Every year, the California public school system imposes the STAR Test on elementary, middle, and high school students as a means of assessing the average progress in classrooms. Generally, teachers tend to take a break from regular material to prepare for the tests, which cover everything that the state deems standard for education. Students study English, math, history, and science for the STAR Tests. As a rule of thumb, most students find that there is not much new information to cover for each section; instead, it is almost strictly review. However, it does help for students to spend some time preparing for the STAR, as some of the material may not be easily recalled.
STAR testing is done toward the end of the school year, about a month before summer recess, so much of the information is covered early in the year and may be forgotten, especially for the history section, which is based on facts instead of general concepts, as in the cases of math and English. STAR testing is sometimes criticized as not be representative of what students ought to learn: some students take sciences out of the usual order, and some repeat math classes, which alters the average learning curve. However, as long as the STAR Test is in place in California, teachers strongly encourage students to do their best and score well in all subjects. Of course, the test reflects directly on the school and the teacher, and higher scores indicate better instruction. Furthermore, the break from regular material that STAR Test preparation offers allows students a great chance to catch up on old material or to get ahead on future subjects. Studying for the STAR Test also greatly reinforces what students have already learned, as well, which certainly improves retention and comprehension. Although the STAR Test may be flawed, at the very least it encourages students to study and reinforce all of their completed work.
Every day of my life, people ask me “How is it that every single tutor at the Study Hut is a genius? Is it even possible for one building to hold that much knowledge?”
Ok, maybe they don’t say that, but I can tell they were thinking it. It certainly felt that way to me when I first started working here. I looked around, and I saw all of the different things the kids were studying, and how well the tutors knew the material, and I started to worry a bit, because I couldn’t believe I had to live up to such awesomeness.
Then, I started to see how exactly the Hut dynamic worked. It turns out that, while they are incredibly intelligent, Hut Tutors do NOT, in fact, know everything. It’s so much better than that. The Study Hut has an incredibly diverse body of tutors. Every single one of us comes from a different background, from different areas of study, and we’re all focused on one goal: helping any kid that walks through our door. I’m confident, that there’s not a single problem that your kid can come in with that at least one of us couldn’t solve.
And it’s great to see. There’s such a community dynamic here that you just don’t see in other places. I’ve seen three tutors team up to tackle a math problem, while two other tutors talked about the best way to write an essay, while another worked with two SAT kids on vocabulary. When one tutor can’t figure out a problem, there are 20 other people around them perfectly willing to help. We’ve got tutors that have lived overseas, worked in laboratories, taught classes full of students, and a million other things. And we’ve got all of these different types of people working together in the same place.
So, as individuals, we may not know everything. But as a group, there’s not much we can’t do.
Summer is a great time for students to get ahead in a class. Both getting prepared for the upcoming year and finding extra help with a summer class is an excellent summer choice. Study Hut in Redondo Beach offers group and private tutoring over the summer. This summer Study Hut will offer group classes in reading, writing, geometry and algebra. Each of our group classes is small and designed to help students prepare for the upcoming year of class.
Many Palos Verdes school district students are improving their GPA greatly by taking advantage of summer courses. When a student gets a low grade in a required class such as Math or English a counselor will recommend that the student retake the course over the summer. Summer school courses move through material very quickly and students often need help keeping up with the work. Study hut is a great place to come in for extra help. It is especially difficult to focus on studying at home after class because of computers; TV and the various ways kids distract themselves. Study Hut is a great environment to gain the resources needed for your student to excel in their class.
Getting a head start on next year’s classes is a fantastic way to improve performance in those tough classes. AP and honors classes jump right into the difficult material and many students have a hard time keeping up. The Study Hut can help your student be prepared to hit the ground running. Our tutors know what to expect in all the AP classes. We know the teachers and what they want from their students. Aside from the class grade, getting ahead will give your student the best chance of getting a four or a five on the AP exam.
It’s that time of year everyone. That’s right, it’s the first ever STUDY HUT BAKE SALE. This week and next week the Manhattan Beach Study Hut is having their very first bake sale. Why sell baked goods at a tutoring center you might ask? Well, lucky for us, our manager Sam is the co-chair for this year’s Relay For Life, and Study Hut is doing everything we can to help raise money! We have three different days that people are going to bring in baked goods. We have even decided to turn it into a competition where the kids vote on which tutor baked the best dessert! All proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society. Every year, the American Cancer Society has a Relay for life to help raise money for research and programs. People form teams that support a particular type of cancer, and walk for 24 hours. Each team tries to keep one member on the track at all times. This represents the struggle of a cancer patient : as the day goes on you get more and more tired, and at one point reach a moment where you think you can’t continue. All you can do is have faith in the next day. The fatigue that comes with walking for 24 hours is supposed to be a representation of this message. Personally I am excited that I can experience this event with my coworkers. It will be a very new experience that will bring us closer together while at the same time supporting a wonderful cause. As for the bake sale, I am amped up to not only raise money but to win the competition! So if you are feeling up to supporting a great cause, come into study hut this Wednesday (4/11), Thursday (4/12) and Monday (4/16)!
