How to Get Our Child Ahead in School

How To Get Our Child Ahead in School
By Coach Jasmine

Most parents want the best education for their child. From putting them in private school, to moving to a neighborhood that has the best school system or even transporting them across town to make sure they have the best of the best in education.  Unfortunately, sometimes all that you have done in school placement isn’t fruitful. Your child still may be struggling or they are unhappy with the school they are attending and you scratch you head in confusion asking how you can help your child. Honestly, you already have the answer. The beauty of parenting is everything that parents need to know about their children and how to support their children lie within the children themselves. 

Well, what do you mean by that?

Great question! Have you ever heard, “Actions speak louder than words?” Well, you can apply that quote to this situation. Children respond to their environment emotionally and display their feelings physically. When they are frustrated in school, you can tell by their behavior in class and at home. It could be disruptive behavior, being withdrawn or acting bored to name a few. Whether it be at home, in school, or society in general we all naturally respond to our environment. As parenting we need to want our children’s actions, as their words might not always add up to what is being shown and other times they honestly might not be able to find the right words to tell you how they really feel.

So, how do I help my child get ahead in school?

That is another great question! To support your child in school, you must support the whole child (mind, body and spirit). Get to know your child from the inside – out. Do they respond well when you tell them that you are proud of them? How do they respond when you give them a random gift? How do they act when you help them with their homework? Understanding your child’s physical response will give you the answers of how they are feeling emotionally even when words aren’t being shared. When you show that you care about your child as a person they will respond accordingly. It is up to you, as the parent to pay attention.

Talk to them. Eliminate the guessing game and just ask. Children are smarter than what we give them credit for. It’s just a matter of talking to them. Example, if you want to know how they are doing in a particular subject, ask them open ended questions about them not about school. If you want to know how they are doing in math, ask them how they like their math teacher. Ask them how the other children like their math teach. These answers will give you insight into how they are doing in that particular class. 

Helping your child get ahead in school is about team work! You, your child and their school. Like a triangle, your child is the point of the triangle and you and your child’s school are the base, the support, the foundation. I think you get my point. Open lines of communication between you and your child’s school, specifically your child’s teachers. They have a fragile life in their hands a majority of the day, why wouldn’t you want to know more about who your child is around? The best way to open up lines is to show up to their school, but if you are unable to show up, maximize the use of technology. Email, text and phone all work well to communicate with your child’s teacher and/or school.

There are many more ways to support your child and help them get ahead in school. If you don’t know or would like more ways then seek out and ask for help.  I would be honored to help you. My name is Coach Jasmine and I am a Holistic Parenting Life Coach at Parenting Wellness Center.  We offer a variety of coaching services and packages, designed to meet your budget and schedule, including  one-on-one coaching sessions, group coaching, and online coaching.  Every month, we also sponsor a free teleclass, and invite you to join in on the call. Please visit my website www.parentingwellnesscenter.com for more information or call for a free 15 min consultation at 720-343-9081. 

Money, Money, Money, Money: What is the Cost of Tutoring?

We all know that parents will do whatever it takes to provide their children with the best of everything so there is no doubt that when a child starts to struggle in school the parent wants to help but the one hindrance can be money. Here are some answers to questions that parents are always asking us about the costs of tutoring:

1. What does tutoring cost at Nashville Learning Center? Our rate is competitively priced at: $30-$60 per one hour private tutoring lesson. At Nashville Learning Center our prices vary depending on the program, academic subjects, and test taking skills. We offer several different tutoring programs that are tailored to fit your needs. We invoice by the tutoring program, prior to the start of tutoring sessions. There is no extra charge for the tutor's travel time. There are no surprise fees. Tutoring may be cancelled at any time with 24 hours notice. If you do not cancel a tutoring session at least 24 hours in advance you will be charged the full one hour fee. If we do receive proper notification, you will receive a credit for one lesson to be applied to the next month's bill. Credits will be reflected on the next month's billing cycle.
2. How are the payments set-up? All of our programs bill out monthly and are due on the 1st of the month no later than the 15th.  
3. What am I guaranteed for this investment? At Nashville Learning Center we realize that tutoring is not only an investment of money but also an investment of time and we do not take that lightly. Not only do our student's grades increase, according to their parents their test scores and confidence in themselves increases as well.
4. Do you have any discounts for multiple children? For families who have multiple children who want to attend Nashville Learning Center we do offer a discounted rate for having multiple children enrolled. The 2nd child receives a 15% discount.
5. Do you have any new student specials? Absolutely!!! We are currently enrolling all new students free of charge, that's right NO ENROLLMENT FEE!!!!

Are you ready to join the Nashville Learning Center family? Just complete this form  and we will give you a coupon for free enrollment.

Have questions or comments please leave them below.

Nashville Learning Center

www.nashvillelearn.com

615-450-6NLC (6652)

#nashvillelearn

#tutoring

#costoftutoring

Here's What Happens When Your Child Enrolls at Nashville Learning Center

There are several questions that are asked of Nashville Learning Center on a regular basis so we want to answer a few for you and give you an example of what we can do with your child:

What ages do you tutor? 
We start at age 3 with our pre-k students.

