLASS ON TIME.
Students who walk in late are not only disrupting the teacher, they may be missing out on important information. You don’t want to start off the new year by being late, and leaving a bad impression on your teacher and classmates.

2. GET FRONT ROW SEATING.
No, I’m not talking about getting front row seating for the movie theater. I’m talking about getting a front row seat in your classroom. It will allow you to see and hear the teacher better, AND prevent you from being distracted to those rude and disruptive students who tend to sit in the back of the classroom.

3. COME TO CLASS READY TO LEARN.
Which means, TURN OFF YOUR CELL PHONES, people! Don’t leave your cell phone on vibrate either; it is still a disruption to the class when your cell phone rings. When you’re in class, your primary focus is to learn and be taught, not to talk to your friends or classmates. Also, be sure to come to class prepared with all the school supplies you need such as pencils, lead refill for those with mechanical pencils, pens, erasers, highlighters, and notebook paper. The third most disruptive thing to a class aside from students walking in late, or cell phones ringing in class are students who disrupt others asking to “borrow” supplies. So please be kind, and come to class throuoghly prepared.

4. START WORKING ON ALL ASSIGNMENTS AS SOON AS THEY ARE GIVEN.
Time goes by faster than you expect it to, and we can’t always foresee incidents that will get in the way of our homework. Also, if you plan to get an “A” on your assignment, you will probably need to spend hours working on it instead of depending on dumb luck to earn your “A”. We need to realize that earning “As” requires a lot of hard work and dedication, not procrastination and wishing on earning an “A”. If you have any questions about how to do the assignment or when to turn it in, consult your syllabus, fellow classmates, or your teacher.

5. TURN IN YOUR ASSIGNMENTS ON TIME.
This would seem like a no-brainer, but many students fail to do this. Also, be very familiar with assignment make-up policies. If you have a special situation, talk to your teacher before your assignment is due to see if you can get an extension.

6. LEARN FROM YOUR MISTAKES.
This means if your teacher writes, “Use better grammar” than you should study grammar. If your teacher writes, “Good work, but you need to write a stronger conclusion” then study how to write a proper conclusion. If you completely bomb a test (and we all do occasionally), that should be a wake-up call to you. It means, WORK HARDER. Go to your teacher for proper feedback and more clarification, if necessary. I recommend doing this anyway because not only will you get more feedback than what’s written on the paper, it also shows your teacher that you’re serious about being a good student.

7. COME TO CLASS WITH A GOOD AND POSITIVE ATTITUDE.
People who show up to a class and complain all the time, talking on their cell phone and behind the teacher’s back, are really only displaying their immaturity. In addition, they are also the “annoyiny ones” that other students dislike and probably treat coldly. Leave your personal problems at home, show up with a smile, and try to imagine why you might need to know this information, if it doesn’t seem obvious. (But I hope it is.)

Bonne Annee! Prosit Neujah! Buon Capodanno! Feliz Ano Neuvo! (“Happy New Year” in French, German, Italian, and Spanish respectively).

The beginning of a new year usually means New Year’s resolutions.. which, realistically speaking, will be given up by most people by the beginning of February. Hoever, don’t fret. The Study Hut is here to help you stay on the right track to keeping your new year’s resolutions.

1. Keep your resolutions simple and be realistic about them.
Don’t set resolutions that you know are impossible, such as “winning the lottery” or making your first $1 million by the age of 21 when you’re only 17 (unless you’re Mark Zuckerberg, and even he didn’t earn his first $1 million by the age of 21.) The most important thing you should do is be honest with yourself; set yourself some realistic goals that you can achieve within a reasonable time frame. Intangiable goals such as earning an “A” in math when it’s not your best subject or making and maintaing meaningful relationships are examples of what most students should aim for. By setting realistic goals and resolutions, you’ll have higher odds at achieving them, and staying motivated to doing better and becoming a better person.

