We are preparing to assist many students this summer with a variety of learning needs, whether it is to close learning gaps, provide enrichment, or simply prevent seasonal brain drain.

Many of our favorite tutors will be staying local to NYC this summer and are filling up their schedules for June, July, and August.  Please give us a call at (212) 928-5016 or email will@partnerswithparents.com if you are interested in arranging summer tutoring.  We are currently offering a new customer discount of $100 off 10-hour packages started between June 15th and August 31st.

If you’re not interested, feel free to share this discount with others and then take the rest of the summer off!

Jessica is a highly experienced and enthusiastic tutor.  She has her BA from Columbia University and received multiple scholarships and fellowships for getting master’s degrees in art and music from Wesleyan, Brandeis, and Bard.  Over her eight years of tutoring in New York City, she has worked with hundreds of elite independent school students in a wide range of subjects: SATs, ISEEs, SHSATs, SSATs, PSATs, and other standardized test preparation, as well as academic subjects including mathematics, English, history, sciences, and music.  She has also served as the coordinator for the Brandeis University tutoring program, taught intensive SAT prep classes through the Ivy League Tutors Foundation, and taught a range of art and music courses as a graduate teaching fellow at Wesleyan University.  She believes that tutoring should reinforce the student’s strengths, rectify misunderstandings, and nurture independent thinking.  This allows students to gain the knowledge, skills, and confidence to feel empowered and excited about their academic success. She loves teaching and loves learning.

Alisa has a Ph.D in the humanities.  She has been listed in “Who’s Who in American Educators” and has taught a variety of humanities courses at the college level.  Alisa has extensive experience with standardized test preparation and has published on writing techniques for different learning styles.  Prior to working with PWP, Alisa taught SAT and GRE prep for the Princeton Review.  She is expert at developing proficiency in standardized test content, teaching test taking strategies, and building academic self confidence so that students feel ready to successfully take exams.  She has a fun, irreverent approach, siding with the student to outsmart the test, and has a record of substantial score increases for the vast majority of her students.

Regina has an MFA from Columbia University and an MA in Liberal Studies from The Graduate Center.  Regina has been teaching and tutoring for over 10 years.  Before coming to work with Partners With Parents, Regina worked as a private tutor for the Princeton Review.   Her classroom experience has included time as an English teacher at Hunter High School and she has done one-on-one test preparation for a wide array of tests: the ISEE, SHSAT, PSAT, and SAT, among others.  In addition to working with test prep clients, Regina creates and implements curricula for homeschool students, as well as provides academic coaching and conventional subject tutoring.  On the non-tutoring front, Regina recently impressed us all with the breadth of her knowledge as a 4-day champion on Jeopardy! Look out for her on the Tournament of Champions!

If you have general questions about the ISEE, SHSAT, or the SSAT or if you are interested in learning more about Partners With Parents’ other services, please call our office at (212) 928-5016/5014 or e-mail us.

Many of the homeschool families that work with Partners With Parents value the traditional school environment and have the eventual goal of returning to it.  We find the most successful transitions happen when the school that the student has left and/or will be attending can be involved in the process.   In some cases, when a student has no choice but to be out of school, he or she remains matriculated while our tutors teach the school’s curriculum.  That way, the student can return to school once they have recovered or become otherwise able to attend.  It also avoids having to go through the bureaucracy and paperwork that the state requires for homeschooled students.  When that is not an option, there is a certain degree of manageable red tape in New York (as well as New Jersey and Connecticut) that you will have to endure.  The most time-consuming tasks will likely be developing a curriculum and creating an Individualized Home Instruction Plan (IHIP) which must be submitted to the Department of Education.  There are many pre-designed age appropriate curricula that follow state guidelines available (some good, some bad) if the prospect of creating your own is daunting.

We, as parents, want a measure of control over our children’s education and seek solutions that work better for our kids.  Educating your child at home even for a short time can have multiple benefits.  One of the beauties of living in and around New York City is that we have many options.  NYC has literally thousands of resources and prospects for unconventional learning experiences.  You have the opportunity to tailor the learning environment to your child’s particular learning style, addressing individual needs.  One-one-one instruction, whether with an outside tutor or within the family, allows for engaging and meaningful learning.  This usually results in improved academic self-confidence and performance.  Often short-term homeschooled students reenter school better prepared to deal with its rigors after a short time away working independently.

Please visit our new expanded homeschooling page for more on requirements, curricula, and other useful information on the process of homeschooling in New York.  If you are from another state, contact us to find out more.

