With S.E.A. just months away, we at Grade A Tutoring and Learning Centre (Grade A for short) have been receiving calls from frantic parents seeking our services. One of the most frequently asked questions by potential clients is how successful we are at preparing kids for this exam. While this is a very good question, (after all parents are spending their hard earned cash) it is one which fills my heart with dread.
Approximately 20% of the people who seek us out are those whose kids are struggling and did not receive the necessary help early. Another 60% are those who simply seek out our services and believe that we must do all of the work. (after all they are paying their hard earned money for tutoring) The parents who do the latter and I normally wind up having a conversation after a couple of sessions. Why you may ask? Well these are the parents whose kids do not do their self assessments (that's our term for home work) and who do not have a study plan. During this conversation, I normally inform the parents that the child is wasting my time and their money because they are failing to to their duty. Parents, your child's education (in this case S.E.A. success) is a team effort which includes the parent, child and the teacher (in this case the tutor). Each team member must perform his/ her duty to ensure success. As a parents, in addition to finding a tutor and paying the tuition fees, you must ensure that your child completes assignments, create a study plan with your child as well as ensure that he or she follows it. The child is the one who must follow the study plan as well as complete all self assessments. The tutor's job is to use effective and engaging techniques to ensure that your child understands the material as well as to provide advice on what can be done at home to reinforce what is taught in class. If any of the stake holders involve fail to perform their duties, then the child's success will be at risk. It is very frustrating as a tutor to put your heart and soul into teaching and your students aren't holding up their end of the bargain. Parent's, having the best tutor is not the be all and end all. You must work with your child at home, ensure that he or she studies as well as complete all assessments. So to answer that question, we at Grade A are dedicated to serving our clients to the best of our ability but in order to ensure that our clients succeed, we need all stakeholders to do their job. Should everyone fulfill their duties, we guarantee that your child will be successful in the S.E.A. exam if they enroll in our centre or retain the services of a Private Tutor at the right time. So let's work together to ensure your child's academic success If you would like more information on our services, feel free to contact us at 324-5496/ 312-7383. Happy studying.
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As parents we all want what's best for our kids. We want them to excel in school,get a job and live a great life.This is why many parents are nervous about the S.E.A. exam. Many of you invest money in countless S.E.A. resources, seek out the best "lessons teachers" and tutors to help your children get into that "prestige" school. While I do agree that these things can be beneficial, as a Private Tutor with over 10 years experience with helping kids get ready for the S.E.A. exam, I believe that the number one thing you can do to help your child prepare for the S.E.A. exam is simple: prepare.
Let me explain what I mean. The S.E.A. examination is written at the end of the Standard 5 period. As parents the one thing you can to do assist your child is to begin preparations as early as possible. Make sure that throughout the years they have an understanding of what is being taught. If there are problems, make sure that you get help as early as possible. Do not wait until your child reaches Standard 5 to get help. While some of you reading this may say, " well that's obvious" let me tell you that during the period January to May is exactly when some parents come pleading to me to find them a Tutor. While there have been instances where some students do see a drastic improvement, let me assure you that this is usually a stressful period for both the Tutor and the student since they are both under extreme pressure to perform. We all know that S.E.A. preparation is already a stressful time so why make an already stressful period more stressful? So parents early preparation and intervention is the key. If you want to give your child a good chance at doing well in the S.E.A. examination, the single most important thing you can do is prepare early. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying to enrol them in classes in Standard 1, i'm simply saying to ensure that they have a good foundation throughout the years. Seek help early if you notice problems rather than waiting right before the exams which will simply make your child feel overwhelmed. So, as my Standard 5 teacher use to tell us, "if you fail to prepare, prepare to fail." Don't leave your child's preparation for the last minute, start early to make this journey as easy as possible. If you would like to hire a Private Tutor, please feel free to contact us at 324-5496/ 312-7383 As a Private Tutor one of the most challenging aspects of tutoring is arriving at a client's house for a session and they are not prepared. This is frustrating because it would mean that valuable time is lost and as the saying goes time is money. By not being prepared, the client is wasting his or her parent's money and the Tutor may not be able to accomplish all that was planned for that session. As we approach the start of the new term, here are a few tips to help you prepare for your tutoring session and ensure that you get value for your money.
