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Study Hut Tutors: Where are they now?

March 21st, 2019

Hey Hut Fam,

It has been awhile since I said that! My name is Laura and I worked at the Redondo Beach Study Hut for three years after I graduated college. Not to get all emotional and cheesy, but it is kind of crazy to think that if I never worked at Study Hut, I probably would not be chasing my dreams while living in Europe today.

Like many fresh college graduates, I finished undergrad without a clear plan, which can be really intimidating when it seems like everyone around you does. I majored in History and minored in English, so I was toying between the stereotypical projected careers for those majors: do I go to law school or do I become a teacher? While debating these two options, working at Study Hut almost fell into my lap as I was recommended by a good friend who worked there.  To be honest, I went into the job thinking I would only work there for a couple months, but ended up falling in love with tutoring and “Hut Life” culture, and ended up rising to second in command as the assistant manager. Study Hut’s work environment that somehow blends being laid-back with working hard was the perfect fit for my personality, and honestly that “energy” is something I have yet to find anywhere else.

Study Hut truly is a job where the more you put in, the more you get back. When I was first hired, I was cautioned that it might be difficult for me to keep a full working schedule since I could not tutor high level math and science courses, which are obviously the most requested appointments. However, after just a couple months, I became consistently one of the most booked tutors because I was able to cultivate such positive relationships with my students. The “team” dynamic you build with your students becomes something you look forward to every week, and their victories to an extent feel like yours. Over time, seeing that “Aha!” moment when you help your student finally understand a concept that has been troubling him or her for weeks becomes something you look forward to. Watching your students succeed on any level, whether it’s an A on a test or getting into their dream colleges, is a level of job satisfaction that is hard to describe if you have not personally experienced it.

Study Hut Tutors, where are they now?

After about a 18 months of tutoring, I began pursuing my teaching credential, which was surprisingly easy to balance with Study Hut’s flexible hours. To be completely honest, I used every excuse I could to delay earning my credential because I loved working at Study Hut so much and did not feel ready to settle into a permanent teaching career at a nearby high school. I also knew that Study Hut’s great relationships with local schools and my participation in tutoring AVID in the Palos Verdes school district would be extremely helpful when my permanent teaching job search began. Long story short, I got such cold feet about starting a local teaching career that I started thinking about other options…really really far away options.

With love and encouragement from my Study Hut boss/bff Justin, I chased after one of my life-long dreams to work abroad and applied to a program to teach English in Budapest, Hungary. In a matter of weeks, I landed a job teaching at one of the best high schools in Budapest and was on a one-way flight before I really had time to reconsider.

I taught in Budapest for two years and fell in love with my new life, career, and city. Along the way, I was also able to travel to places in Europe I never imagined I would be able to visit, including cities I did not even know existed. Since international moves and career changes are now apparently my thing, I recently moved to Warsaw, Poland to accept a job working in marketing for a tech company that produces fitness club management software. This new job is definitely outside of my comfort zone compared to tutoring and teaching, but I am learning so much and finding new ways to utilize the English skills I taught my former students every day. I have no idea if this is going to be my permanent career or city, but I do know that I’m happy figuring it out one day at a time as I’m making this new country my home.

In retrospect, I don’t know if I would have had the courage to finish my application to teach in Hungary if Justin had not been my cheerleader along the way. I will never forget how supportive all of Study Hut’s management team was about my decision to leave, which definitely speaks to the culture of how Study Hut treats its employees. As a tutor, Study Hut will bend over backwards to help you grow within the company, but if and when your career pivots in a new direction, you will receive the same degree of unwavering support.

Working at Study Hut gave me so much than exposing me to my love and natural talent for teaching: it taught me how to work in a collaborative environment, how to multitask between my managerial and tutoring responsibilities, and how to channel my creative side in a business setting. Even when my schedule was stacked with back-to-back appointments of ACT Tutoring and College Application writing, I still genuinely loved going to work every day. Apart from seeing work as “fun,” I developed great friendships with colleagues and students alike, many of whom I still keep in contact with all the way from Poland.

