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.
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.
I am a new tutor at the Study Hut and am excited to be working with great students in the South Bay! I have really enjoyed working with one student in particular, Meghan from Redondo Union High School. Meghan enjoys sports and school but homework isn’t her favorite thing to do after being at school all day. Meghan is really busy and explained to me that she enjoys coming to the Study Hut so she can focus on homework. There are a lot of distractions in her life, but she said receiving tutoring helps her get her work done.
One afternoon Meghan came in and all of the work she had for the day seemed really overwhelming to her. We took one subject at a time and made a task list for the day. As we completed assignments, Meghan crossed things off her list and felt like she accomplished a lot. One subject we worked on was Earth Science. Plate Tectonics were confusing and Meghan didn’t think she would be able to understand them. After re-reading the chapter, we were able to break down the main concepts, define important words and successfully answer the review questions at the end of the chapter. Meghan learned how to search for answers using her textbook and in the end, realized that Plate Tectonics weren’t as confusing as she had originally thought.
I enjoyed working with Meghan because I know how overwhelming school and homework can seem. I enjoy helping students realize that they are fully capable of completing their work and to take things one-step at a time. At the end of our session, Meghan learned how to keep her work organized and felt more confident. Helping students succeed is why I enjoy tutoring and am looking forward to meeting more students!
Spring is in the air in the South Bay, and finals are right around the corner at Redondo Union High School. As tutors, we know that one of the subjects that requires the most practice and review is Spanish, especially around finals season! With our one-on-one sessions, we not only help students understand supplementary vocabulary, but we also help students get a better handle on how to properly execute correct grammar. With the year coming to a close, the newest material is often the hardest to understand in the least time to understand it. Read the rest of this entry »