Why would a 3 year old need tutoring?
It is not that they need tutoring however their parents want them to start off on the right track so they sign them up for academic enrichment.

What subjects do you tutor?
We do our very best to provide a tutor for any subject in which our students need support.

What are your hours?
We are open Monday through Thursday 8am - 9pm; Friday 2pm - 6pm and Saturday 10am - 2pm

What can you do to help my child?
The assistance that we can provide your child with is endless. We have been working with Jaide since she was 10 months and at 3 years old she can now read and write and will be starting math very soon.

Now how can we help you? Leave your comments and questions below.

Nashville Learning Center

www.nashvillelearn.com

615-450-6(NLC) 6652

#3yearoldsreadtoo

#nashvillelearn

#tutoring

#allkidscanlearn

Stop Summer Learning Loss

How to Avoid Summer Learning Loss

Most parents think that if their children relax during summer break whether that is through vacationing, sleeping, playing video games, or just doing whatever they choose that their child will be well-rested and ready to start the school year off with a bang!

Unfortunately this is so far from the truth students can lose anywhere from he last 2 to 3 months of what they learned in the previous school year. So to put that into perspective if your child gets out of school at the end of May they can lose everything that they learned from March -May if they are not receiving some type of academic enrichment during the summer months.That is a huge heaping of information that your child is losing. How can you avoid the summer learning loss? It is simple enroll them in summer enrichment or an academic summer camp or work with them yourself on enrichment. Over the next few days we will provide you with information on our summer enrichment/ camp programs as well as give you some tips on what you can work on with your children.

Some of the things you can do are as follows:

• Make time for learning - incorporate learning in everything that you do with your child but also set aside some time for just learning such as reading 30 minutes per day or working on Math 30 minutes per day.
• As the teacher for the standards that will be covered the next school year or look them up on the school district's website and focus on the areas in which you know your child has trouble.
• Hire a tutor who can work with your child.
• Enroll them in a summer enrichment program or camp.

#summerenrichment
#summerlearningloss
#nashvillelearn
#Mathemagic
#STEMCamp
#BrainBootCamp

 

Them vs. Us: 4 Things That Sets Me Apart From My Competitors

What makes Nashville Learning Center different from the hundreds of other Tutoring and Test Prep Companies?

When asked this question I had to put myself in my clients shoes and think about all we have to offer. So what makes us different? Below you will find a few items that set us apart from our competitors.

1. You are more than just a number - At NLC we strive to give you our best so in an effort to do so we don't look at you as just another client (number) we think of you as family. So we give you everything we can to help you accomplish your goals:
• Sitting in the classroom to see if there's any issues in the classroom
• Communicating with teachers on a regular basis
• Staying in constant communication with parents
• Attending parent/teacher conferences and becoming a liaison between the family and the school.
• And whatever we can to help you achieve academic success
2. Honesty is the best policy - When I first started tutoring I had a parent tell me that she was disappointed because in an effort to be proactive she had been paying for her daughter to receive services from another tutoring company for about 6 month prior to the start of the school year. Her daughter was a preemie when she was born so she wanted to make sure that when she started kindergarten she would be ready to go and would not have any issues. After her daughter started school she was tested to see where she was and her mother knew that they would be shocked at how much her daughter knew because she had been paying what was equivalent to her mortgage to this company every month and they had given her a list of all of these skills her daughter had mastered. Well the mother was shocked when she received the report on her daughter was not even at a pre-k level and that everything she had been assured that her daughter had mastered her daughter did not know. After demanding that she be retested several times the mother felt awful and that is when she found us. At NLC we believe that there is no need to sugar coat anything when it comes to education honesty is our policy. We do not promise to make your child an "A" student in 2 weeks, we do not promise that they will become geniuses, what we do promise is that we will teach them any skills in which they are lacking, we will stay in constant communication with their teachers, we will keep you abreast of what is going on at all times, and we will make every effort to make sure they are the best student that THEY can be.
3. We are always learning -  Anthony J D'Angelo said "Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you'll never cease to grow" so at NLC we continue to feed our passion to learn more in return we are constantly growing and so are our students.  How can someone teach you when they themselves have stopped learning? They can't which is why we offer monthly professional development courses for our staff members, all of our staff members must be NLC certified and will soon be NTA (National Tutoring Association) certified, we even educate our parents through monthly seminars that they can attend free of charge.
4. Tutoring can start at any age - Contrary to what many believe tutoring is not just for students who are in elementary, middle, high school, or college. Tutoring is for ANYONE who wants to learn ANYTHING. At NLC our youngest client is actually 3 and she has been with us since she was about 10 months (she is my niece so that is why so young, here's a video check out Jaide Reading) and with our help and the support of her parents she is reading consistently between a first and second grade level. Our oldest thus far was 55 and she came to us because her position changed and she had to start using Excel more at work so we trained her on how to not only use Excel but helped to get all of the reports that she needed for work set-up. So you can receive tutoring at any age and we will work to make you feel comfortable and confident while learning.