Here are some questions and comments that help both the student and the tutor better understand the student’s thought process:

• “What’s our goal, here?”
• “Do you know how I figured that out?”
• “Do you know why I did it that way?”
• “Where did you get that answer?”
• “Prove it.”
• “How can you be sure?“
• “Teach me how you did it.”
• “Why?”
• “What’s not making sense to you?”
• “Can you show me another way?”
• “What grade do you think this will get?”

It’s when our students internalize the “how’s and why’s,” in addition to the “who’s, what’s, where’s, and when’s,” that we know we are getting our job done well.

Each student has a different set of conditions under which he performs his best.  Each of us needs to be a scientist, making and testing hypotheses about our ideal study conditions.  Spend a number of weeks experimenting and finding out the answers to the questions below.  Remember what works the best for you is not necessarily what feels the best or most comfortable. The ultimate goal is finding what makes you most effective.

• What room in your apartment is best for homework and studying?

Do you have a dedicated area where you can go when you need to do work?  Are there some types of assignments that you can do in a more public place, like the living room, while some require more seclusion?  If you live in a “zoo,” consider the library.

• What position is best?

Sitting at a desk?  In a comfortable chair?  Lying on the floor?  Do you have access to everything you need?  Do you benefit from getting up and moving around periodically?  Does it vary based on the type of assignment?

• What kinds of noise are distracting?

Music?  Parents talking?  Siblings playing?  All of the above?  Are there places in the apartment/house where you can get away and have comparative silence?  Again, if a Yankee-Red Sox game seems like a quiet retreat, consider finding a place outside your home.

• What time of day are you most effective?

Are you a “day” person or a “night” person?  Are there certain times of day when, no matter how hard you try, you can’t absorb information?  You don’t want to wait until you’re 30 to find out that you get more accomplished from 6:00-8:00am than during the entire rest of the day.

• How often do you need to takes breaks?

Can you realistically concentrate for 5 hours without interruption?  Would five 1 hour blocks serve you better?  Three 100 minute blocks?  How long a break does it take to refuel your battery?  What can you do to reward yourself during your break (if you’ve earned it)?

• How do amount of sleep and level of hunger affect you?

How many hours of sleep do you need to be at your best?  Would a half hour nap at some point make a difference in your ability to apply yourself?  Are you able to work effectively after having a full meal?  What about when you’ve had two candy bars and a can of soda?  Do you need a (healthy) snack for energy before starting your homework?

• Do you work well under pressure?

If you know that you don’t, you’d better not save things until the last minute.  As soon as you know the assignment or test date, schedule the tasks you are going to accomplish each day (or week) to ensure that you have plenty of time to complete your work.

• Do you learn well in a group?

Would a study partner enhance or detract from your productivity?  Perhaps certain subjects yes, some no.  Certainly, who you choose as a study partner is vital; try to find a classmate who is equally committed to academic success.

Let the answers to these questions guide where, when, and how you approach your work.  Of course, you will never be able to work under your ideal conditions 100% of the time.  Moreover, the answers to these questions will likely vary depending on the type and complexity of the assignment (memorization, research, reading, writing, problem solving, etc.) as well as your level of interest.  Discovering your brain’s likes and dislikes at least gives you the opportunity to structure your schedule and set up your physical study environment to enhance your chance of success.

My first response was to think that we need to reduce kids’ seemingly incessant “screen time,” as opposed to their “book time,” which my colleagues explored in last week’s post, Nearsightedness and Competitive NYC Schools.  Over the last week, however, I’ve been stuck on this popular notion that we are overloading our kids with homework.  In this idea, we are dangerously close to coming out against a certain developmental rigor that is crucial for our children’s development.  We have all become familiar with the refrain that we should “let them have their childhood,” but if we’re talking about replacing books and academic challenges with a bag of chips and a 50” screen, I’m declining.

As adults with a certain amount of life experience, we know that few things come easily.  We know one has to work hard for the things worth having, and in the process one builds the skills and wisdom to manage the fruits of those efforts.  The classic example of this principle is the penniless lottery winner who, without the financial acumen to manage his new wealth, quickly burns through his winnings and finds himself stunningly penniless once again.  If he had worked to earn his wealth, he would have developed the skills to manage it and the emotional disposition to maintain it.  As moms, dads, and educators, we don’t want it all to be easy for our kids; we want them to gain strength through overcoming adversity.  To a reasonable extent, we are guided by the value, “That which doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger.”  By working hard to meet a goal, or to pursue an interest in spite of distractions and hurdles, our kids “learn how to learn” and become effective, values-driven problem solvers.