So if you’re looking for the perfect post graduate job while you figure the rest of your life out, don’t sleep on Study Hut. Also, Justin, if this whole Poland thing doesn’t work out plz give me my job back.

El Segundo High School Finals Tutoring

January 29th, 2018

El Segundo High School Finals tutoring is hot on everyone’s mind.  In what seems like a blur, the holidays are gone and the new year is off and running, straight into the finish line of semester one for our El Segundo School District students. High schoolers and middle schoolers will complete their final exams, papers, and projects this week, sealing their grades for the first half of the academic year 2017-2018. Here at Study Hut, we have been working hard to help our students prepare to perform their best on their final exams, and are keeping the pedal down through the home stretch!

El Segundo High School Finals Tutoring

In addition to signing up our students for El Segundo High School finals tutoring at Study Hut Tutoring, we had the opportunity last week to get onto the El Segundo High School campus to provide complimentary final exam tutoring for those students who chose to take advantage of the opportunity. We worked with about 100 students in subjects ranging from Algebra 1 & 2 , Geometry, Statistics, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics, to Spanish, English, Psychology, and History. We had a strong team of tutors on hand for four hours on Friday, eagerly answering questions, providing detailed conceptual breakdowns, evaluating practice problems, and otherwise supporting the ambitious students as they worked to gain academic momentum during their approach to final exams. What a pleasure it is to be welcomed onto the campus to provide this service, and to engage with students as they look to confidently enter final exams.

We will be busy this week working with our students until 10pm nightly. Final exams can be daunting to downright overwhelming, and Study Hut tutors are here to make this mountain into a molehill. With an appropriate and strategic approach, high-performing students know that final exams offer a time not only to be challenged, but to showcase the hard work and preparation that has defined the days and weeks leading to now.

For help with final exams, or to get a jump on success for semester two, please reach out to Alex, at alex@studyhut.com

College Applications and College Essay Tutors

November 13th, 2017

I am thankful for the opportunity to work with college applications students.  What are you Thankful for this school year?

College Applications Tutoring

Here at Study Hut Tutoring, we balance our love for Thanksgiving with our duty to accurately teach US History (among other courses!). It can be a tall order, conveying both the joy of life and the understanding of cold hard facts. Many of our college hopefuls have submitted their first applications into the world — they can tell you all about this juggling act, as well. 

Yes, if anything is more bittersweet than cranberry sauce this Thanksgiving, it would have to be farewells to my college application students. I have gotten to know them better than their teachers through hours of one-on-one college application tutoring. We’ve conducted our interview, learned the art of essay writing, practiced idea generation and organization, and finally, distilled their very essence into a finely-crafted set of essays. As a tutor, I lose myself in the sheer excitement of the craft. But when that first “Submit” button gets pressed, it all needs to be perfect. At Study Hut Tutoring, I’m proud to say that it is. 

For those students who may be reading — those, perhaps, without someone to guide them — let me tell you this: Thanksgiving is the perfect holiday for writing college essays. And no, I’m not just being cheesy (save that for the potatoes). So many of my students walk in my door thinking they have nothing to say. College applications are so competitive, what can one “normal” kid possibly write about? And yet, student after student leaves with a unique, heartfelt essay. College writing, it turns out, is an act of discovery. Get excited about your life, rejoice in the smallest of moments because even they can show your character. In short: be Thankful.  

And it’s true, sometimes you need a fresh set of eyes to see just how unique you are. That’s where our college admissions team can help. We know every student has a story to tell. We’ve helped tell quite a few. So as you sit down to write (we suggest starting with the Contact Form, below), ask yourself: what will you be thankful for next year? 

Redondo Beach College Application and Essay Tutors

June 6th, 2016

The modern-day college application and essay tutoring process can be rather overwhelming. With transcripts, letters of recommendation, resumes, SAT and/or ACT scores, supplemental writing questions, essays, etc., it can be a lot to handle.  But do not fear, Study Hut is here to help you execute properly and efficiently.