To sum it all up at Nashville Learning Center you are treated like family and your child will be treated no differently than the way we treat our own children. We are devoted to providing the best services to all of our clients and will do everything in our power to make sure all of our clients are successful. As we stated above we are always learning so if there are any areas in which we can improve or if you have any suggestions, comments, or concerns please feel free to leave them below as we always love hearing from you.

 

The How To's of Selecting a Tutor

As a parent there may come a time in which you realize that your child needs academic support. This could be for remediation, enrichment, test prep, college prep, or just to make better grades. It is up to the parent to know what to do when this comes up so we will answer questions about how to select a tutor today to support you in finding the best fit for your child.

Step 1: Is There a Need?
The first step is to find out what your child actually needs in a tutor. Again a personal tutor can be hired for several different reasons and we will go through a few of those with you.

• Enrichment - This is for the student who is succeeding at grade level and wants to move forward focusing on increasing knowledge and preparation for the next level.
• Test Prep - This is for the student who has any type of standardized testing that they will have to take such as the state grade level standardized tests, SAT, ACT, Compass, etc.
• Maintenance - This is for the student who needs assistance in transitioning from one school to the next, one class to another, or one grade to another. Maintenance focuses on those skills that are not taught in school such as time management, note taking, organization, and study skills that they can apply to their current coursework.
• Remediation - This is for the student who has either forgotten a skill or just never really learned it. Usually parents get hit in the face with remediation, in other words the child comes home with an unexpected F. With remediation the child is tested on grade level and provided with a prescription of how to get caught up and catch what was missed in the past this in turns allow the student to succeed in the future.
• Remediation/Maintenance (a hybrid of sorts) -This usually works for older students and allows half of the tutoring time to be devoted to remediation while the other half is devoted to maintenance.

Step 2: How to Find a Tutor:

• First, check with other parents in your neighborhood. Chances are a good tutor is working right next door!
• Check with your child’s teacher or school principal, guidance counselor or learning specialist.
• Look in the yellow pages for learning centers.
• Check flyers in the local library, pediatrician’s offices, children’s consignment stores, coffee shops, parent teacher stores, and any other kid friendly business.
• On-line searches may result in locating tutors in your area as well but make sure you research the tutor  by simply doing a Google search and checking out social media sites as well as asking for references that you can contact.

Step 3: Evaluate the Tutor (The Application) - The tutor should be evaluated in the following areas:

• Qualifications - When looking at qualifications there are a few things you should look for. Your tutor should have a college degree and some tutoring or teaching experience. Ideally you want someone who is a certified teacher or has a tutoring certification.
• Personality - Most students resist tutoring so you want someone who has a great personality and have the ability to put the student at ease. The tutor should be able to determine what will and will not work for your child and help determine their strengths and weaknesses.
• Communication - The tutor should provide consistent feedback on the goals for the student and how these goals will be achieved and measured.They should also communicate with the teacher to make sure that the student is getting everything that they need in and out of the classroom.
• Cost - This is probably the most important factor for parents and the one thing I remind parents of is you get what you pay for. Tutoring can be accomplished in a one-to-one or small group setting. I believe the method used depends on the student and whether or not they can concentrate with another student there.One-to-one tutoring will be more expensive than small group and in-home more than going to a center. It is up to the parent to determine what is best for the student and go from there.

Step 4: The Interview: 

Questions to ask your tutor:

• How many years have you been a tutor?
• Are you, or is your company, a member of the Education Industry Association?
• Can you provide references?
• What assessments do you use?
• What supplies and materials do you provide? What will my child need to provide?
• Will you provide private (one-to-one) tutoring?
• What are your qualifications?
• What is the cost?
• Are there additional fees?
• Will I have a contract?
• Can I get out of the contract?
• How will you know what my child’s needs are?
• Do you have a particular teaching philosophy?
• How will you communicate with me?
• Will you communicate with my child's teachers?

Step 5: The Interview Part II: 

What your tutor needs from you:

• What seems to motivate your child?
• Does your child like school? What are his/her favorite subjects? Least favorite?
• How does your child feel about being tutored?
• Do you have samples of the work that I can view?
• May I speak to the teacher regarding your child?
• Does the school agree with your assessment of your child?
• How does your child feel about standardized tests? Does s/he get anxious? What are his/her past standardized test scores like?
• Does your child have any specific organizational/study skill issues?
• Does your child have any  learning disabilities that you are aware of?

What questions do you have about selecting a tutor or tutoring in general? 

Leave your comments below and we will answer each of them.

Industry Myths

There are tons of myths in every field so I decided today that I would discuss a few in my industry.