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.
As AP Season approaches, it’s normal to get a little apprehensive. However, keep in mind that AP Exams in no way define you as a person nor are they the ultimate deciding factor when it comes to college admissions. Sure, a good score can boost your app, but it’s not going to make or break an acceptance. With that in mind, there a couple things you can do to help prepare for the exam:
First, don’t procrastinate. It’s really easy to let AP test prep slip down the ranks on your To-Do list, but doing a little prep everyday is better than spending the weekend before your test cramming a year’s worth of information into your brain. If you haven’t already started, start gathering up the prep materials that your teacher has given you so far and organize them by topic. Pick a topic and give yourself at least an hour or so everyday and start reviewing the material.
Second, don’t do the same type of prep everyday. Change it up. For example, instead of reading through your notes or summaries first, you may want to look at the questions on an old AP exam and see what you remember and what you don’t. That way you can focus on weaker topics and review the stronger ones later. If you need/want more material for your studies, check out the College Board website (may have old exams posted) or go to the library and flip through a couple test prep books (Barrons, Five Steps to a 5, etc.). Study groups are also a great way to motivate both yourself and others!
Lastly, know that you’re not alone in this! The Study Hut is here to help you! The tutors have all been through the AP exam process multiple times and have taken a wide array of subjects. Not only are they familiar with the material and exam structure, but they also know how you feel and what you’re going through and are always here for that extra moral support!
Good news on the high school front: Palos Verdes Unified School District is now allowing some classes to be taken through Brigham Young University for summer school credits! Previously, PVUSD only permitted students to go through their own summer school program or to one of the local community colleges, although Redondo Unified School District and Torrance School District have allowed BYU online summer classes for some time. With this new development, Palos Verdes High School and Peninsula High School students are able to take their classes online and still enjoy their summer breaks. Furthermore, the advent of online classes is a great opportunity for students to learn at their own pace, be it faster or slower than a classroom setting would normally allow. Although the selection of classes allowed by the school district is limited, it is certainly progressive nonetheless.
As for students who may need extra help with their online classes, the Study Hut offers one-on-one sessions and supplemental lectures to assist students in passing with the highest marks possible, as well as administering practice tests. The Study Hut is open for summer hours seven days per week with tutors specializing in every subject. Also, when it comes time for the final exams for these classes, the Study Hut is an officially licensed exam sight with professional exam proctors. These classes can be used to repeat classes that students may have failed during the regular school year or just to get ahead of the curve for the following school year. By knocking out a class or two over the summer, students may have the option to take a lighter course load during the main school year, which could contribute to better overall grades. Also, with basic necessities handled over the summer, students can take elective classes that they find interesting during the year. For students who have failed even a semester of a class during the year, this program gives them a chance to move ahead with the rest of their class instead of falling behind in a subject simply because the results were not ideal on the first go-around. Overall, the addition of BYU summer school classes for PVUSD students will allow greater flexibility and opportunities for success.
In the most recent informational survey conducted on the average income of Americans, the difference between those who only graduated high school and those who graduated with a bachelor’s degree was well over a million dollars over the course of a career. For most of us, that is a whole lot of money! With that in mind, it is definitely worth it to go to college. However, getting into college takes some work: students have to get good grades to keep a decent grade point average, participate in extracurricular activities, and do as well as possible on the SAT or ACT. The latter, of course, is the most difficult for most students because they have no clue how to prepare for these dreaded exams. The solution: ACT or SAT prep classes!
Students who attend preparatory classes tend to score substantially higher on both the SAT and the ACT than those who study on their own. Small group classes are the best way to improve a student’s confidence and target his or her specific problem areas before the test. The ACT can be particularly intimidating because it tends to favor math and science over reading comprehension, and most students could use a little extra help with these two subjects. When seeking out an ACT class, make sure the student-to-instructor ratio does not exceed 10:1, the course includes plenty of homework, and there are full-length proctored mock-ACT tests. The smaller the class size, the more attention each student will receive, which ultimately makes pinpointing his or her weakest areas much easier and more specific. Homework provides the additional practice kids need to stay on top of the material and uphold the information between classes, as well as gives a bench mark to the instructor. Practice tests, naturally, are the most important of all in preparing for the ACT! They are the single best way to gage progress. With all of these components, odds are your student will greatly improve their ACT score!
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.
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.
