Kids Need the Skills to Help Them Study

My report card for science had a glaring "D" marked offensively on the page, and I remember being as shocked as my mom, when I saw how poorly I did. It has stuck with me, so much, in fact, that I can remember the incident, clearly, even now, as an adult. The funny thing about it is that I had no idea I was doing poorly in science. It really came as an unpleasant surprise.

As a business owner of a tutoring company, and working with kids with their own studying habits, it comes as a bit of a shock that I didn't put my own experience together with what some of my students struggle with, at the present time. It did not take me long to figure out that almost as much as poor grades result from lacking the comprehension of a particular subject, another major factor in not achieving the highest grades in school is due to a lack of a structured environment at home, that consists of a schedule as regimented as the school day itself. No reason anyone should feel bad about this, as it takes discipline, even from the most Spartan of individuals, to daily plan out his days. However, keeping a few things in mind will help get your student on the right track (and most importantly, the right grade).

1. Students should always carry an agenda book with them, that not only are they responsible for, but that the parents and tutors are responsible for, too. Having teachers contact the parents and tutors about what's on the agenda for homework and major assignments is beneficial, especially when signatures are required from a parent or tutor. Having all the key players involved really makes it foolproof for the most lackadaisical student to go through her academic career with blindfolds on. It might not always take a village to raise a child, but having a few extra pair of eyes always keeps straying ones from roving too far from the academic objectives, at hand.
2. Parents or people that work closely with the student should help their student by creating a daily agenda, in which homework, time for major assignments, time for studying for tests, and even chunks of time that are planned for fun, are all written down on a weekly basis. This daily agenda can be written on a calendar, or even a makeshift one that the student creates himself. There are very few things that help a student internalize her responsibilities more - having her write what not only the things she's accountable for, but scheduling in free time, or activities that come as a reward, will also give the student the power over the academic reins, and that is what we want.
3. Students should have support not only from parents, but from teachers and tutors, as well. Teachers and tutors can supplement the child's knowledge with the content that they need, but also, with the knowledge of what is needed to pass the next test, or to earn the next "A" on the child's paper.
4. Giving students "tricks for the trade" also help tremendously with study skills. Making games out of vocabulary that will be on the test, testing students on the material that will be tested, and giving them an ample amount of practice with assignments that reinforce the academic objectives that are being taught, are all invaluable ways of ensuring success.

Lastly, maybe the most important thing to keep in mind is balance. I remember that after the upset with the science grade, I worked so hard to bring it up, that all of my other content areas fell behind. Everything in moderation!

Tutoring - Education's Necessary Invention

"'Your job description is 'whatever needs to be done,'" stated Tom Meardon, a principal of a high school in Colorado. And he should know, as not only is he the principal, but he also serves as a coach for track, basketball, and he also serves as a sponsor to the school student council. In an article listed in Education Week, "Rural Schools Doing a Better Job with Fewer Resources," it states what will confound people. Even though the schools in this article are economically poor, with meager funding, the schools in question all have students meeting or exceeding the reading scores for their grade levels. And to put it succinctly, " ... a collection of small towns in this corner of Colorado's farm country are dodging the disadvantages of remoteness and poverty, thin resources and shrivelling economies to produce some of the state's best schools" (http://www.edweek.org/). And, as one can imagine, it will mystify anyone who has lost sight of what the true marks for a successful student are. Curious as to what they are? Well, read on ... the next paragraph is only underneath this very sentence.

So, if money isn't the issue and the solver of problems every single time, what are these clusters of schools doing that some other schools aren't? They are holding the students and parents accountable for student success, and it turns out not only is that the key to success, but key. Period. Education has always triumphed or suffered at the hands of whatever has come into vogue in the political educational world, and to be frank, the lack of success with education as of late does not have its biggest correlation tied to a lack of funding, or a lack of effort. As an English teacher of nine years, I was in the "trenches," and saw the effort that both teachers and schools put forth in order to gain success. What I have also seen, however, is a going away from the student seeing consequences for taking responsibility in his learning and behavior. I've seen coddling take place, in lieu of a firm hand. Luckily, this "firm hand" method has not gone by completely unnoticed. And it's not gone by unnoticed because people paid an exhorbitant amount of money to have a consultant tell them that a firm hand is needed; like the small communities these schools spring from, the staff of the school does not spare the educational "rod": "The students [who] had gotten D's and F's that morning ... earn[ed] them[selves] extra time with a teacher instead of the privilege of watching the junior high volleyball game" (http://www.edweek.org/). It's as simple as that, folks.

Since we know these particular schools in the rural part of Colorado absolutely make the students accountable, the other factor of success in this amazingly simple equation is the parent. It's stated in the article that the parents are expected to support the school--ideologically--and some parents, sadly, have moved their families away. But, when this happens, not only is the rod being spared, but the real factors of what makes successful students are being spoiled. Some times, it does take a whole village ... or community.

Excellence in Academics Tutoring, LLC. wholeheartedly believes in the idea of everyone being accountable for student success, and so that is why our mission with working with parents, so their children excel is so paramount to our success as a business, and your student's success in school.

The "rod" (the mental, not necessarily, the physical) that is used today will be the sceptre your child has gleaming by his side, as he sees his success grow commensurately, with his own accountability in learning.