1. Keep your tutoring appointments as much as possible. If you are unable to attend try to schedule a make up class if this is at all possible. If you are going to be late, let your tutor as soon as possible. 2.Make sure you know what's going on in class. If there are any concepts which you do not understand your tutor will be able to explain them to you during this time. If you do not have any problems, the tutor will be able to move on so you will be ahead of your class. 3. Have your notes and study material at hand. As the saying goes " a carpenter cannot work without tools" the same applies to Tutoring. As a Tutor nothing is more frustrating than a student who is not prepared for a session. To ensure that the session runs smoothly, please ensure that all textbooks, notes and your notebook are at hand before the start of a session. 4. Complete your home work assignments. Tutors assign homework for a reason. This is to gauge whether or not you understand what is being taught. When the assignments are not completed, it hinders the tutoring process. 5.Have a positive attitude and be prepared to work. Tutoring will not work if you are unwilling to work. A Tutor work hard and deliver excellent notes but at the end of the day the student's willingness to do the assignments and review notes will determine how successful tutoring will be. Tutoring works however you must play your role to ensure that it does.By following these 5 steps you will be able to get the most out of your tutoring sessions. If you are interested in hiring a Private Tutor please feel free to contact us at Grade A Tutoring and Learning Centre. Telephone: 324-5496/ 312-7383 Email: [email protected] Recently, we at Grade A Tutoring and Learning Centre have received numerous calls from parents wanting to learn more about homeschooling. Many of these parents were interested in embarking on this journey for several reasons. If you are one of those parents who are interested in the idea of homeschooling, here are some tips which can help you on your journey.
1. Set a goal. Setting a goal is an important aspect of homeschooling. You need to decide your goals. Will your child be homeschooled for a short time or long term? Some parents choose to homeschool because they are unable to get their child into a school of their choice after writing the Secondary Entrance Assessment (S.E.A.)Examination or after relocating Others do it during the primary school years but opt for their kids to go to a formal secondary school. While there are those who homeschool at both the Primary and Secondary school levels. 2. Choose a curriculum. After deciding your goal the next step would be to decide on a curriculum. This would be based on your goals. For example if you choose to let your kids write the S.E.A. Examination you would need to follow the Trinidad and Tobago Primary School curriculum. There are lots of resources available online so just do some research. 3. Choose an instructor. Decide on who will be doing the instructions. Will you be doing it? Will you hire a tutor? Will you be doing a mixture of both? Any parent can homeschool as long as they have successfully completed Secondary level education. If you believe that you need extra support feel free to hire a tutor to assist you. 4. Plan. After choosing a curriculum and deciding on an instructor, think about where you will be doing the tutoring. You should also create a timetable and gather educational material. Please note that you do not need 6-7 hours of schooling per day because it will be one on one instruction. We personally do 4 hours daily which allows us to complete a lot of work. 5. After doing all of the above the next step would be to notify the school in which the child is enrolled that you would be removing them from that school to begin homeschooling. This should be done in writing and a copy should be kept for yourself. Homeschooling is legal in Trinidad and Tobago. There are several persons who homeschool their kids. If you are interested in homeschooling your kids and need help please feel free to contact us at Grade A Tutoring and Learning Centre. ![]() As a provider of private tuition, there are times when parents come to us making cliams that thier child's teacher is difficult. We at Grade A have heard stories about unsupportive and absentee teachers who neglect kids. From our experience, in most cases, these statements were not true. But what happens if this is true? What happens it your child's teacher is difficult? We have put together a few tips to help you when facing this situation.Go to the Teacher First. Speak with the teacher first before contacting the principal. The first question the principal will ask is if you spoke with the teacher about the matter, and if you didn't it will reflect negatively on your part. Follow procedure and give the teacher a chance to remedy the situation first. Arrange a face to face meeting with the teacher . Schedule a meeting in person. At the meeting, follow the following steps to ensure that the meeting is a productive one:
Keep Documentation. Document attempts to reach the teacher, especially if they do not respond. It will be easier to plead your case if you have documented communication attempts. Remain Positive. Never speak negatively about the teacher in front of your child, because if he sees you don't respect the teacher, he will feel it's okay for him to show disrespect in the classroom. Promote Patience. If your child complains, remind him that he will have many different types of teachers in his life and that part of the journey is learning how to be successful no matter what the circumstances. Make Learning Fun. Maintain a joy of learning in the home. Find ways to supplement the curriculum and make sure the light for learning does not dim in your child's eyes. Show Appreciation. Consider having every teacher in the school fill out a survey of their favorite things and keep a book of them in the front office. Check it often to find ways you can surprise, support, and show appreciation for your child's teachers. Having a