• Myth 4: Tutors give you answers. 
• The refusal of tutors to respond to student demands for the “right answer” can lead to some learners disengaging with tutors and complaining that tutor support is poor. However, as a learner, it’s important to recognize that asking a tutor for the correct one, is an unrealistic expectation and, in some instances, could be considered cheating.
• Your tutor can act as an excellent sounding board when identifying key topics and developing arguments for your assignments, helping you as you work towards developing your own answer.
• Myth 3: Teachers are not working hard enough and if they did the students would not need tutors. This to is very far from the truth. Teachers teach from a curriculum and much of their time is spent dealing with behavioral issues. Imagine being in a classroom with 30 students and here is the demographics of your class: 
• 5 of your students are ESL students meaning English is their 2nd language and only 1 of the 5 speaks any English (yes this is what happens in the classroom).
• 3 of your students are responsible for not only getting themselves up and ready for school but also their siblings. They may or may not come to school in clean clothing, they may not have eaten, and you may be the only adult that they come in contact with all day.
• 6 of your students tested below basic the year prior and the expectation is for you to bring them along with the rest of your class up to proficient.
• 3 of your students have been diagnosed with ADD or ADHD and are medication or other homeopathic treatment but there are 5 more who you know are ADHD or ADD yet you have to wait until a parent initiates a meeting and just deal with their inabilities to focus or sit still until that time.
• The remainder of your students are A/B students who strive for their best yet you as a teacher must deal with all of the other issues in the classroom before you can even get to teaching.
• So when someone says the teacher is not working hard enough I beg to differ teachers come to the classroom and give their all to their students and when is all said and done after all of the extra time and money spent they are probably making less than minimum wage with minimal resources.
• Myth 2: Tutoring is only for students who are failing. 
• Many parents seek private tutoring to ensure their child attains grade level competency.
• Increasingly, parents enroll their children in private tutoring to help them get ahead of their class and be better prepared for the next school year.
• Many college bound students enroll in private tutoring to help them attain higher ACT and SAT scores
• Myth 1: A good tutor is too expensive to afford. This is far from the truth and I typically explain it to parents in this manner. If you go to Starbucks daily or feed a family of four at McDonald's once or twice a week you can afford tutoring. All it takes is giving up something that you may not always want to give up but would not take anything away from your livelihood or well-being to do so. I mean think about it if you stopped drinking Starbucks coffee and made coffee at home you could save at least $120 a month (that's with buying 2 containers of coffee a month) and at Nashville Learning Center that gets you at least 4 tutoring sessions.

Would you hire a tutor to help your child or if you needed one yourself? If the answer is No, why not? Post your questions or comments below.

2015 Education Industry Forecast

Today I was tasked with providing insight on my 2015 Education Industry Predictions. Like many industries the field of education is constantly evolving especially now due to the implementation of Common Core. So here are my predictions for 2015:

Tutoring and Child Education

• This would include private tutoring and private child care programs that have an educational component. 
• Expected to exceed $100 billion by 2017 
• Needed more today due to the implementation of Common Core which is a system that most parents do not understand so their ability to assist their children has almost diminished. 

Adult Educational Services

• Online education will accelerate 
• As factories and other businesses which did not require a degree start to close and/or move overseas we will see an increase in the adult learner population 
• Students will continue to become self-directed learners meaning they will focus on finding ways in which what they are learning relates to their everyday lives and the fields that they are preparing for. 
• Social media will increasingly become a part teaching and a learning tool. 

E-Learning

• Is the use of electronic educational technology in learning and teaching. 
• Includes online tutoring services, online degree programs, and online training courses. 
• Expected to exceed $107 billion in 2015 

Changes in the Way we Learn

• Flipped Classroom - The flipped classroom essentially allows the student to learn at home and do their homework in class. 
• Social Learning: This is based on the idea that students can benefit by studying together and sharing ideas. It encourages the use of social platforms to achieve a common goal. 
• Instead of having textbooks students are using tablets to download textbooks. 

What do you think about education and the direction that it is headed? Post your questions or comments below.

Meet the Director

Most of you have been reading my blog for some time now and some of you are new so I just want to give you a little insight on who I am. My name is LaTishia Jordan and I am the owner of Nashville Learning Center which is a Tutoring and Test Prep company providing both online and on-site services to students in Nashville and all over the world. Not only do we provide these services we also assist with college admission and scholarship essays, we host parent and student seminars in which we provide information on all things education, summer camps, after school programs, and a multitude of printed materials. 

I have been blogging for a while now but for those who are just joining us you will find a wealth of information all about education from tutoring and how to find a tutor for your child, ACT test tips, SAT test, Summer Learning Loss, and so much more. In other words we will talk about anything involving education. 

You can leave comments by scrolling to the end of the blog post and placing them in the comment section.

ACT Test Tip 8: English, Reading and Science Reasoning Tests

Below is a list of tips for the English, Reading, and Science Tests

1. Review English grammar and usage, as well as punctuation, parts of speech, sentence structure, and word parts.
2. Don't rush your selection. Consider all the answers to make the best choice.
3. Use the context of nearby words to figure out unknown words.
4. Pace yourself. You have roughly (actually slightly less than) 1/2 minute for each question.
5. Examine each underlined portion with care. 
6. It will suggest what is being sought from you by its context in the passage that the question refers to.
7. Choose the best answer possible, using the process of elimination to narrow your choices.
8. After you've made your choice, mentally substitute your answer into the underlined portion to see if it seems correct.
9. If you don't know the meaning a word, try to recall if you've ever heard it in an expression. 
10. The context of the expression may suggest the meaning of the word.
11. Beware of obvious answers! They may be there only to mislead you.
12. You should base your answers to the questions solely on what is stated or implied in the passages.
13. Carefully read any introductory text.
14. Skip questions you don't know. Return to them after answering other easier questions.
15. First and last sentences of each paragraph are critical.
16. Read the passages before reading the questions.
17. Don't waste time memorizing details.