2. Don’t try to “punish” yourself “straight.”
In other words, don’t motivate yourself by using punishment as a motivator. Punishment will never work well if you are looking for long-lasting results. Heck, punishment as a motivator will often lead to failure. Instead of trying to tell yourself that you’ll be punished if you don’t keep your resolution, try to focus on the positive aspects of your goals (resolutions) and realize the potential rewards. Stay positive and you’ll be more successful at keeping your resolutions than by being negative.

3. Find a new social circle if you don’t have a good, strong, and supportive one already.
Yes, I know this is rather harsh, but if you don’t have genuine and supportive friends, you won’t likely to succeed in keeping your new year’s resolutions and goals. Social support is critical to changing all kinds of behavior, even bad behavior, and both consciously and unconsciously, people tend to imitate those around them. So, surround yourself with good and supportive friends who can also be good role models for you. Remember, social imitation is the easiest form not only of flattery, but of self-improvement.

With the new year only 2 days away, many are getting ready for a fresh start in improving their lives. One thing on most people’s list to improve on is to be better at self-motivation. Yeah, we know that should do things to improve our aspects of our lives, but we all lack self-motivation sometimes because we’re either lazy or just don’t have enough motivation to get going. Even a highly motivated person may lack motivation at times. We understand that no one’s perfect, which is why we at the Study Hut have come up with a few suggestions to help you get on the right path to self-motivation help.

1. Psych your motivation up by talking about it.
As silly as this may seem, talking about getting motivated to do something really works. Talk to your friends, family, or boyfriend/girlfriend about getting motivated, and you’ll find yourself not only becoming motivated, but remaining motivated (just by thinking about it!). Realize this – self-motivation is really “mental work” – you need to believe in getting motivated to jump start your motivation.

2. Stimulate your desires.
Think about the rewards you can achieve when you have reached your goals, and try to find ways to stimulate your desires. Usually, students find themselves unmotivated to study because they do not know why they are studying for. However, if you make them realize the rewards of effective studying (good grades, monetary rewards from family *hint-hint to some parents* [I am joking, of course], etc.), they will find the motivation and will to study.

3. Know the potential bad consequences if you don’t motivate yourself to do good.
Basically, think about the potential bad consequences if you aren’t motivated to do something, like studying hard (example bad consequences would be earning bad grades or not getting into your dream college) or getting out of bed right when your alarm clock goes off (the potential bad consequence would be the possibility of being tardy to class and earning detention). Point is, why risk being in trouble or disappointed in yourself if you aren’t motivated?

4. Stay focused.
Knowing your goal and the rewards it will reap you will help you stay motivated. Whether if you’re looking to lose 5-10 pounds or earning all As, knowing the positive outcomes will help you stay focused longer than just mentally psyching yourself up.

5. Find a greater goal.
If you have to motivate yourself to do something that you dislike, but it needs to be done, focus on the greater goal. For example, students who don’t like to study. Ask yourself why you need to study, and if it will effect your life in a positive way. (Odds are, YES, studying does make your life better, but that’s kind of a “no-brainer” question.) Point is, if it’s something you need to do, but hate doing, realize that you are doing it for a greater good, and that will help you stay motivated while doing that particular task.

6. Take small steps.
This last suggestion is crucial to everyone because it will help you stay motivated by allowing you to take small steps towards your goal. Failure is an anti-motivation device for most people, and by taking small steps towards your goals, you’ll stay motivated at a higher rate because failure at a small step is not as detrimental as failure at a large step.

I hope you will find these self-motivation tips to be useful in your future endeavors. Even if you find only one or two helpful, know that you’re on your way to a better path.

So by now, you’re almost done with your finals, and you’re getting anxious to start enjoying your winter break. You’re feeling that you’re losing focus, and are already to start winter break. However, before you jump ahead of yourself, you’ll need to focus on finishing strong in order to earn those good grades! “But how do I finish strong,” you ask. Well, here are a few good tips for making the most out of your studying.

