These days it seems that everyone you talk to- students, teachers, artists, mechanics, architects, entrepreneurs, anybody & everybody is heavily in debt.
…but not financial debt.
Financial debt is something you can pay off. This is a more pernicious and dangerous debt…SLEEP DEBT.
According to a study from Harvard Medical School [1], for most folks if you get less than 5 and half hours of sleep in a 24 hour period, you’re in sleep debt. As sleep debt increases, your performance, energy, level, and your mood suffers. Not to mention that it interferes with your metabolism, blood sugar, and body weight maintenance.
If one does not get enough sleep over enough days, the deficit can hurt your performance as much as pulling an all nighter.
When it comes to studying and academic performance, sleep debt is an even bigger threat. Sleep debt slows cognition and damages your memory. Pulling that all nighter to crank through a project or cram for your exam is a recipe for failure. You’ll forget what you learn, be more cranky & groggy, and damage your health. Who wants that? Sleep!
Remedies and tricks to get your zzz’s:
1) Be BORING. Our bodies like routine, structure, and regularity. Even if you have an unpredictable schedule during the day, try to institute a regimented lights-out/awake schedule
2) Take Notes. Do you really need 7 to 8 hours to be at top performance. The only way to find out for sure is to keep a sleep log. Log your wake up time and guestimate as best you can when you actually fell to sleep and see how much sleep you are actually getting. The facts may surprise you
3) Pay your taxes. When I say taxes, I mean your sleep taxes. Instead of waiting for one big lump sum to “catch up” your sleep debt, you should instead make little payments along the way. Get the full 7-8 hours instead of attempting Herculean heroics on the weekends with a marathon sleep session
Bottom line from the study: you better get your 7 to 8 hours of ZZZ’s, otherwise your grades and your health could be in big trouble.
We interviewed multiple students in our office today and here are the top 10 reasons why our students love coming to the Study Hut!
1. I love coming to the Study Hut because the tutors are all really easy to talk to which makes it easy to ask questions when you’re confused. – Charlotte
2. I love coming to the Study Hut because the tutors help to keep me organized and help me prepare for upcoming things in school. – Nikki
3. I love coming to the Study Hut because it has a laid back but very productive atmosphere where I feel comfortable. – Pratt
4. I love coming to the Study Hut because I’ve been coming here for years and the people who work here are like family to me. – Isabelle
5. I love coming to the Study Hut because I have many friends here and my subjects become more clear after my sessions are over. – Josie
6. I love coming to the Study Hut because it has helped me to improve my grades. – Isabella
7. I love coming to the Study Hut because it has great snacks and healthy foods like Apples and Bananas that I can have during my tutoring sessions. – Alex
8. I love coming to the Study Hut because the tutors make learning fun and easy to understand. – Ben
9. I love coming to the Study Hut because they have locations in the area which makes it convenient since I can choose which location I want to go to depending upon where I live. – Nicole
10. I love coming to the Study Hut because they help me not only with regular tutoring but they also help me with my SAT training. – Alex
I tutor a girl who is in the 7th grade and she has a twin sister – both in the same classes. These 2 girls have been struggling in all their classes and have not been receiving the best grades (though as a tutor I knew they could do much better).
We bought the girls planners – so that they could get organized and write all their assignments down instead of using only their IPAD. We really want to help them get their grades up before the end of the year – and I feel like it can happen! I tutor one of the twins and another tutor helps her sister.
For many students, it’s only one or two classes they are focusing on – but these girls need help in all their classes – English, Spanish, Science, Social Studies, and Math.
I am very well versed in Spanish and math – my two best subjects – and not so well in English, Social Studies, and Science – but it’s nice to tutor these subjects – not only to help my student but also to reteach myself things that I have forgotten about over the years.
So together, my student and I have made a good plan and we are on the same page – with preparing ahead – doing flashcards, section outlines, and section reviews right when she finds out she has a test.
Last week we knew she had a Science test – so we prepared very early instead of her waiting until the last minute and not studying and also not telling me she had a test.
We worked on the Cardiovascular system and studied all about the heart, veins, lungs, capillaries, arteries, and many other interesting subjects.
Long story short – she came in today and told me she got a 91% on her test and her sister got an 83%. She told me she wanted to scream with excitement when she got her test. Today, we then studied for her Social Studies test for Thursday and she really wants to get another good grade!!!
Yesterday, our RB Office Manager had a meeting with a student named Claire and her dad Jeff!! She is a Junior in High School and about to be a senior… and JUST now decided that she wanted to take the ACT.
The girl does well in Science and scored a 27 on her ACT Diagnostic test. Claire told our RB Office Manager that she had taken the SATS but about a year and a half ago, so not very recently.
The problem the student had was that she has been so focused on her grades and pin pointing exactly what she wants to major in, instead of focusing on what school she wanted to go or the area she want to live in.