Happy Testing

Nashville Learning Center

www.nashvillelearn.com

615-452-6NLC (6652)

#acttestprep

#reading

#english

#science

#nashvillelearn

#tutoring

#testprep

ACT Test Tip 7: Math Section Strategies

Below is a list of tips for the Math Section of the ACT Test:

1. Read the question well. Be sure to select the best answer for the variable, value, or expression that is requested! 
2. Learn in advance all of the critical definitions, formulas, and concepts that appear in common questions. 
3. Remember to use the test booklet for scratch work, as well as for marking up any diagrams/graphs. 
4. Early questions in this section are easier. Spend less time on them. 
5. Don't get carried away with detailed calculations. Look for a trick or a shortcut if the question seems time consuming. 
6. When a question contains a weird symbol, just substitute the accompanying definition when figuring out the best answer choice.
7. Don't ever guess at Choice E. There are only four choices!
8. Always consider values that are fractional (between 0 and 1), zero, negative, or non-integer.
9. Factor out, then cancel, any common expressions or quantities in both Columns A and B. Remember that you are just trying to make relative comparisons.
10. Questions are simpler and should take less time than the Standard Multiple Choice. Look closely. The answer is often apparent without any calculations.
11. Write on any diagrams to help clarify any values, angles, sides, etc.
12. Compare; don't solve!
13. Simplify one or both sides whenever possible before comparing.

Happy Testing!!!!!

Nashville Learning Center

www.nashvillelearn.com

615-450-6NLC (6652)

#acttestprep

#actmath

#math

#algebra

#geometry

#trigonometry

#nashvillelearn

#tutoring

ACT Tip 6: The Test Book is Yours USE IT!!!!!

For some reason students think the ACT test booklet should be turned in looking the same way that it did when it was given to them. The test booklet should not be blank when you turn it in it should be used for scratch paper and full of writing from where you have worked out problems or used the process of elimination to come up with an answer. You should also mark on the test booklet when you want to return to a question. Place some sort of distinct mark on the booklet showing that you need to return to that question and I would even dog ear the page to know that I need to return to that particular page. The ACT Test booklet is your booklet so use it. That means write ALL OVER it!

Happy Testing!!!!!

Nashville Learning Center
www.nashvillelearn.com
615-450-6NLC (6652)

#acttestprep
#acttest
#nashvillelearn
#tutoring
#testprep

ACT Tip 5: Avoid Carelessness

In any testing situation there are a few things that cause careless mistakes and it is easy to avoid making these types of mistakes. The first thing you want to do is take your time. The ACT test writers write the tests for test takers who rush through the tests so keep that in mind. We all know that the ACT is a timed test however that does not mean that you rush through the test. Make sure you take your time and answer questions carefully as well as mark your answers in the correct place on the answer key.

Another reason for carelessness is because of frustration. A lot of times when we get frustrated our attitude towards the test changes and we have a feeling of defeat. If you feel this was take a quick second to regroup and start again and either skip the question that caused the frustration and come back to it or guess and keep moving. You can even mark the question in your test booklet and come back to it. 

Happy Testing!!!!

Nashville Learning Center

www.nashvillelearn.com

615-450-6NLC (6652)

#acttestprep

#acttesting

#nashvillelearn

#tutoring

#testprep

Happy Easter!!!!!

Happy Easter from Nashville Learning Center

Nashville Learning Center
www.nashvillelearn.com
615-450-6NLC (6652)

#nashvillelearn
#tutoring
#testprep
#Happyeaster

ACT Tip 4: Start with the Easy Questions First

With the ACT all test questions are weighed the same so it is better if you answer all of the easy questions first. You do this because the easier questions are typically less time-consuming and then spend the extra time needed to work on the harder questions. This will allow you to rack up extra points because you have properly answered the easiest questions correctly and gained the points for doing so (at least we hope you have answered them correctly).


Happy Testing!!!

Nashville Learning Center
www.nashvillelearn.com
615-450-6NLC (6652)
#acttestprep
#acttest
#nashvillelearn
#tutoring
#testprep

ACT Tip 3: Memorize the Directions

ACT Test directions have not changed for a number of years (at least 20 because I took it for the first time 20 years ago). So we suggest as you practice the ACT during your prep time that you memorize the directions. You will get time to read directions during the test if you need to however it is time that is taken away from your test time. So if you take five minutes to read the directions that is five less minutes you have to work on the tests. If you already know the directions there is no need to read them.

Happy Testing!!!!!

Nashville Learning Center
#acttestprep
#collegeadmissions
#nashvillelearn

615-450-6652
www.nashvillelearn.com

ACT Tip 2: Answer Every Question

One of the biggest misconceptions of the ACT is that it works just like the SAT but the rules are completely different. When you are taking the ACT make sure that you ANSWER ALL QUESTIONS!!!!!

Unlike the SAT you are not penalized for guessing on the ACT. Yes you are penalized for guessing on the SAT. So when in doubt guess and run.

