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Help for Online BYU high School Courses

June 26th, 2012

BYU online summer school is a great way to stay productive during the summer and to get ahead on classes for the next school year. It is independent study and puts no deadlines on the work and tests. This can be both good and bad. On the one hand it allows students to have a flexible schedule that allows for sports and travel. On the other hand, however, it can be challenging to learn the material without a teacher and to keep a good pace. Study Hut can help with all this.
High school students are accustomed to having a teacher present to explain the material to them. Studying independently is a skill that students often don’t master until they go to college. Therefore, learning concepts online can be difficult and frustrating. Our tutors are familiar with the BYU classes, how they are structured, and what is expected from the students taking them. Coming to the Study Hut allows students to go over any material they have trouble understanding on their own, or simply confirming that what they have learned is correct.
Time management is often a challenge for high school students. They tend to procrastinate and get behind in their work. It is not unusual to see a whole BYU course being crammed into the last two weeks of summer vacation. The result is usually a low grade and a stressful end to the break. Seeing a tutor at the Study Hut is a perfect way to make sure this doesn’t happen! We will lay out a timeline and hold the student accountable.
Study Hut is an official BYU proctoring center. So if tutoring is not necessary students can still come here to take their tests. We administer the tests for $50. And if the student is being tutored here, the tests are free!

Finals Time

June 18th, 2012

Study Hut generally maintains a relatively steady state of operations, seasonally — fortunately, this all changes when our students slam into the Great Wall of Finals. I see students coming in with varying degrees of academic success and perceptibility, which consequently creates a general state of panic and chaos in the majority of students that come in for extra tutoring. While it may seem as if this pinnacle, this cummulation of efforts, is far too all-encompassing to
be manageable, the truth is, none of this will matter tomorrow, or the next year, or the next century. Conversely, in respect to you, the student, everything matters with what you do today, and studying for classes during this hectic time is, rightly, what you must be doing. Study Hut’s role in this system is to facilitate your studies, guide you to answers to questions, and, most importantly, give you the confidence and ability to ensure you function properly at the right moment — test taking time.

I believe that, while some students do require extra tutoring and that others require a confidence chat in between sessions, studying is, clearly, the correct step. We, the tutors at Study Hut, will do everything we can to make sure you are ready for whatever test comes at you — more or less. When you feel as if everything is coming down on you and that things
are simply overwhelming your ability to retain all that information — come on, an entire year? — just remember to breathe, just breathe…

Chinese tutoring taking over the world…one student at a time

June 14th, 2012

Study Hut offers Spanish and French tutoring and, of course, English; Chinese was, up until recently, a rough subject for tutors and students alike, ranking itself as, in all righteousness, one of the most difficult languages in the world to learn and acquire.
I am, although Chinese in nature, unfortunately, not a native Chinese speaker; ergo, I was initially uncomfortable — hesitant — with tutoring such a complex language. With this gracelessness notwithstanding, I sat down with Middle School enthusiast, Rees, and began what I would categorize as an extremely productive session where we went through the fundamentals of common Chinese dialogue. Writing Chinese characters was, surprisingly, a “cinche”, and Rees and I sped through a decent amount of material in a relatively short amount of time. Whereas I distinctly remember Chinese being rather abstract and difficult to comprehend, I was pleasantly taken aback by the current academic approach to Chinese as a foreign language, a consequence of crossing the cultural divide — integration at its best — globalizing and simplifying a language crucial to the growing world economy.
Chinese still lacks the omnipresence and fluency of English, ergo, making America the dominating country in the world, but this ancient language is steadily growing into a universal medium for commercial communication. Therefore, it is with great joy that Study Hut now offers Chinese as one of our subjects. We are extremely excited to support our students with this new systemic development!

Summer SAT Training

June 12th, 2012

Finding the time to prepare for the SAT during the regular school year can be difficult. Between homework, sports, activities, friends, family…its hard to find the time and easy to come up with reasons to put off studying for the SAT. Don’t put it off anymore! What better time than the summer time to get started and stay focused on preparing for the SAT without the stress of schoolwork.

Beginning Tuesday July 10th, and ending Thursday, August 23rd, Study Hut will offer a two hour, twice a week group course. The course will focus on fundamental academic skills and test-taking strategies required to succeed on the SAT. This course will include four proctored full-length practice tests and fourteen personalized online homework assignments catered to each student’s specific weaknesses.

Study Hut will also offer one-on-one Sat courses with a variety of different packages. The packages range from a 24 hour course to a 40 hour course. The number of proctored tests and online homework assignments varies with each package. Students can also come in for hourly SAT tutoring using the same materials as the courses.

The courses will be taught by experienced and local tutors that students enjoy being around, and our students on average see

200 point increase!

There will be a FREE diagnostic test for students on Saturday June 16, from 8am to 12pm. Please contact Justin at Justin@studyhut.com or (310) 540-5888 for more details.

 

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

Chalk It Up – Parras Middle School

June 3rd, 2012

Every year, Parras Middle School hosts a lively fundraising event that gathers the local community for a day of creative entertainment –ranging from vivacious drum circles to colorful sidewalk art. This would be the second year Study Hut has been participating and supporting local schools like Parras Middle School in Redondo Beach.

The 5×5 ft sidewalk canvas was set up next to dozens of other participants who also wanted to support the local Redondo Beach schools. Our tutors, Valerie Chavez & Vin Castillo represented the Study Hut with chalk in hand and pastel in the other. The creativity was billowing in the air with chalk dust as everyone meticulously crafted their art.