1. Get it done early in the day.
If you get up at 7am and eat a nutritious and light breakfast, you can easily knock out 4-5 hours of studying before you have lunch, which also means you can finish before the day is even half way over! Just remember that you tend to concentrate much better during the early hours of the morning and afternoon than in the late afternoon and night.

2. Study in a quiet environment.
One of the biggest distractions while studying at home is the TV and your computer and internet. Study somewhere you won’t have access to TV or the internet. Try to study at your local library for the maximum efficiency in studying.

3. Get a good night’s rest.
Sleep is very essential to normal brain functions. You’ll need at least 7 or 8 hours of sleep in order to be at your best for exams, so instead of burning the midnight oil the night before your exams, you should be really catching Z’s

4. Drink lots of water.
While drinking a lot of water may require you to use the restroom more frequently (and we all know that’s annoying), but water will keep your mind alert and body hydrated. Remember, a hydrated body = a focused mind. So drink up those 8 glasses of water!

5. Be calm, and don’t worry.
Exams are meant to be tough, but if you prepared efficiently, then you shouldn’t worry. All your hard effort will pay off. Don’t bring yourself down by being negative; instead, focus on mentally preparing and “pumping” yourself up for the exams.

Finals are almost over, so finish solid and strong, young grasshopers!!

A recent study shows that students who study hard all week and then go on to party on the weekends may lose a lot of what they learned. Carlyle Smith, a professor of psychology at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, researched the effects of sleep deprivation on learning by controlling the sleep of students the night they were taught a complex logic game and a list of paired words. Smith found that when students were tested on paired words a week later, there was no learning deficit among the students deprived of sleep, but when tested on a complex logic game, the students deprived of sleep showed a 30% learning deficit when compared to the groups of students not deprived of sleep.

So what’s the lesson learned here? STUDY HARD, TAKE IT EASY OR TAKE YOUR TESTS, REST A FEW DAYS, and then PARTY!

Have a good weekend!!

(Remember to study hard and not “party hard”!)

As a part of our ongoing “Exam Help and Study Tips” series, today we bring you a few more helpful exam tips as we know it’s near exam time for a lot of students. Here is a breakdown of what you need to do to get through your exams:

A Week Before the Exam
– Make study sheets for each class. Each study sheet should cover all materials you learned in class, and include homework examples and your notes.
– Write your notes neatly and clearly, and be sure to accentuate important ideas by using markings such as stars and asterisks. You’ll want to be sure to that you are able to study your notes effectively, so they have to be neatly written.
– For the next week or so before your exams, read through your study sheets a few times each day, and memorize the important key concepts. Be sure to quiz yourself.

The Night Before the Exam
– Study both your study sheets and textbook, as well as other important documents that will pertain to the tests like homework, past assignments, etc.
– Get a good night’s sleep, which means that you’ll have to get to bed at a decent hour. Don’t stay up late studying at the last minute; this will do more harm than good because you won’t be well-rested for your exam the next morning/day.

The Day of the Exam
– Set your alarm so that you’ll get up early to allow yourself plenty of time to get to do a “refresh” study session before the exam and to get to it on on time.
– Eat a hearty and well-balanced breakfast that include complex carbohydrates (such as whole-grain cereal or toast), simple sugar (like a grapefruit or orange juice), and protein (such as milk, eggs, meat, etc.). This will help your blood sugar stay at a stable level, and keep your brain from getting “sluggish”.

During the Exam
– First, put your name on your exam before you forget. (I’ve seen a lot of students forgetting to to put their names on the exams due to feeling anxious or worried).
– Be sure to read questions and directions carefully before you answer. To be safe, read the questions twice. Students tend to make careless mistakes when they are feeling rushed to finish their exams, or when they are anxious.
– Keep your eye on the clock while taking the exam.
– Be sure to use the entire exam period rather than rushing through the test. So in other words, pace yourself. You don’t want to go too slow or too fast because you’ll have a higher probability of making careless and minor mistakes that could be costly to your test score.

Remember kids, be sure to work hard in order to play hard! Good luck on your finals, everyone!!