Happy Testing!!!!!

Nashville Learning Center
ACT Prep Tips
#acttestprep
#collegeadmissions
#nashvillelearn

615-450-6652
www.nashvillelearn.com

ACT Tip1: Keep Calm

The worse thing as a student that you can do is stress over the ACT test. We all aware of how important it is but the more you stress the more anxiety you cause. The worse thing a parent can do is continuously remind the student of how important the test is. Students are more aware than you know about the importance of the ACT so as the slogan says Keep Calm and Take the ACT Test. On the day of the test remember to take it easy and give yourself plenty of time to wake up, get ready, have breakfast and get to the test center. Then do whatever needs to be done to remain calm, meditate, breathe, just calm down and give it your best shot.

What is the ACT?

According to the ACT website (http://www.actstudent.org/faq/what.html)

The ACT is a national college admissions examination that consists of subject area tests in:

English Mathematics Reading Science

The ACT Plus Writing includes the four subject area tests plus a 30-minute Writing Test.

ACT results are accepted by all four-year colleges and universities in the US.

The ACT includes 215 multiple-choice questions and takes approximately 3 hours and 30 minutes to complete, including a short break (or just over four hours if you are taking the ACT Plus Writing). Actual testing time is 2 hours and 55 minutes (plus 30 minutes if you are taking the ACT Plus Writing).

The ACT is administered on six test dates within the US, US territories, Puerto Rico, and Canada. In other locations, the ACT is administered on five test dates.

The basic registration fee includes score reports for up to four college choices, if you list valid codes when you register.

The ACT tests are prepared according to the:

Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing, American Educational Research Association, American Psychological Association, and National Council on Measurement in Education (1999).
Code of Professional Responsibilities in Educational Measurement, National Council on Measurement in Education (1995).

Code of Fair Testing Practices in Education, Joint Committee on Testing Practices (2004).

This week we will be providing you with tools for success on the ACT. The test is this Saturday so we want to wish each of you that will take the exam much success and hopefully you will be able to use some of our tips.

Happy Testing!!!!!

Nashville Learning Center Summer Camp Spotlight: STEM Camp

Nashville Learning Center's newest camp is a STEM Camp and it will be a great camp for anyone interested in any of the STEM fields.

STEM Camp combines hands-on and virtual labs, engineering challenges, digital investigations, interactive videos, and career connections designed to engage students in STEM topics and connect them to specific careers.

"Building STEM literacy among America's next generation of leaders is critical to meet the global challenges that lie ahead and prepare students for tomorrow's careers," said Discovery Education CEO Bill Goodwyn. "We know that learning doesn't stop when the class bell rings. After-school hours and summer months provide valuable opportunities to engage and excite students.

#nashlearn
#summercamp
#summerenrichment
#STEMCamp
#science
#technology
#engineering
#math

Nashville Learning Center Summer Camp Spotlight: Brain Boot Camp

Nashville Learning Center also offers a Brain Boot Camp. Below you will find additional information on this camp:

Middle school can be an exhilarating but tough time for students. Middle school students must adjust to new environments, become more responsible for self and deal with increased workloads. Organization Skills Boot Camp will give your child the skills, self-confidence and individual attention needed for success that will assist them in and out of the classroom.
Your child will learn how to:

• Stay and get organized
• Time-management skills
• How to study
• How to take notes (Cornell Method)
• How to prepare for tests
• Set goals for the upcoming school year

#nashlearn
#summercamp
#summerenrichment
#brainbootcamp
#timemanagement
#organization
#notetaking
#studyskills

Nashville Learning Center Summer Camp Spotlight: Mathemagic Camp

Nashville Learning Center offers 3 Summer Camps at different locations during the summer months. This spotlight is on our Mathemagic Camp:
 
You will be amazed how fun math can be at Mathemagic Camp. Work your magic this week as we challenge each other in games and tricks to sharpen our math skills. The Mathemagic program teaches problem solving, focusing, concentration, and thinking outside of the box. This program teaches the utilization of both parts of the brain to function at the same time while memorizing, processing, and sorting information. Join our staff for this fun week of math and learning.

For more information give us a call at 615-450-6NLC (6652)
#nashvillelearn
#summercamp
#mathemagic
#summerfun
#mathcamp

Summer Camps

Over the next several days we will be providing you with information on our summer camps. If you want more information or would like to enroll your child please visit our website at www.nashvillelearn.com.

#summerenrichment
#nashvillelearn
#Mathemagic
#STEMCamp
#BrainBootCamp

How to Avoid Summer Learning Loss

Most parents think that if their children relax during summer break whether that is through vacationing, sleeping, playing video games, or just doing whatever they choose that their child will be well-rested and ready to start the school year off with a bang!

Unfortunately this is so far from the truth students can lose anywhere from he last 2 to 3 months of what they learned in the previous school year. So to put that into perspective if your child gets out of school at the end of May they can lose everything that they learned from March -May if they are not receiving some type of academic enrichment during the summer months.That is a huge heaping of information that your child is losing. How can you avoid the summer learning loss? It is simple enroll them in summer enrichment or an academic summer camp or work with them yourself on enrichment. Over the next few days we will provide you with information on our summer enrichment/ camp programs as well as give you some tips on what you can work on with your children.

