February 13th, 2012
Ski-Week is upon us! Time to goof off, watch TV, and do nothing, right? WRONG! Ski week is an opportunity, my friends, and one that I suggest you ALL take. We suggest to ALL of our students (regardless of GPA) to come to their regular appointments during Ski-Week, because this is the time that can prepare you for the rest of the year. The Manhattan Beach Study Hut is open and ready to help!
Don’t get me wrong, you should absolutely use this week as a chance to relax, decompress, and recharge the batteries. Just not for the whole week. As the semester goes on, more and more information and work will be piled onto you. And understanding most of this material will be dependent on understanding the material that came before it (most importantly, the information from the very beginning of the semester). If you miss out on even a single lesson, you can find yourself losing points all over the board, and missing out on understanding entire chapters.
That’s where this week comes in. Ski-Week is a wonderful opportunity to make sure that you’re foundations are firm for the rest of the semester, thus giving you a better chance of success. This is what you should do:
1.) Make a list of all of your classes, and organize any graded material.
2.) Go through all of the graded material, and correct all mistakes.
3.) Find out what material you don’t understand, and bring it to one of the tutors here, so you can relearn the material.
If the final semester of the year is a barren, desolate, scorching desert, then Ski-Week is the oasis in the middle. It’s your opportunity to gather the resources, energy, and support you’ll need to cross that haunting wastleland. So, in short, find out your problem areas, come in and SOLVE those problem areas, and then go off and enjoy your well-deserved vacation. Happy Ski-Week, y’all!
Tags: classes, lesson, Manhattan Beach, semester, study Hut, Study Hut Manhattan Beach, Tutors
Posted in Manhattan Beach |
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February 9th, 2012
Here at the Studyhut we couldn’t possibly be more proud of one of our tutors Taylor More. Taylor graduated from his university with high honors and cum laude status in his class. Taylor’s focus in college was history but his academic grasp spans most disciplines including upper level math and sciences. Taylor’s patience and ability to explain topics clearly and succinctly are truly some of his most valued skills. Taylor is not only a tutor here at Studyhut but also handles many of the managerial tasks at the hut as well. In his free time, Taylor enjoys unwinding on the golf course by fitting in a quick game of nine holes when he can or even just spending time at the driving range. He is a joy to have as a coworker not only because of his qualifications but also due the fact that he is truly a stand-up good guy. He has made an influence on most of the tutors here at the Studyhut and we all strive to be more like him in the work place. Taylor, we’re all proud of you and keep up the good work!
Tags: best tutor, study Hut, Study Hut Tutoring, tutor
Posted in 6-8, 9-12, El Segundo |
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February 9th, 2012
Your junior and senior years of high school are two of the most important years of school you’ll ever attend. You have to study for and take your SAT, you have to choose the colleges you want to apply to, and then you have to make that final step—surviving the dreaded college application process.
This does not have to be an overwhelmingly stressful period of your life. Yes, you do have to put forth a lot of effort to get into college, but there are people that can help with the process and ease your stress. When you’re sitting there looking at that mound of blank application materials on your desk, you may ask yourself, how can I ever do ALL of this by myself?
Well, the good news is that the tutors at the Manhattan Beach Study Hut are here to help you! You can get help from the college graduates at Study Hut that have been through the exact same, grueling process. You can’t find this kind of one-on-one service anywhere else.
We can help with in-depth SAT and ACT preparation and general organizational strategies sure to lessen your overall stress. We have the resources you need to succeed in this important time in your life. For example, one of the most difficult aspects of the college application is perfecting the application essays. We provide you with the support you need to write a unique, well-written essay that is sure to draw attention to how spectacular you will be as a college student. The strategies we teach our students in everyday tutoring include all of the study skills a high school student needs in order to succeed in college. Perfecting your study habits with Study Hut now is the best way to ensure future success in college.