Claire was focused more on her future and where her major was going to take her, that she did not stop to think about what location she wanted to go to college at, or the area she wanted to surround her self by.
When going to college, you have to think about not only what school you want to go, but also the area you want to live in. From LA to New York, there are so many schools across the United States, and each city is so different and unique, and each offer different things.
Make sure to spend time at the colleges of your choice, because it’s not only about the education, the classes, and the majors a school may offer, but the city it’s it or the surrounding area can also make a huge impact on your college life in either a positive or negative way.
College can last anywhere from 3 – 6 or more years and you want to make sure you choose a college where you are going to get a great education, but you have to make sure you can feel at home and feel safe and secure in the area that you want to live in.
Finals are Over! Some Things to Keep in Mind for the New Semester!
We here at the Hut are proud of all of our students for conquering the recent wave of finals. It was a wild week for all of us, but we made it!
While all of you students have earned the right to relax a bit, we wanted to remind you of the academic opportunities a fresh semester brings about. Remember that time you had to scramble before a final exam to land that awesome grade you wanted? With your grades resetting, now is the perfect time to make your next finals a breeze. A clean slate means you can quickly grab and hang on to that ‘A’ you want. The work at the beginning of the semester is much easier than at the end. If you keep yourself diligent with homework and early assignments, you’ll have a much easier time come finals. Just think: wouldn’t it be nice to go into your math final knowing that the grade you get on it couldn’t drop you to a ‘B’ even if you lit it on fire?
The passing of finals also offers us the opportunity to assess the strengths and weaknesses we had the semester before. Even if you didn’t get that grade you wanted in that tough class, you’ll be able to learn from the experience. Now, you can adjust your study habits to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.
All of this is the perfect opportunity to make sure that you keep those stress levels low by the time finals pop back around. It’s about always learning, even from our shortcomings. As always, we’re here to help.
We are halfway through another school year, and for some of you that means that High school is right around the corner. Since there are 4 years of High School, many students don’t ever think that your Freshman year really is an important year… so I am here to tell you that freshman year really is an important year !!
Freshman year is a new start for a lot of students…new school, new friends, new teachers/classes.. and every student wants to make a good first impression. For most students, going to a new school can be a big adjustment. Even if you have older brothers or sisters, naturally students will want to pave their own path and create their own reputation. Freshman year will be a chance to find new friends, join interesting extracurricular activities, and adapt to new teachers and their different teaching strategies.
New School: What you decide to do in High School will impact your future… and if you start off on the right track, hopefully your future will turn out bright.
When applying to colleges, they look for not only good grades but also consistency with sports, clubs, and organizations… so when you’re a Freshman, you should try to join either a club or extracurricular that you are passionate about and that you will stick with throughout your 4 years of High School.
New Friends: Usually when you attend High School you will be mixed with new people which is always fun and exciting. These new students could turn out to become some of your closest friends, and Freshman Year is a great way to break the ice and meet new people since you’re all going through the same experience.
New teachers/classes: In terms of new classes and teachers: each year, the learning curriculum will become more vigorous and the work load will become longer and more strenuous. The grades your receive your Freshman year are as important as the grades you receive the most of the years, though Sophomore and Junior year grades are weighted more on your GPA.
Learning to study for Finals will be new to all Freshman, since for most Freshman this will be their first time taking Final exams. Final exams are usually cumulative and there are good strategies to help you when taking the exams. Since grades are always important, the study habits that you use or learn from others will hopefully improve over time and can help you not only through High School but college as well.
As you can see, Freshman year is very important and can make a good or bad impact on you, depending on your experience. Here’s to a great first year!
Since we are halfway through another school year, the end is in sight and for most seniors this is when Senioritis really begins.
Senioritis!! What is Senioritis you ask? Listen up and I will explain to you all about it!
Senioritis is when you stop doing your homework, stop going to class, staying in bed all day dressed in your pajamas and you find yourself looking at the clock every minute .Sound familiar? We’ve all been there. Welcome to the club.
Now… Whether it’s the beginning of your Senior year, the half way mark, or the very end… remember, Senior year can be one of the best years of your life, so don’t give up.
Here’s a list of ways to not get Senioritis!
1. Make sure to write down your homework and important assignments in your binder so that you won’t forget what your teachers have assigned.
2. Do your homework. I know it seems so close to graduation day but grades are still important and colleges will look at your final grades to determine if you are still accepted to their University.
3. Do something that motivates you. Exercise is a great way to get motivated. You can go to the gym, take a walk, sign up for a dance class… there are endless possibilities.
4. Keep up your routine. Making sure you stick to your routine will keep you on task.
5. Make time for fun. It is your senior year… make sure to balance fun with schoolwork. You don’t want to miss out on the fun activities at school or good times with your friends. Memories from high school and college with last a lifetime… so make sure to not take everything too seriously.
