June 4th, 2012
Hi!
I’m Jenna, the newest tutor at Study Hut in Manhattan Beach.
I am so excited to be part of this team of awesome tutors who help students succeed and make them laugh at the same time!
I grew up in Manhattan Beach surfing and playing soccer and tennis at Mira Costa High School. As hard as it was to give up the beach for a few years, I moved to New Orleans to study Economics at Tulane University and, of course, to celebrate Mardi Gras! After graduating from college, I taught elementary school in New Orleans with Teach For America for a couple of years. I adored my students and wanted to continue teaching but I also wanted to study Spanish so I moved to Ecuador to teach English. I taught students of all ages and fell in love with the country but missed my family very much so I cam home after a year.
Now that I am back in Manhattan Beach, I am thrilled to be working with the most energetic, dedicated, fun-loving tutors in the area! The Study Hut crew is an amazing team of all-star tutors that work together to make sure the students master everything from Spanish and Calculus to learning how to read. In my first week here I have seen how the Study Hut tutors work together as a team to tackle the goals of each student. The team dynamic is truly unique in a tutoring environment and gives the students the best of the best! Study Hut tutors have made me feel at home and I can confidently say that it is truly one of the best work environments that exist. Of course, the students are the best part of this job and I can’t wait to meet more of them at Study Hut Manhattan Beach.
Jenna Schaeffer
B.A. Economics
Certified Teacher
Tags: Calculus, Economics, elementary school, english, Manhattan Beach, mira costa high school, read, Spanish, students, study Hut, Study Hut tutors, teacher, teaching, The Study Hut, tutor, Tutoring, tutoring environment, Tutors, University
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May 23rd, 2012
My name is Mena Hanna and I am a new tutor at Study Hut in Manhattan Beach. My employment here has not yet exceeded two weeks and already I have been able to connect with the staff as well as the students that come through here. The staff is composed of college graduate and undergraduate students who are buzzing with knowledge and enthusiasm. Everyday here is a new experience and every encounter with a staff member is warm and friendly with just the right amount of cheerful comedy.
The students that come through here are bright, delightful kids who are incredibly outgoing. Students come from all around Manhattan Beach including Redondo Union High School and Mira Costa and that’s only high school! Elementary school students come from Pennekamp, Pacific, Grandview, and Robinson. Middle schooler from Manhattan Beach Middle School, American Martyrs, and Hermosa Valley. With all those mentioned, there are still others. What’s great about students all coming from one district is that many of the kids are familiar with each other and that adds to the incredible environment that is evident as soon as you step into the door.
With the combination of friendly staff and outgoing kids the atmosphere is awesome! Kids come to get tutored and have a great time doing it. They have the opportunity to create friendships with some very amazing people. Just the other day I walked in and was greeted by a student who I had only tutored once before. The greatest thing is that no one here can be considered an outsider. As soon as you walk in you have officially joined the Manhattan Beach Study Hut family, a family with strong values and character. I believe that this will be an extraordinary experience and I have no doubt that I will love every minute of it!
Tags: american martyrs, college graduate, elementary school, grandview, hermosa valley, high school, Manhattan Beach, Manhattan Beach Middle School, Manhattan Beach Study Hut, mira costa, pacific, Pennekamp, Redondo Union High School, robinson, students, study Hut, tutored
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May 2nd, 2012
I am the newest member to the great team of the Study Hut there in Manhattan Beach. My name is Peter Krejcarek I received my Environmental Engineering degree from Manhattan College in 2010. For the past two years I have been tutoring independently back East in Florida focused on the areas of math and sciences. A couple of months ago I made the move out here to the wonderful state of California but was missing tutoring. I was walking around Manhattan Beach area one day and came across the Study Hut, from the outside it looked very friendly and a great place for students to work. So I sent in my resume and asked if they needed anymore tutors. Luck has it I am back tutoring again. The study Hut is a great place, all the tutors are super nice and all the kids are very interested in learning. Being at here has allowed me to take my tutoring to the next level and improve my teaching techniques.
I have now been working for the Study Hut for 3 weeks and it has been a great time. My first impressions were right; the Study Hut is a great place to work and an awesome place for students. The atmosphere is great and positive; all the students are enjoying themselves and learning a lot at the same time. I hope to be a tutor at the Study Hut for a while, they really have a great thing going and I am very lucky to be part of it.
Tags: Manhattan Beach, math, science, sciences, students, study Hut, teaching, teaching techniques, Tutoring, Tutors
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April 25th, 2012
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.