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Our college applications & essays tutors will guide you through the entire process. First, they will assist you with conducting an in-depth college search based on your major choice and interests. Then, they will help you to create a varied list of schools and stay organized to ensure all submission deadlines are met. Our tutors will also aid in building a resume as well as requesting transcripts and letters of recommendation.

 

Most importantly, our tutors have a special set of skills and will help you masterfully write all the essays required in order to paint you in the best light for prospective universities.  An original essay is all you need to set yourself apart from other applicants.  Taking the time to create a well written essay before you’re bogged down with work in the Fall will not only increase your odds of getting into your dream schools, but will also make you more confident during the application process.  Our tutors know how to help you bring out your inner writing genius and will help you write an essay that makes you shine.

 

Finally, once all of your applications have been submitted, we will help you apply for scholarships that are tailored to your skills and interests.  There’s nothing better than finding schools that will pay you to attend their campus in the fall!

 

Study Hut offers three College Application Tutoring packages:

Skimboard: three universities;

Shortboard: six universities;

Longboard: ten universities;

 

Eliminate your worries by starting early! Dedicating a small amount of time to your college applications during your summer vacation will save you endless amounts of stress during fall semester, so you can just focus on your classes and enjoying your senior year!

Free Tutoring at MBMS on Wednesday Mornings!

March 5th, 2013

Every Wednesday at 8 a.m. – Study Hut Co-Owner SP, MB Officer Manager Sam, and Nicole go to Manhattan Beach Middle School to tutor students for an hour for free during the school’s late start. They have been going to the Manhattan Beach Middle School since the middle of January and each week more students attend the one hour free tutor hour. The tutoring takes place in Mr. Lub’s Classroom (Room 103). One of the Study Hut tutors made a sign to put at the middle school on Wednesday mornings letting students know where the tutoring will take place so hopefully each week more students will attend.

We started the first week with a small turn out, but each week a few more students show up. This past week they had 15 students – the most students they’ve had yet. The tutors bring doughnuts with them – which all the students look forward to. Along with the tutors, the school supplies a cart of books so you can work on any subject you need. Many of the same students come consistently every week, allowing the tutors to get to know the students on a more personal basis.

The tutors have had students come in for help in every subject including but not limited to Spanish, English, Math, Reading, and Science. The tutors have worked on many assignments with students including book reports, homework, studying for tests, organizational skills, arranging classes for High School, and many others. Usually during the hour, a few students work on the same assignments which makes it easier to  help more students at one time.

Along with the tutors, MBMS also sends in classroom aids to help during the hour and make sure that everything is running smoothly.

Again, the tutoring takes place in Mr. Lubs Room (103) from 8 – 9 a.m. during the late start hour! We hope to see you there!

 

 

Summer Enrichment

July 18th, 2012

Summer enrichment at Study Hut Manhattan Beach is filled with active, student-centered learning activities that get the kids out of their seats and thinking outside of the box. One of my elementary school students is entering first grade at Pacific this fall. Like most six year olds, he has an attention span of less than five minutes…maybe 30 seconds…so every few minutes we change up the routine! He practices his sight words by writing on a whiteboard, stamping the words with ink and a stamp pad, and even by jumping up and down as he spells the words out loud. For math practice he goes around to the Study Hut tutors taking polls so he can work on tally marks. This not only improves his math skills, but also gives him an opportunity to practice math in an applicable setting and see its importance to everyday life. These activities also help him to develop social skills. In addition to the social math activities, he also greets the Manhattan Crew every afternoon session using appropriate eye contact and asking follow up questions. Probably the highlight of the sessions for him is his sticker chart. He earns stickers throughout our study sessions and keeps track of them on a graph. Yesterday he told me, “I like Study Hut, it’s fun here!” I told him, “Yes, Study Hut is a lot of fun because learning is fun!” He smiled and walked out the door to show off the Star Student Award he had just earned during our session. At Study Hut, the students are at the center of everything of we do.