Tags: ACT, application essays, college application, college graduates, colleges, essays, high school, Junior, Manhattan Beach, Manhattan Beach Study Hut, SAT, school, Senior, Study, study Hut, Tutors
Posted in 9-12, College Applications, high school |
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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 16th, 2012
Ah, final exams. That glorious time of year. (I’m just kidding; I’ve heard finals called many things, and “glorious” has never been one of them). They are daunting, difficult, and above all, important to your final grade. But the good new is that they CAN BE BEATEN! (Huzzah!) It all depends on HOW you bring the fight to them. Luckily, that’s kind of a specialty here in the Study Hut.
Now, it’s difficult to write a catch-all strategy that will help you study for ALL of your finals. Mainly because you’re going to be using completely different methods for completely different tests. You wouldn’t study for a geometry test the same way you’d study for history. HOWEVER, there are similarities. Number one (and this should be completely obvious, but you’d be amazed how many people don’t do it): Give yourself enough time. Finals are not like other tests. You cannot start studying for them a few days before, and expect to be all right. Ideally, you should have started studying for each test AT LEAST 2 weeks before the test date. Remember, these tests include everything you’re studying now, PLUS everything else you’ve studied in the semester. You need time to review concepts, do practice problems, plan essays, ask questions, etc.
Number two: Organization. The very first thing you should do, before even cracking open your text book, is set up a schedule for yourself. This may sound like a chore, but you would not believe how much pressure it takes off of you. It’s a lot less scary to look at a list of things you need to accomplish than it is to stare at 6 months of notes and not know where to start. For example, I’m working with a student who has to study for a History final, covering 6 chapters and about 400 years of history. SO, we set up a schedule that he’d study exactly one chapter per night for six days (not too hard to do). Since he started so early (see Tip 1), by the time he’s done with those six chapters, he’s going to have a full week left before his test. Now, he can use that week to go more in depth, bring problems to his teacher, and make himself more confident before the test. It’s a lot easier to study a huge amount of material if you break it up into small pieces, and have ample time to do so.
And number three: Confidence. Finals are stressful. We’ve all been there. Make sure that you get a full night’s sleep the night before. And (this is huge), don’t go nuts cramming 15 minutes before the test. By that point, you know everything you’re going to know. Give yourself that 15 minutes to decompress. Just close the book, and trust in the fact that you’ve put in the proper work. You’d be amazing what a difference it makes to go calmly into a test.
If you follow this tips (and of course, come see your friends at your local, neighborhood Study Hut), you’ll greatly increase your chances at doing well on your final exams. Good luck!
Tags: course, essays, exams, Final exams, finals, geometry, grade, history, Study, study Hut, studying, teacher, test, tests
Posted in 9-12, Finals Tutoring, high school |
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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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December 13th, 2011
The holiday season is upon as at the Hut! The place is spiffed up with holiday decorations, holiday treats, and good cheer to be found everywhere! The kiddos are having to learn to balance finishing schoolwork and the prospect of getting a break from learning! It’s holiday-itis! We tutors are doing everything we can to keep our kids in the ‘school” frame of mind until the holidays. We wouldn’t want all that hard work to leak away in a haze of candy and indulgent feasts!
The Study Hut is head and shoulders above “regular” tutoring places, we match our tutors with students on a one-to-one basis with experts in each field. We partner our efforts with each student’s school website, planner, etc, to provide exactly what each student needs to succeed in school! We welcome students of all levels. We even offer tutoring over the holiday break! This is a phenomenal time for our kiddos to catch up if they’re behind, or even get ahead! The improvement in a student’s work is measureable; we can actually see our students improving from session to session. As a tutor, it is extremely rewarding to see a student’s grades improve, especially if they come to us with little understanding of the material and/or poor grades. I have personally found, as a tutor at the Study Hut, that a student is more willing to open up and be themselves if they feel comfortable around their tutors. This is why students often get the same tutor each time they come in, so that we may build rapport with our kiddos and let them feel comfortable asking for help.
I think it’s fair to say that everyone at the Hut, both learned and learner, are enjoying the spirit of the season! We all look forward to a well-deserved break, and hitting the books again after the New Year!