Some of the things you can do are as follows:

• Make time for learning - incorporate learning in everything that you do with your child but also set aside some time for just learning such as reading 30 minutes per day or working on Math 30 minutes per day.
• As the teacher for the standards that will be covered the next school year or look them up on the school district's website and focus on the areas in which you know your child has trouble.
• Hire a tutor who can work with your child.
• Enroll them in a summer enrichment program or camp.

#summerenrichment
#summerlearningloss
#nashvillelearn
#Mathemagic
#STEMCamp
#BrainBootCamp

 

What is Summer Learning Loss?

  
Summer Learning Loss is the loss in academic skills and knowledge over the course of summer vacation. The loss in learning varies across grade level, subject matter, and family income. A common finding across numerous studies is that on average, students score lower on standardized tests at the end of the summer than they do at the beginning of summer (on the same test). Summer loss for all students is estimated to be equal to about 1 month (Cooper 1996), but this varies across subject matter:

• Mathematics - 2.6 months of grade-level equivalency loss

• Reading- Varies across SES. Low income students generally lose about 2 months of reading achievement. Middle income students experience slight gains in reading performances.

For over a century, scholars have recognized that summer vacation is a period when students’ rate of academic development declines relative to the school year. All children lose academic skills during the summer months, and family socioeconomic status (SES) is highly correlated to the level of academic growth or decline in the summer months. Two-thirds of the academic achievement gap in reading and language found among high school students has been explained through the learning loss that occurs during the summer months of the primary school years.

According to the National Summer Learning Association:

To succeed in school and life, children and young adults need ongoing opportunities to learn and practice essential skills. This is especially true during the summer months.

Many Americans have a wonderful image of summer as a carefree, happy time when "kids can be kids,” and take for granted the prospect of enriching experiences such as summer camps, time with family, and trips to museums, parks, and libraries.

Unfortunately, some youth face anything but idyllic summer months. When the school doors close, many children struggle to access educational opportunities, as well as basic needs such as healthy meals and adequate adult supervision.
 
Did You Know?

• All young people experience learning losses when they do not engage in educational activities during the summer. Research spanning 100 years shows that students typically score lower on standardized tests at the end of summer vacation than they do on the same tests at the beginning of the summer (White, 1906; Heyns, 1978; Entwisle & Alexander 1992; Cooper, 1996; Downey et al, 2004).
• Most students lose about two months of grade level equivalency in mathematical computation skills over the summer months. Low-income students also lose more than two months in reading achievement, despite the fact that their middle-class peers make slight gains (Cooper, 1996). 
• More than half of the achievement gap between lower- and higher-income youth can be explained by unequal access to summer learning opportunities. As a result, low-income youth are less likely to graduate from high school or enter college (Alexander et al, 2007). 
• Children lose more than academic knowledge over the summer. Most children—particularly children at high risk of obesity—gain weight more rapidly when they are out of school during summer break (Von Hippel et al, 2007). 
• Parents consistently cite summer as the most difficult time to ensure that their children have productive things to do (Duffett et al, 2004).

#nashlearn
#tutoring
#testprep
#summerlearningloss
#summerenrichment
#summercamps

Bullying Tip 9: End It

According to The Society for Safe & Caring Schools & Communities the most important thing whether you are the one being bullied or the bully is to end it as quickly as possible.

DO 

• Let the person know you are willing to help with any future bullying problems - sometimes the ones doing the bullying need to know that they to can make friends so make sure they know that you are there for them and willing to help when needed
• Trust him/her to let you know if help is needed - believe that they will inform you if they get into a situation and need your help

DON’T 

• Keep coming up to the person daily to see if the bullying has started again - just keep in contact and make sure the person doing the bullying or the person being bullied are ok and that they bullying doesn't commence.

#stoptheviolence

#endbullying

#nashvillelearn
#nashvilletutor

Bullying Tip 8: Remember to Reach Out

Remember to reach out 

DO

• Check with the person once in a while to show that you care - Make sure that you stay connected to the person who was being bullied and reach out them to ensure that the bullying has stopped and that everything is moving in a positive direction for them
• Treat the person bullying the way you would want to be treated - although it is hard to even think about treating a bully in a nice and kind way it is the proper thing to do

DON’T 

• Ignore the person - do not ignore the bully make sure that you address them and the issues because the more positive attention they have the more they will reconsider what they have been doing
• Get into fights with the one who is bullying - do not try to resolve the issue with the bully by taking matters into your own hands and getting physically involved with them
• Get friends to fight with the person bullying - do not pull additional people in to participate in the bullying by having them bully the bully

#stoptheviolence

#endbullying

#nashvillelearn
#nashvilletutor

Bullying Tip 7:Adult Help

According to The Society for Safe & Caring Schools & Communities you should always ask for adult help.