The Study Hut design, with the help of designer/tutor, Jenny Smith, depicted a surfer riding the waves of a book with the great Study Hut logo in the foreground. We thought it was a creative design that united two of Study Hut’s fundamental values: Study hard and have fun doing it. Needless to say, Valerie & Vin couldn’t help but break from their artistic endeavor and join in on the drum circle/limbo contest across the field. Banging on drums and joining the youth in a friendly game of limbo dancing, Study Hut truly exemplifies what it means to be active and supportive in the community.

There was much energy that filled the air at Chalk It Up, but what enticed our olfactory senses was the luscious smell of freshly popped kettle corn. The smell of the sweet and salty treat came in waves that re-energized us from the scorching heat of the sun. I’m sure the Redondo Beach locals were satisfied with the nice heaping bag of kettle corn, shave ice and graphic sidewalk art. Study Hut definitely had a great time at Chalk It Up. We will definitely be there next year to support the local schools of Redondo Beach!

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.

Algebra II Prep Course this Summer!

May 30th, 2012

After an entire year off from Algebra, students often need help getting reacquainted with the foundational math concepts that they will build on in Algebra II. Students who were geometry masters, may become flustered and embarrassed when, come September, they realize that they’ve since forgotten how to find and graph the equation of a line.
Don’t fret, though, there is hope! This summer, Study Hut Tutoring is bringing back its five-week Algebra II prep course, just in time for Fall!
Beginning Tuesday, July 24th and ending Thursday, August 23rd, this two-hour, twice weekly course will span the Algebra II coursework delineated by the California State Standards and will offer experiential and material support for students to bolster their mathematical comprehension before the start of the school year.
Algebra II expands the mathematical concepts learned in Algebra I and Geometry, such as: utilizing order of operations, solving equations and inequalities through computation and graphing, coordinate and trigonometric geometry, and manipulating functions and inequalities. This course’s content will serve as the basis for your student’s success in future mathematics courses – Precalculus, Statistics, Trigonometry, and Calculus alike – as well as on the SAT Exam’s quantitative reasoning section!
Hut’s Algebra II Summer Prep course will begin with a review of basic Algebra, including: solving systems of linear equations and inequalities by substitution, elimination and graphing; solving polynomials by factoring and long division; and review the most foundational mathematical concept: the order of operations.
In the span of just twenty hours, students will be introduced to the concepts of: quadratic, logarithmic, and exponential functions; complex numbers; and conics and radical expressions; long before their classmates have even heard of such mathematical monstrosities! And their enhanced ability to demonstrate a working knowledge of how these equations are related, both arithmetically and graphically, will give them a log up come Fall.

Summer Programms at the Study Hut

May 21st, 2012

The school year is almost over and summer is just around the corner. While many students are excited for the break from schooling, it is important to remember that the summer can be a time of great learning too. Here at the Study Hut we are excited to be offering a number of summer courses to help prepare students for the upcoming school year. One program we are particularly excited about this summer, is the Summer Reading and Writing Workshop Program. This Program is designed to help students with their summer reading assignments and prepare them for the upcoming school year.
This program offers a variety of specialized packages for private one-on-one tutors sessions for all grade levels. Packages range from 10 sessions @$50/session to 30 sessions at $40/session at your convenience throughout the summer. Our Kindergarten through 2nd grade programs focus on the building blocks of reading and writing including “fun-ducational” activities. The 3rd through 5th grade program focuses fluency and comprehension and will include a book report and at-home reading assignments. The 6th through 10th grade programs will focus on advanced writing and literary analysis skills including analyzing literary devices and developing a strong well written essay. All of the programs will include supplemental reading and educational materials to help further develop reading and writing fundamentals.
The Summer Reading and Writing Workshops will be held at both the Redondo Beach and Mannhattan Beach Study Hut locations. For more information about the Redondo Beach location please contact Justin at justin@studyhut.com or call (310) 540-5888. For more information on the Mannhattan Beach location contact Samantha at samantha@studyhut.com or call (310) 546-2408. However you decide to spend your summer,enjoy yourself and remember that here at the Study Hut, we are always happy to help.

Great Finals Tutor Newport Beach

May 21st, 2012

As the year is winding down for elementary, middle, and high school students alike, it may not be the time to give up quite yet. The dreaded end of year tradition—finals—is just around the corner. With about four weeks left to study, now is the best time to start thinking about finals, especially with a tough curriculum, like Newport Harbor High School. Why spend the night before your test cramming a semester’s worth of information into your head? Why spend day after day last-minute-studying and not getting enough sleep?

Do your future self a favor—DON’T procrastinate. Start working on study tools now. Study Hut is a great place to start. Make a phone call and get to work with a cool Newport Beach tutor; someone who is fresh out of college–someone is already prepping with other students from Newport Beach. Start making those flashcards and study guides. A Study Hut tutor in Newport Beach can make sure you are focusing on the exact material that will be on your test. When it comes time to push yourself into full final-mode, all you’ll have to do is whip out those pre-made flashcards and study guides and get going. Sounds pretty stress-free compared to the coffee-drinking and study-snacking that would occur after four weeks of procrastination.

Start out by outlining a general study plan for each subject. Will you make a study guide or look over old tests for your history final? Will you memorize math formulas from practice problems or flashcards? Your local Newport Beach Study Hut tutor can help you get this process started. Once you have created an active study plan, you will only have to do a little bit of work each day to prepare.

Study now, so you can stress less and sleep more later.