Tags: grades, hut, schoolwork, student, student's grades, student's work, study Hut, tutor, Tutoring, Tutors, work
Posted in Manhattan Beach |
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December 7th, 2011
With the fine aroma of pine needles filling the air of the Manhattan Beach Study Hut, and lights flooding the streets, the holiday season is quickly approaching. As the year 2011 ends, us at the Study Hut can’t help but to look back and year which saw so many fond memories. However as one year ends a new one begins, thus it is important that we all think about the potentials of the coming year.
Looking on to another round of 365 days holds many possibilities waiting to be fulfilled. Therefore it is important to make concrete goals for the coming future. These goals should be small and achievable goals which build upon each other for a common goal of improving one’s self. It is important to remember to make a manageable plan of attack for meeting these goals while focusing on one’s weaknesses, in order to increase the chances of accomplishing these goals and succeeding. Year after year New Year’s resolutions get dumped by the wayside as the year progresses because they are unrealistic and demand too much.
However December is not quite over and there is much to do in the mean time. Most importantly, besides continued work, we must remember the holiday season is also a time of relaxation, and peace. It is a time to get together with family and friends over a delicious dinner table and forming new bonds, while reinforcing those already present. So while the tutors of the Manhattan Beach Study Hut encourage you to prepare for the coming year, we also encourage you to enjoy what’s left of 2011. Happy holidays.
Tags: Manhattan Beach, Manhattan Beach Study Hut, study Hut, Tutors, tutors of Manhattan Beach Study Hut
Posted in Manhattan Beach |
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December 1st, 2011
AVID 10,
Bagels tomorrow! Yay! Thank you bagel families!
Grade POs due. EC to write a letter to last guest speakers: Michelle and Laura.
Room 306 is ours thanks to Ms. Sheridan who wanted to keep the room but realized it was perfect for our AVID class and gave it up for us. A big thank you to Ms. Sheridan who comes back from maternity leave this coming Monday!
Thanks to all who RSVPed (Yes or No). I attended the AVID 12 dinner tonight and it was a great time. I doubly look forward to ours on Wednesday!
Tomorrow we will spend half the class on our essay. Tuesday will be the same and notes are due Tuesday as well.
We had a great lesson from Studyhut’s SP and Rob Stone on Wednesday where we learned that for difficult problems with “easy” answers, it’s a great opportunity to “work backwards” and plug in the answer choices into the problem to find your answer (starting with the middle number). Thanks Rob and SP! HW for practice on this lesson is out of the book and is due our next Wednesday A day in 2 weeks.
Wow! December already…
All the best to all you beautiful people
Tags: AVID, PVHS AVID, SAT tutoring, study Hut
Posted in AVID, AVID, Palos Verdes, Redondo Beach |
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November 19th, 2011
Hello! My name is Tori and I have been working at Study Hut for about two months now. I absolutely love it!! The environment and people here are so friendly and welcoming. I graduated from Mira Costa High School in 2007 and since then got my BA at San Diego State University and I am currently getting my teaching credential at CSU Long Beach. I love working with kids and this job is not only great practice for my future, but it is so rewarding. I now have about six students that I see on a regular basis, once or twice a week. I look forward to seeing them each week and helping them grow as a student. My students range from elementary to high school age and I have already learned so much from each and every one of them. Most often I help them study for a test. The first thing we do is gather all the material needed to study for the test. I ask them how they feel about the test and what material they know and what material they need to study more. From there we review all the material so that I can truly see what they do and do not know and we then start studying! I find flashcards to be the most helpful for any type of learner so I have my students make flashcards for the material they do not know. Depending on what kind of learner they are I either have them write down facts, draw pictures, or make acronyms in order to learn the material in a way they are most comfortable with. I then give my students anywhere from five to fifteen minutes to study the flashcards while I make a practice test for them. Once they are done studying I verbally quiz them on the material and then have them take a practice test towards the end of the session to see how much they have progressed; I usually see great improvement! I leave my students with words of encouragement, sometimes a to do list to finish studying, and another practice test for them to take closer to the time of the test. Well I am off to tutor now!
Tags: elementary, high school, learned, mira costa high school, students, Study, study Hut, studying, test
Posted in Tutors |
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