Meet Jenna

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

Study Hut Successes

May 31st, 2012

I love all of the kids I tutor at Study Hut, but there are a few who I have especially enjoyed lately. Sarah is someone that I see regularly. She always comes into Study Hut with a smile on her face. She is motivated to do well…sometimes she just doesn’t realize how much work it actually takes to get an A. We mostly work on math together. She learns quickly but just once and awhile gets stuck on a certain topic. It can sometimes take a long time for her to get that concept, but once she has it down she is super happy and more motivated. She has raised her grade from a D to a B, and I’m really proud of her! Another one of my favorite students in Dave. Dave came into Study Hut with almost all D’s. He had no tools on how to study for a test, and didn’t realize how much work it was going to take to be a good student. I had to be really strict him by making sure he wrote in his planner every day, and I always sent him home with a checklist on what he needed to finish that day. His grades are still not where I would like them to be, but his attitude has changed completely. I think that Study Hut has provided him with the confidence that he needed. He used to just not do assignments because of a fear of failure, but with a little encouragement he is constantly improving. My other students name is Charlie. She is in the 10th grade, and I feel like she is a mini me. She works hard but not everything comes naturally to her. Luckily she has the discipline to come into tutoring twice a week. She is taking her final today and I can’t wait to see how she did.

Manhattan Beach Tutoring: On and Off the dance floor

April 9th, 2012

Study Hut is the best place to work for so many reasons. I could go on and on forever about my passion for tutoring and how much I love our big fridge, but what I really want to talk about is the murder mystery party we recently threw. We each were assigned a character and I was naturally Baroness. We all got packets telling us who we were, how to act, and who we hated. Naturally, I hated everyone. I had a great time dressing in a mink coat and talking in an accent that was meant to be British but sounded Chinese. We transformed our little study hut into a full on speak easy with dim lights and fancy shmancy drinks. Here at Study Hut, we all love each other very dearly, which in my opinion gets a little old. I was nice to be able to finally express my true feelings which are that I can’t wait to kill Roxanne, I hate Rob’s guts, and that Kady (my daughter) is suuuuper annoying. Despite my efforts to kill Roxanne, I somehow ended up dying from an ice pick…never thought that would be how I would go. Our manager Sam did an amazing job planning the party (as usual), and really brought the group together (to kill each other). It was nice to finally meet some of the people from the Redondo Study Hut. The manager from Hut 2 even ended up playing my husband! His character was professor Nutella, which couldn’t be more suiting for me (Nutella=heaven). Despite myself (The one and only Baroness) wanting to kill every person that I work with, by the end of the night I found myself feeling even closer to my co-workers than I did before. It’s just one more reason why Study Hut is the best place I have ever worked.

Meeting Long Term goals

March 14th, 2012

The best way to meet a long term goal, whether it be school related or not, is to set bench marks and short term goals along the way. It was Arnold Schwarzenegger who said, “Set an impossible goal and achieve it.” He’s pretty much owned that quote through showing the world that an immigrant body builder can become the world’s most famous movie star and be elected Governor of California.

At Study Hut Tutoring in Manhattan Beach, students from all the schools in the area (Mira Costa High School, Loyola High School, Redondo Union High School, Chadwick High School, Vista Mar High School, Manhattan Beach Middle School, Grandview Elementary School, Pacific Elementary School, Pennykamp Elementary School, Meadows Elementary School, and Robinson Elementary School) set goals using their daily planner. The first step is to make an appropriate and attainable short term goal that fits within your larger goal. If one desires to “earn a 4.0 GPA,” then setting a monthly goal of missing zero assignments is a great first step. At that point it comes down to writing everything down, and crossing everything off, each and every day, every time a task is completed. When there are tasks left wide open, and laziness was not a factor, then some closer time allocation and planning is required.

Study Hut Tutoring students dig in with their daily planners each and every hour they are here. It’s a major component in staying in the game and achieving goals.

Elementary school tutors show students some simple first steps in the planning process, laying the groundwork for future success. Students from Mira Costa High School are rewarded with positive grades and feedback when goals are set, and intermediate goals are completed each and every week.

It’s wonderful to see students dominate using the planner.