Organization is Elementary, My Dear Watson

“The cat lying on the remaining space of the desk eclipsed any visible place to work. Bills, documents, books, and crates littered the desk as if an eruption of lava from Mt. St. Helen’s changed the topography of forest where pristine land used to lie. On the answering machine, the red blinking light kept its insistent glare on the woman trying to find focused thought in a land of confusion. Unanswered calls. Misplaced papers. A to do list never done. Does this sound familiar? If so, you are one of thousands who do not have the skills to get organized. And, although a messy desk might not sound so detrimental, think of all of things one could get accomplished if papers were filed correctly, if phone calls were answered because there was no visible confusion on the desk, and all of the checkmarks one may be able to check because the to-do list was the only thing lying visible on the table. Organization is essential in being able to complete everyday tasks. Not losing things, having an area in which you can work, and being able to clearly see what needs to be accomplished through scheduling appointments properly are all things that are the promising effects of getting organization down.” What you see prior to this sentence is a well-developed introductory paragraph to a fictional essay. It includes an enticing opening, a clear thesis, and an organizational sentence. Most of the elements of what is listed are missing in a good majority of student papers. Here are some things to keep in mind when your student is writing an introductory paragraph:

· Starting an introductory paragraph should absolutely not start with the student’s thesis sentence. Think of the best conversation that you’ve had with a good friend: it starts out slowly and steadily, details from each friend are filled in, and then, it builds to a satisfying crescendo where the start, the middle, and the end have all been properly executed.

· There is no place for “wishy-washy” in the introductory paragraph, especially when writing the all-important thesis statement. Graders of essays – English teachers and SAT graders alike – don’t want any guess work in what the student is trying to express. It should be clear and concise. Points are deducted, if not.

· Organization really is key: Although essays are not like stories, where there is a seeming start, middle, and finish, there is an ordered structure to an essay, and it is a criteria for grading.

The best thing you can do for your child is to be aware of what teachers expect. Talk to your child’s teachers, and find out when papers are due, what the expectations are, and what you can do to help. If you do all of these things, the clutter of confusion that surround Mt. St. Academics will be cleared away, and you’ll have nothing but clear skies and sunshine.

Melissa Loukas

Excellence in Academics Tutoring, LLC.

"We work with parents, so their children excel."

http://www.excellenceinacademicstutoring.com/

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Is a Rose Nearly Enough?

It turns out that a rose by any other name doesn't smell even half as sweet, and that is why it is important to dig around in the garden looking for the perfect bud ... or in this case, the perfect tutor. "A perfect tutor," you may ask? Well, I'm sure a perfect one is hard to come by, but if you think about the following things, finding a more perfect one is well within your reach. And a strong tutor within reach means that your child is only a hop, skip, and jump away from gaining not just academic success, but gaining learning that sticks to the brain. For English tutors in particular, here are some things you should keep in mind:

If the tutor has a company website about herself and her staff, is it saying anything of value on the English link? I've found that true lovers and students of English really have content that specifically addresses the "nuts and bolts" of English. So, what you should see is stuff like " ... writing for a specific purpose" rather than " ... learning at the child's pace". You should also hear educational phrases rather than sound bytes. So instead of " ... students feeling confident" listen for " ... developing a paragraph with its essential elements" A tutor of English will speak in terms of English - not in terms of politics.

Does the tutor and tutoring company have experience in teaching the aspects of English?

If you don't know, you should feel comfortable in asking. There are many tutors who know the basic concepts of grammar and writing, but I would argue a good chunk of the population also know, or think they know. But even if one has a basic knowledge, is that basic knowledge enough to know what grammatical concepts to teach for tests like the SAT and ACT? Even the big tutoring franchises that specialize in tutoring for these types of tests teach what to study and the strategies, but they neglect the content.

It's fine to say that the SAT tests are big in using pronoun misusage, but if proper tutelage in pronouns doesn't occur, we have a fine example of the blind leading the blind into the oh so troublesome ditch. A student can't identify what the pronoun mistake is if he doesn't know that "anyone" is a singular indefinite pronoun (singular indefinite pronouns are incorrectly connected with plural pronouns and verbs, and the standardized test makers love taking advantage of students not knowing basic grammatical concepts).

How 'bout writing? Does the tutor know the fine details of the ways to build a substantial discussion in the main body paragraphs of an essay? Does she know the rubric by which most of these essays are graded? Can he or she teach the rubric, alongside the aspects of the solidly written paper? If not, it's best to look for a tutor who does.

It's always a good idea to stop and smell the roses, but make sure the ones you're sniffing come up smelling like authentic roses.

For a truly sweet smelling rose, please visit http://www.excellenceinacademicstutoring.com/. Not only will you find flowers, but you'll also find a tutor who knows her English.