difficult teacher can be frustrating, but with patience and some effort, the situation can be rectified. ![]() As the school year draws to a close, students are filled with joy since they can now sleep in late, relax, spend time with friends and family and of course say good bye to home work and assignments . While students are indeed entitled to a break from school, parents should bear in mind that the long July/ August vacation can lead to a lazy brain making students forget what was learnt during the past term. In this installment of the “Parent Room” we will be looking at what can be done to combat the dreaded “Vacation Learning Loss”. Get help from the experts · Hire a Personal Tutor to assist your child with any area of difficulty they may have. The tutor can also prepare them for what will be covered in the upcoming school year. · If you prefer more social interaction for your child, sign them up for Academic Camps, Arts and Music classes (which have been shown to enhance a child’s logical and mathematical skills) and other enrichment activities and classes offered by the school or community. Make playtime educational · Turn off the computer, television and game consoles and provide some good old fashioned educational toys, like Legos for younger kids and crossword puzzles, Sudoku and Rubik’s cube for older kids. These toys have long been known to stimulate imagination and develop analytical and organizational skills. · Also, there are a variety of great educational toys from top brands like Vtech and LeapFrog, offering tablets and computer games that are educational but still very fun. For very young kids, babies and toddlers, check out the big line of Baby Einstein toys that help to stimulate young minds at an early age and facilitate education early on Bring Your Kids To The Supermarket · Aside from the fact that it is fun to buy groceries, it can be a rewarding experience for your kids because it is a chance for them to revisit their math skills. Allow them to compute or estimate the total amount of items that you will buy. Do not forget to reward them if they get it right. Bring Kids To The Library At Least Once Per Week · Make sure to encourage reading by bringing kids to the library and maybe joining a reading group. The NALIS Library is usually bursting with activity so be sure to check out what activities are on. · At home, make sure to encourage your kids to read magazines and books so that they will learn something new. It is suggested to have them share what they have learned from the day’s reading experience, this supports reading comprehension, which is an essential part of learning. Encourage A Summer Journal · Unleash the writer in your child and buy them a journal. Encourage them to write about their summer experience each and every day. Facilitate Human Connections · Bring your kids to the community park or to relatives to make them appreciate the fact that face to face encounter is still better than virtual connections. Also, encourage them to reduce the hours they spend in front of the computer. These are just some of the recommended activities that you can choose from this summer. In lining up activities that will keep your kids’ minds active, make sure that they are fun-filled as well. What are you doing to keep your kid’s minds active during the summer? ![]() Anxiety is a basic human emotion consisting of fear and uncertainty that typically appears when an individual perceives an event as being a threat to the ego or self-esteem. One of the most threatening events that causes anxiety in students today is testing. When students develop an extreme fear of performing poorly on an examination, they experience test anxiety. Test anxiety is a major factor contributing to a variety of negative outcomes including psychological distress, academic underachievement, academic failure, and insecurity. Many students have the cognitive ability to do well on exams but may not do so because of high levels of test anxiety. Because of the societal emphasis placed on testing, this could potentially limit their educational opportunities. Test-anxious students express anxiety behaviorally by procrastinating and having inefficient study and test-taking skills. Studies contends that test-anxious students have a more difficult time interpreting information and organizing it into larger patterns of meaning. In addition, some students may physically feel tired or exhausted during test administration because they do not have a healthy diet, have poor sleeping habits, and fail to routinely exercise. SUGGESTIONS TO HELP STUDENTS OVERCOME TEST ANXIETY There are a number of suggestions that parents may utilize to help students effectively manage test anxiety. Parents should: * make sure their children attend school regularly. * create and maintain a home environment that will help their children be well rested during regular school days and during the week of testing. * evaluate their children's academic progress over a period of time rather than on one single test score. * talk with their children and encourage them to do their best. * be proactive, contact school officials if they have questions concerning tests results. * encourage their children to maintain a healthy diet and exercise on a regular basis. Students are encouraged to: * consistently develop good sleeping habits, especially during the week of the test, and maintain a healthy diet and exercise regularly. * avoid cramming, develop good study habits and good test taking skills. * wear comfortable clothes during the exam and maintain a comfortable and relaxed body posture during the test. * be aware of time allotted for the test, read directions carefully, and for time management purposes leave questions blank that they are not sure of and attempt to answer them later. * not compare themselves to other students while taking the test. * take deep breaths and attempt to regain composure when anxiety levels are high or when negative thoughts are present. CONCLUSION Test anxiety is something that impacts students from all ethnic backgrounds and