Tags: college, grades, high school, Learning, students, study Hut, Tutoring, writing
Posted in Tutor Tips |
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April 13th, 2012
Hey everyone. After hours of research and planning we at Study Hut are almost ready to start a new line of services aimed at helping college-ready-high schooler’s not just choose the best college for them but also help get into and pay for school. The first half of our new services will be geared at having students “Brand” themselves by identifying their own unique set of skills and strengths which they can then use to better their chances of getting to the college of their choosing. By better understanding and realizing his/her own strengths students will be better able to write insightful and stronger college application essays and articulate their worth to colleges during the application process.
After you get in the school of your dreams we offer another set of services, which mom and will love, that help reduce the cost of college. We will help students apply and win scholarships by coaching them how to best present themselves when applying for scholarships. We are also able to find other ways of reducing the college cost by getting in-state tuition, testing out of some college courses (which is not just limited to AP tests), help with FASFA application and process, tuition reimbursement, and other programs offered to help students reduce the cost of college tuition.
We at the Hut have all ourselves gone through the marathon of college apps and are aware how much stress the process can be. We are happy to offer our own experience and expertise in aiding students doing their very best to get in and pay for college.
Tags: college application, college apps, college essays, college tuition, fasfa, high school, high school students, paying for college, scholarships, students, tuition
Posted in high school, Learning, life skills, SAT, study skills, Teaching, Tutor Tips |
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April 12th, 2012
The key to being a well-rounded student and perhaps even more importantly a well-rounded person is achieving balance in the elements of your life – academic and personal. With spring break being over for most students it is time to get back into the swing of things and hit the ground running. It is wise during breaks from school such as spring recess to keep your mind active so as to make the returning transition to school as fluid as possible. Even though it may be the last things most students may want to do during spring break, practicing a little bit of math and science or perhaps reading an interesting novel can help keep your mind active and help from forgetting valuable concepts learned prior to the break. That being said, it is also good to use the opportunity of spring break to get outside, be physically active, take in some sunlight, and so on. Actually on a biological level, exposure to sunlight is very important to us because sunlight participates in an important chemical reaction that produces the active form of vitamin D in our bodies. Also, being physically active is a great way to relieve stress through the release of endorphins in our brains. It can certainly be tough, especially for busy students to achieve a good balance in their daily lives. Always try and be efficient with your time and remember the law of diminishing returns. Studying efficiently and more often for shorter periods of time is undoubtedly more beneficial than exhausting several hour long study sessions. Its important to set aside time for social activities, but make sure to also set aside an appropriate amount of time to get your school work completed. It is wise to develop habits like these because they will without a doubt come in useful when you transition from being a high school to a college student.
Tags: academic, college, high school, math, reading, school, school work, science, student, students, studying
Posted in life skills |
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April 6th, 2012
I walked into Study Hut in Manhattan Beach not knowing what to expect as a new tutor going from private in-home tutoring to this local tutoring center. What I found was a team of outgoing, energetic, friendly, and intelligent tutors who loved what they do and did it very well! This was inspiring and exciting because they instantly accepted me into their Study Hut family and made a comfortable environment with all the resources I needed to tutor my students well. I was also welcomed by the home-like setting with comfortable chairs, big tables, art on the walls, and beach-y décor. I found that all the tutors have the same strive and determination to help and see their students grow to achieve their academic goals. It is as important to us tutors that all of our students pass their classes, stay organized, and reach their maximum potential. The one student to one tutor ratio really helped me connect with my students and learn a lot about what their hobbies, likes/dislikes, learning style, and most importantly what their goals are. I met many students from schools across the Manhattan School District and found that they all enjoyed their time spent here. I can tell that they really feel comfortable here as some students reach for candy in the drawer, pop a bag of popcorn in the microwave, and chat with other tutors and students. The tutors can really relate to the students because sometimes the tutors had the same high school teachers as the students have now. It’s interesting hearing how through the years the teacher is still doing the same assignments and field trips. Study Hut really provides an amazing learning experience for their students and we love to cheer our students on as they continue to succeed.
Tags: academic goals, Learning, local tutoring center, Manhattan Beach, Manhattan School District, schools, students, study Hut, Study Hut Manhattan Beach, teaching, tutor, Tutoring, tutoring center, Tutors
Posted in Manhattan Beach, Tutors |
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March 20th, 2012
Let me begin by saying that Study Hut is awesome, and every other place is awful by comparison. There. That’s out of the way. Although this fact is nearly indisputable, I know some of you might be unconvinced. You might be saying to yourself, “Self, how do I KNOW that the Study Hut is the pinnacle of the tutoring world? How can I be SURE that it is, indeed, the apex of educational awesomeness?” To you, the doubter, I say to look at the evidence.
