Education is the key to success

WE ALL WANT SUCCESS FOR OUR CHILDREN

A basic human desire is for their children to do better than they did

That wish seems to get harder to fulfill every year. Some even say the American Dream is dead. The Dream is alive an well, we just have to fight harder to achieve it. We have to be vigilant and not let the broken school system do our job for us. When my son was in second grade he was a B student. But I could tell that he lacked the skills he should have. I pulled him from Fairfax Co. schools and sent him to a Christian school for a year. They moved him back a grade and taught him what he needed to know. With the basic skills in place, he was successful throughout school and is now managing a network engineering team. He was mad at me for a year, but now he admits it was the best thing I ever did for him. It is the parent's job to make the hard choices and not be fooled by inflated grades. Test your student to see if they are really where they should be. And if he or she needs help, DO NOT WAIT. Tutoring can fill the gaps and build the strong foundation your student needs.

EDUCATION

Is the most important gift you can give your child

By the time your student reaches high school it is usually too late. The basic skills learned in elementary school are the basis for all future educational success. Unfortunately, too many schools pass students on to the next grade before they master the skills taught in the grade they are in. Since the concepts build step-by-step, this leads to an inability to master the new material. It is a self-perperuating cycle that sets kids up for failure. Poor performance leads to poor attitude and a feeling of "why even try."

THE FORGETTING CURVE

Continued exposure to what has been learned is critical

The forgetting curve hypothesizes the decline of memory retention in time. Developed In 1885 by Hermann Ebbinghaus, this curve shows how information is lost over time when there is no attempt to retain it. A related concept is the strength of memory that refers to the durability that memory traces in the brain. The stronger the memory, the longer period of time that a person is able to recall it. A typical graph of the forgetting curve purports to show that humans tend to halve their memory of newly learned knowledge in a matter of days or weeks unless they consciously review the learned material.

forgetting curve

Coping with the forgetting curve

The good news is that while forgetting is a pervasive process, it is not random. In fact, it is possible to signal the brain that a particular piece of information is important and that it should retain it. In brief, research shows that when you force a learner to recall information in the hours and days after training, then they are much, much more likely to retain that information in the long run.

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Booster Event tutoring

Even if your child is doing great in school, the Forgetting Curve shows us that there is a real danger of losing what has been learned. Because education is designed to build on previous learning, forgetting crucial concepts can have disasterous effects. Help prepare your student for next year by reviewing what has already been learned to embed it in long-term memory.

LEARNING SHOULD BE FUN

The education system is turning learning into a drudgery

Prepare for the test. Take the test. Review the test. When I first started teaching, there was one "high-stakes" test per year. Now there are eight ot more! The amount of paper work imposed on teachers has multiplied expodentially. All that takes away from the core function of teaching and the kids (and the teachers) pay the price. Most teachers want to do the best for their students, but the sad fact is that they are prohibited from doing so. Ask your student's teacher whether he or she is teaching to "mastery" and they will admit that they can't. I call it "drive by education." Teachers touch on everything the students need -- and some of the students get everything. Unfortunately, the majority do not. I know, I've been there. I worked longer hours than any teacher I knew. I spent more time devising interesting and exciting lessons. That is why my classes did better than the entire rest of the school every year. No brag, just fact. However, the late nights and weekends did a number on my health and I was forced to take disability. I can no longer handle full-time teaching, but I can bring my experience and the lessons I learned to your student. Let me help your student like I have helped countless others. Just because I am retired doesn't mean I am ready for pasture. Teaching is my vocation. I teach because I love it. And teachers who love teaching create students who love learning.

COST

Standard charge $20/hour

My rates are competitive, but they are not set in stone. Rates are negotiable depending on number of hours per week and other factors.

For your child's future, please contact me and let's work something out.