DO 

• Go tell an adult and ask for help - if you tell an adult and they are non-responsive then it is in your best interest to find another one who will do something
• Let your friend know it isn't ratting to report the bullying - reporting the bullying is not telling on the person in an attempt to get them in trouble instead it is resolving the problem

DON’T 

• Handle it yourself by bullying back - do not try to resolve the issue by trying to solve it yourself through bullying; this will not fix the bullying instead it will cause more tension
• Discourage the victim from telling an adult

#stoptheviolence

#endbullying

#nashvillelearn
#nashvilletutor

Bullying Tip 6: Care About Others

If you see someone bullying you should start by assisting them by caring about others. According to The Society for Safe & Caring Schools & Communities you should follow these Dos and Don'ts:

Care about others 

DO 

• Offer to help the victim - if you see someone that is being bullied offer to help them out by helping them to discover solutions
• Give him or her ideas to solve the problem - offer ideas and suggestions for ways to solve the problem
• Invite the person to hang out with you and your friends - become a friend to the one being bullied because this will help them establish another group of people in which they can communicate and hang out with

DON’T 

• Tell the victim it’s no big deal - don't belittle the victim by telling them that the bullying is no big deal; make sure you they know that it does matter and it is a big deal that needs to be resolved
• Walk away without helping - If you know about the bullying then help the victim out do not walk away without helping them

#stoptheviolence

#endbullying

#nashvillelearn
#nashvilletutor

What to Do if You See Someone Bullying

It is extremely hard to know what to do if you see someone bullying. On most occasions most people will sit back and try to avoid getting involved. It is in the best interest of yourself as well as the person being bullied to let someone know if you see someone bullying in an effort to stop the bullying. Make sure if you see someone bullying that you let someone know.

#stoptheviolence

#endbullying

#nashvillelearn
#nashvilletutor

Bullying Tip 5: End it Calmly

Finally to end bullying the most important thing to remember is to do so calmly. The Do's and Don'ts of Ending it Calmly according to The Society for Safe & Caring Schools & Communities are listed below:

DO

• Refuse to listen to or believe anything the person bullying said - there is no need to engage in what the bully says so don't listen to or believe anything that they tell you
• Treat the person bullying the way you like to be treated - if you want to be treated respect as hard as it is you must do the same for the person bullying you
• Think about what you have learned - think about what you have learned in the past about bullying and keep that in mind when dealing with how to end a bullying situation

DON’T

• Fight or name-call. This will make it worse or start it all over - do not interact with the bully when it is not necessary so do not name call or fight with them, find an adult and end it.
• Hold grudges - once you have resolved the issue with the bully let it go, do not hold grudges or bring it back up EVER!

USE

• Forgiveness - once you have resolved the issue than forgive the bully and again do not revisit the situation again.

#stoptheviolence

#endbullying

#nashvillelearn
#nashvilletutor

Bullying Tip 4: Figure Out Your Choices

Tip Number 4 is to figure out your choices. What are your options in handling the situation? How can you move forward? Who should you contact?

According to The Society for Safe & Caring Schools & Communities you should:

DO 

• Think about different ways to handle it (humor sometimes works) - you may be able to coerce your bully to leave you alone by making him/her laugh, you may even try to have a conversation with them in order to stop the bullying
• Avoid unsafe situations - stay away from places in which you are vulnerable to unsafe conditions
• Realize that it’s not worth getting hurt to save possessions - if a bully wants something of yours do not get hurt over that possession. Let them have it, talk to an adult and allow them the opportunity to get it back for you. 

DON’T 

• Tease or act dramatically - do not try to tease the bully or act dramatic with the bully just leave the situation alone
• Suffer in silence - let someone know what is going on....never just sit and suffer with what is going on, talk to an adult 

USE

• Problem-solving skills to figure out how to resolve the situation - use your problem solving skills to help figure out a way to resolve any issues that you may be having with your bully.

#stoptheviolence

#endbullying

#nashvillelearn
#nashvilletutor

Bullying Tip 3: Ask a Friend or Adult to Help

One of the many reasons children fall victim to bullying situations is they are afraid or embarrassed to ask for help. It is important as adults that we prep students for the possibility of bullying and ensure them that they should not be afraid or ashamed if they need to seek the help of a friend or another adult because of the bullying. According to The Society for Safe & Caring Schools & Communities below is a list of do's and don'ts when asking for help:

Ask a friend or adult to help

DO 

• Ask a friend to help you - again don't be ashamed to ask for assistance if you need it
• Make sure you are part of a group - stick with a group of people at all times so if something occurs someone can make an adult aware
• Ask adults for help; keep asking until you get it - again if you do not have a friend that is willing or able to help you ask an adult; make sure that you are persistent until they respond

DON’T 

• Think it’s ratting to ask for help - this whole no snitch policy that kids have created is the most ridiculous way to look at life. It is ok to tell because it is best that someone knows than for you to allow the bullying to continue and it end up being something detrimental.
• Suffer in silence—silence allows it to continue - I cannot say that you should let someone know enough. Please, Please, Please let someone know what is going on so that the steps can be taken to stop it.

USE 

• A calm voice to explain what happened - although bullying can be a scary situation make sure that you take a moment to calm down prior to trying to explain to someone what has occured.

#stoptheviolence

#endbullying

#nashvillelearn
#nashvilletutor