Part of the reason that Study Hut works is that it is NOT school. Kids aren’t sitting in classrooms, with 30 other kids, being taught en masse. They are being given one-on-one attention, with a tutor who knows them and works with them on a regular basis. They are able to specifically target the problem areas, and focus on what they REALLY need help on. And they can do all of this in an extremely comfortable atmosphere. If you’ve ever walked into the Hut, then you know what I mean. This is not a stodgy atmosphere. It’s a place where kids can come, decompress, study, but still have a bit of fun. We’ve got floor competitions, a candy drawer and the occasional flying bottle cap. It’s an atmosphere where kids can come in to learn, but feel free of the crushing pressure that can come of a strict school atmosphere.
The other thing that makes the Hut work is the tutors. Our tutors here are AMAZING. We’ve got so many different types of people, who know so many different types of things, that I’ve never seen a student walk out of here with a question unanswered. They’re friendly, knowledgeable, and know EXACTLY what their students are going through, because they’ve been there (recently, in most cases). We know our students names, their strengths and weaknesses, and are able to tutor in a way specific to each kid’s needs. Compare that to a place where kids have a different tutor every week in a crowded, strict atmosphere, and tell me which ones better.
I know that the Study Hut is a great place to work, and an AMAZING place to study. Stop in, and you can see for yourself.
Tags: classrooms, education, school, students, Study, study Hut, tutor
Posted in General Articles |
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January 25th, 2012
The year 2012 brings many changes to the local Study Huts in your neighborhood. The high demands of students have made us expand not only in location but, hours as well. In the effort to provide quality one on one tutoring Study Hut is now open 7 days a week. This new radical change has taken over two years to come into effect. Before January 2012, students had the chance to come receive tutoring only Sunday Through Thursday. The small window of tutoring hours started to become inconvenient for our athletes, honor and extracurricular activity students. “Some kids with APs and sports can’t do weekdays and if they have band, theatre, or newspaper, then it’s super tough too”, informs our owner Robert Stone. These students have demanding schedules and sometimes could not squeeze in tutoring hours. As previous high school and middle school students the hut staff understand how demanding and exhausting this could be mentally and physically for the students. The changes are Friday and Saturday available days of tutoring and test preparation classes. “These are also the quietest days at the Hut, so there are advantages in the noise department as well”, states owner Sean Patrick. During the week it can become incredibly loud and for many students, the noise level is an extreme interruption of concentration.
The Study Hut has also become a huge asset in test taking preparation classes and has branched out in so many administered tests preparation of the nation. Included in the national tests, is our well known ACT and SAT preparation classes. In concurrence with weekends being open for tutoring, Fridays and Saturdays are also open for these test preparation classes. These classes give our students a huge advantage to learn the materials needed while tackling down their weekly courses as well. Nothing makes us happier here at your local hut than our students’ success in their classes. We pride ourselves in their academic goals and strive to make sure they meet their goals. So if we must stay open 7 days a week, so be it.
Tags: academic, academic goals, ACT, APs, courses, high school, hut, hut staff, middel school, middle school students, SAT, school, students, students' success, study Hut, Study Huts, test prep, test preparation classes, tests, The Hut, The Study Hut, Tutoring, tutoring hours
Posted in Manhattan Beach |
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January 3rd, 2012
It’s not uncommon that we witness nervous and frustrated 7th and 8th grade students walk in with one test on their minds. The independent school entrance exam at a first glance can appear not only intimidating but overwhelming. While some students find themselves lost and perplexed as they glance through what seem to be infinite pages of preparation in many booklets sold in bookstores, others take the easier route of denial and try to forget their woes of test taking anxiety. It covers extensive material in English, math, and uses these subjects in a critical thinking manner that can be a perplexing to many students. The English alone covers vocabulary words that have never been seen by most students, as test consultants we are familiar with test tactics that send students crying to their parents and do our very best to ease their minds. Here at the study hut, we succeed in not only planning a method to conquering the ISEE, but make it easy enough that any student can overthrow this test. Our tactical schedule of tutoring preparation gives the student the ability to do better than well in their weak subject matter and strengthen other subjects they are already confident in.
Our tutors are very understanding, and understand on a personal level the obstacle that each individual student is facing in relation to the ISEE. As recent college graduates we comprehend the pressure and are fresh on test taking strategies and are more than happy to pass on the wisdom. At the Study Hut we breakdown the ISEE preparation to a science. Offering an extensive personalized study plan, we allow each student to change bad testing behaviors and confront each fear they will face during the test. In a nut shell, we are here to help your student, not make a cookie cutter plan for everyone and offer extensive knowledge to each student in test taking skills and want each of our students to rule the ISEE.
Tags: 7th and 8th grade students, 7th grade, 8th grade, critical thinking, english, Entrance exam, independent school entrance exams, ISEE, math, school, students, study Hut, subjects, test, Tutoring, tutoring preparation
Posted in ISEE |
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