6. Get pumped for the most exciting next step… COLLEGE! Before you know it, high school will be over and you’ll be off to college. College is really important and your college application will be a reflection of your four years in high school. Your grades, the clubs and organizations you’re involved in, and the comments your teachers write in their teacher recommendations will all impact your college applications. Your senior year can be the best year of high school – but it’s also a crucial one, so make sure to be productive, get good grades, and make every moment count.
As the holidays quickly approach us, so do the wonderful bounties of winter breaks. While we at Study Hut would love to keep you students buried in books (not really), we can appreciate that, whether you’ll be travelling or not, you may want to enjoy your well-deserved breaks. After all, you’ve been hitting the books for months! We’d love to hear that our students are spending their vacations preemptively studying for future schoolwork, but we can’t say it’s a realistic possibility.
With that in mind, we’re here to offer some tips for keeping those wonderful minds sharp, so you can jump right back into the swing of things when you’re back.
1. Organization – Keep the work you’re supposed to do over the break and the work you will be doing upon returning (tests, etc.) in mind while you vacation. Don’t stress and obsess, but keep these tasks organized. If you keep a planner, you can lay out all of these obligations on paper and you won’t have to think about them constantly.
2. Moderation – As much as we love stuffing our faces with stuffing and other holiday grub, we want to encourage our students to not fall too deep into the bliss of the holiday season. How will you keep your grades up if you eat yourself into a coma? As with everything, enjoy the time off, but don’t let your school mentality slip completely away. It’s important to be able to transition back. Hit the floor running!
3. Have Fun – We know some of our students, being academic all-stars, will have trouble letting go over the break. If you have work to do while on break, take a specific day or two to get it done. This way, you’ll be able to celebrate the important holiday festivities with the ones you love, without having to excuse yourself to study.
As we, ourselves, prepare to enjoy the holiday season, we too much keep our heads in the game. We’ll be eating enough to inspire crippling dietary guilt, but we’re fully prepared to jump back into the swing of things. So whenever you find yourself back at the Hut, we’ll be ready! And don’t forget we are open over break. This is an excellent time to gear up for finals that are just around the corner!
Kids today have it rough. With all the competition to get into top ranked schools, parents are starting earlier and earlier to give their little academics a head start. But when does a parent’s involvement in their kids school work become a hindrance? Like most things, it’s all about a balance.
Studies show that children with parents who stay actively involved with their schoolwork will test better than kids with parents who don’t. So stay involved! Ask questions, congratulate success and encourage asking for help in more difficult subjects. Parents should know when their kids have a test and except to see the grade for it. This holds their student accountable for their grades. When parents do get back their kids work, reward their efforts. This doesn’t mean taking your daughter to buy a new IPod every time she brings home her Friday spelling test. But it does deserve a high five or a hug. (And remember parents, B grades are still fridge worthy!) Parents should be concerned with lower grades. When problem areas in their kid’s classes arise, steps should be taken to find extra help for their students. Begin with asking to see homework and review all problems that they have trouble with. If problems continue, check in with the teacher and see what else you can do to make sure your child keeps up with work.
When involvement becomes a hindrance rather than helpful is when parents begin to micromanage. Parents must remember that students should be expected to do their homework—and not because Mom stands over their shoulder until it’s done. Establish a set routine and stick to it. Your little study monkey should know that every day like clockwork, when he/she comes home, they makes a snack and start on homework. If your student is having trouble in school, run through their completed homework for mistakes, then help them with the questions they had trouble with. If your student normally tests well in school, ask if they completed their homework each night and trust that they have fulfilled each assignment completely. This allows your student to see that they need to be responsible for their own work and that you except them to be in charge. If they begin to slack on tests, start reviewing their homework again. Students need to learn how to be accountable for their studies. Writing down assignments, organizing papers and planning when to study are lifelong skills that they will need as a student as well as a professional.
Working at Study Hut has taught me how to implement different learning styles for different kids. With some of my students, I have very hands on approach where I am constantly checking their planners and making sure they are on top of all of their assignments. In sessions like these, I am talking for most of the time. For my students that I know are trying their best and are just coming to tutoring for the few questions that they couldn’t figure out, I take a more observational approach. I watch them as they try and solve the problem, and try to assess where they are going wrong. Recently I have seen a lot of improvement in one of my 7th graders that has required a lot of hands on attention. He began coming to Study Hut about 5 months ago, and was getting a C or below in all of his classes. We discovered that his main problem was organization. I began to push him into writing everything down in his planner including soccer practice and piano lessons. The idea is to develop these necessary habits early on so that when high school and college come along they have the tools to cope with stressful schedules. After about a month of pestering him, he finally began to write everything down, and as a result has become much more motivated. The planner gives him a sense of direction, and he feels less overwhelmed with everything he needs to do. His mood has changed dramatically from someone with very little confidence and motivation to someone that is hopeful and much more excited about school. His grades are still not as high as we both want them to be, but I’m confident that we can raise them by the end of the year.