At the same time, we also know that a person must be able to succeed at a challenge in order for it to be useful.  A task that’s beyond a person’s capacity to execute is an exercise in futility, and often results in misery (if not symptoms of illness or subtle acts of defiance).  If our kids are genuinely suffering with their homework, as opposed to battling through their own procrastination and getting the job done, then it needs to be addressed.  Adult and child learners alike must have the tools available to them so that they can succeed.  So our ophthalmologist seems to have the right intuition about children whose well-being is compromised by hours and hours of homework, but above his concern for their vision there must be concern for their holistic health and sense of success.  Beyond monitoring the impact of rigorous academic life on children’s eyesight, we need to “keep an eye” on how it is affecting every aspect of their lives so that, as they are challenged to stretch and grow, no part of them is feeling an unbearable strain.

Read the original article: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/eye_doc_shocking_charge_nearsighted_UP00JQisaUlsuMg78aGJZN

Will Craig, Educational Director at Partners With Parents, can be reached at will@partnerswithparents.com.

Here are the things that we, at Partners With Parents, look for when hiring tutors and selecting candidates to meet specific client requests:

• Knowledge of the Subject – Obvious?  Well, yes.  You should certainly make sure that your tutor is knowledgeable in the subject he or she is about to teach your child.  Beware, however, that credentials alone do not tell the whole story.  I had a Nobel Prize winning chemistry professor in college who couldn’t convey the basic concepts in Chemistry 101.  He was one of the worst teachers I have ever had.
• Experience with students in similar situations – The ideal would be a tutor who has successfully worked with students in the same class at the same school with the same teacher.  In general, you can feel encouraged if they have been effective with other students of the same age, in the same subject.

• Ability to build rapport – This is where the tutor’s personality comes in.  Will your child respond well to the tutor?  This should not be confused with: Will your child like the tutor?  Some children respond to humor, others to knowledge of basketball, and others to a firm hand and clear boundaries.  Before hiring a tutor, consider the qualities that he or she should possess in order to create an effective partnership with your child.

• Versatility/Flexibility – A tutor must be able to teach a concept in many different ways.  The beauty of the one on one tutoring situation is that lessons can be tailored to an individual student’s learning style; if a given concept is not getting through, the tutor should be able to change the lesson plan midstream to tap into the way that the student learns best.

• Ability to motivate – You or your child may know what it takes to motivate him or her.  Enthusiasm for the subject matter?  Rewards?  Consequences for poor performance?  Different tutors have different strengths in this arena, whether it means creating a strong mentoring bond, developing techniques to keep your child on task, or simply facilitating your child’s independent drive.

• Values your time as well as their own – You want a tutor who is generous with their time but not overly so.  If you are paying for an hour of tutoring you should expect your tutor to be ready to work at the start of the hour.  You should not expect them to stay beyond the allotted time, since if they are good at what they do, they are likely to have another session following yours. (But they should certainly be willing to schedule a time to update you and discuss any concerns you might have.)

• Good communication – Are they easily reachable?  Do they respond to e-mails/phone calls promptly?  When responding, are they thorough?  Do you sense that they will speak candidly about your child’s progress rather than telling you what you want to hear?

In the end, tutors’ experiences, personalities and teaching techniques are wide and varied.  The key is to determine the qualities that will most benefit your child.   Make a hypothesis about what those qualities are and ask your children for their input.  Interview several tutors and have a few sessions with the one that meets your criteria most closely.  If it doesn’t feel like a good fit, don’t be afraid to try someone else.  You may find fabulous tutors that aren’t quite right.  It may take a little trial and error but you’ll know when you’ve found the right one.

2) Read to your child every day.  Demonstrate for your child how to read with expression.  If a book has pictures, relate the words to the pictures.  Even if you’re tired of a book, “Read it again!”  If you are repeating an old favorite, change the words in silly ways and let your child catch you “messing it up.”

3) Give your child a newspaper clipping or magazine and have them find a letter with a crayon. CIRCLE ALL THE “T”s.  Give them paper and their favorite colored marker and let them experiment with writing or tracing the letters they’ve found.

4) Spend time with letters of the alphabet that can be arranged and rearranged into different words.  Make sure you have duplicates; we don’t live in a world where one “e” suffices.   If your child is past swallowing age, a couple of sets of Scrabble letters should give more than enough variety for early readers.  The large refrigerator magnets will do nicely as well.

5) Take your child to get his or her own library card, and then visit the library regularly. Many libraries have programs for early readers, like story time, as well as afterschool programs for older children.  Books on CD, which most libraries carry, provide a great opportunity for a child to read a book independently and to hear an expert reader’s modeling.