levels. Helping students learn to effectively manage such anxiety is a challenging task that requires a genuine team effort. Students, parents, teachers, school counselors, and school administrators must all find ways to be actively involved in reducing test anxiety. We live in a test-taking society and when students are anxious during tests, they are less likely to perform up to their academic potential. ![]() Every student from time to time will bring home a report card that is less than acceptable. When your child brings home a bad report card, your first instinct might be to yell and punish, but a bad report card really isn't the end of the world. Knowing how to deal with a bad report card can take some finesse and may require you to take a step back and look at things from a different perspective. You as a parent can either turn it into a good experience or bad experience. The way your react after a bad report card will be a memory your child has for the rest of their life. That does not mean you should just sit back and accept the bad report card. There are a few things you can do to turn this bad report card into a positive learning experience for your child. In this article, the Grade A Blogger gives you some tips on how to handle this situation. 1 Talk to your child Talk with your child about each grade listed on the report card. Make sure you stay calm. Some good discussion questions would be: Do you know why you recieved that grade? Can you explain to me why you earned that grade? What do you think should be done to improve this grade. 2. Ask how the grades are weighted. Some teachers give more weight (or emphasis) to tests than to homework. If your child has exceptional grades on his homework, but has a hard time taking tests, his grades may reflect this and not his true understanding of the subject 3. Listen to your child It may be that he has a million excuses why he has a bad report card, none of which are valid or lay the responsibility at his feet, but he may have some insights, too. Maybe he's distracted or embarrassed to ask for help. Maybe he can't see the board or is tired because he's participating in too many extracurricular activities. You won't know until you ask. 4. Praise the positive. Somewhere on that report card, there is something to be proud of, even if it's just a good attendance record. Make sure your child knows you're looking at everything and not just the negatives. 5. Come up with a game plan so the next report card won't be so bad. This means setting realistic goals for the next quarter and helping your child brainstorm ways to meet these goals. Realistic is the key word here. A child who has all C's and D's on his report card cannot realistically be expected to have all A's next time around, but it's probably not too much to ask to see those grades increase to B's and C's. 6. Provide the supports. Your job isn't done until you've helped your child access the supports he needs to improve his report card. If you have to contact the teacher, don't put if off. If you need to help him outline his time, sit down and do it. If you need professional support such as private tuition, do so. Your child is counting on you to help him out, which is not the same as bailing him out. For quality Personal Tutoring and small group classes click here ![]() How can I help my child stay focused in schooll? Many Parents find themselves asking this question, especially when exam time is right around the corner. As usual, the Grade A Blogger has compiled a few tips to assist those who are interested in helping their child stay focussed. Step 1 Schedule your child's homework time. Success in school often revolves around developing good study habits at home. Sports, social events and even a parent's job can make it difficult to squeeze in one more activity at the end of a long day. But teachers use homework to gauge a student's grasp of daily lessons, help him prepare for tests and keep him focused on the concepts taught that day, so homework should be a priority. Step 2 Remove significant distractions during homework sessions, and give your child a specific place to study where you can supervise from a distance. Teachers generally want parents to avoid taking a child step-by-step through a routine assignment. Parents can help, however, by reviewing the overall concepts covered in the homework lesson. Step 3 Teach your child how to take notes by including pertinent facts and summarizing the main topic of a lecture in his own words instead of writing down everything the teacher says. This helps him learn how to focus on valuable nuggets of information rather than just a jumble of words. Explain the skill thoroughly, and practice it by giving him a brief "pretend" lecture. Step 4 Buy her a small notepad and pen for making lists. Help her focus on upcoming events in order of importance and organize her daily schedule accordingly. Have her jot down reminders about items she will need, or research she has to do before completing a special project. Show her how to reduce a seemingly overwhelming task into manageable steps by making a daily "to do" list. Step 5 Ask your child to look at you when you give him instructions. Make sure he actually focuses his attention on you, not the television or other distractions. Have him repeat the instructions in his own words to clarify his understanding. Encourage him to do the same at school by repeating to himself or writing down what he heard his teacher say. Remind him that he can ask questions in class as long as he follows classroom rules. Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/185584-how-to-help-children-stay-focused-in-school/#ixzz1DWwB5MVd Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/185584-how-to-help-children-stay-focused-in-school/#ixzz1DWvtnKpu It is often difficult to concentrate duringyour studies. ![]() Here are some techniques that many students have found helpful.
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Author Charlene Morris Archives
November 2017
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