2) Show you care about the class even if you don’t. Sit near the front, avoid distracting classmates, sit up straight, and make eye contact.  Listen for verbal clues, and watch for non-verbal clues.  For those less engaging classes, make sure you get enough sleep; nodding off is a big no-no.

3) Ask Questions and Contribute to the Discussion. These show your teacher that you are grappling with a particular subject and are synthesizing new information.  Make sure you are paying attention to what is being said by classmates so you don’t repeat it.  Reference their contributions in your own words when appropriate.  However, don’t talk just to hear yourself speak or become the obsequious kid that even the teacher avoids calling on after a few days.

4) Make sure everything you submit, by e-mail or on paper, is in pristine condition.  Proofread your work and be certain that it makes sense.  There should never be spelling or grammar mistakes.  And it goes without saying, no juice stains, no creases or folds, and no teeth marks (canine or otherwise).

5) Be on time. There’s no easier way to impress than by being in your seat, ready to learn, when the bell rings.  There are few things more glaring than interrupting your teacher midsentence to do the “walk of shame” from the classroom door to your seat.

“Does my child need help?”  It’s one of the most challenging questions we face in supporting our kids’ development.  We watch rising and falling grades, the roller coaster of emotion, peer relationships, shifting interests and activities, and so on, all in hopes of truly knowing our children and providing them with what they need.  Still, our doubts nag us: Is he really doing okay?  Is she truly happy? If we suspect all is not well, the question becomes: What can I do about it?  It can be difficult to tell if a child needs more help than is being provided.  Rare is the pre-adolescent who says to his dad over the breakfast cereal box “I’d like to retain a learning specialist to guide me through the murky waters of my teenage years.”   This leaves parents to sift through the sometimes subtle, sometimes overt, clues in their children’s behavior.

Stacey Goldberg of Star Educational Consulting points out that “A child’s self-esteem is typically the first to go when a child is struggling in school (and the hardest to regain), so if your child is feeling down on him or herself, or like he or she can’t keep up with peers, it might be time to call a professional.”

Further, neuropsychologist Dr. Barbara Kenner guides us to “think holistically, since a presenting weakness may actually be secondary to an underlying problem . . . A child who is acting out, not doing his or her work, or appears to have low self-esteem may actually be struggling with an underlying learning disability.  An evaluation will help clarify a child’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as provide a guide for treatment possibilities.”

Experts say the best rule of thumb is to keep loving your kid while staying attuned to cues from the educational professionals to whom you have entrusted your child at school.  As Ms. Goldberg points out, “Whereas parents of a pre-school child should be somewhat vigilant about involving professionals when their child is not reaching early milestones, parents of school age children are not necessarily the best assessors of how their child is performing in school.”

Since parents cannot always maintain an impartial viewpoint when it comes to the challenges their children meet in life, relying on the school for additional perspective is an important means of finding some counterbalance.  Theresa Peduto, educational consultant and co-chair of SPINS (Student and Parents Information Network Support) indicates “If parents feel that there are clear gaps in their child’s development, they should speak to the school to gain the school’s insight and seek an evaluation.”

Many a NYC parent has encountered what can feel like a frenetic educational environment.  Many children are receiving test preparation, enrichment tutoring and a plethora of supplemental activities, though designing unwarranted interventions can do more harm than good.  “Children read situations well, and sticking a learning specialist on your child without solicitation can read ‘I don’t think you can handle your work on your own,’” points out Ms. Goldberg.  Over-programming can lead to stress, while putting the right support in place can alleviate stress.  A child that is expressing concern or shows symptoms of declining self-esteem should be monitored and communication with his or her teachers is warranted.

The partnership between parents and schools over the past few years has improved dramatically, with communication beginning to flow both ways.  Ilene Rothschild, Learning Specialist at Horace Mann Upper School, states that “Parents know their kids best,” and that as a parent you add depth to your knowledge when you “watch your child and get feedback from your pediatrician, counselor, teachers, and coaches about your child’s development.”  In the same way, Ms. Rothschild indicates that “Schools more and more are consulting with parents before referring a child for an evaluation.”

If the school and the parent share the view that the child is continuing to show significant signs of frustration, it’s time to form a triangle with a third party support mechanism.  Ms. Rothschild says “Families should meet with schools to determine what steps can happen before an evaluation is recommended and  to learn what resources are available both from the school and community.  Parents should take advantage of these resources and give it a bit of time.”  It’s possible that some simple academic support is all that’s needed.

When preliminary actions still seem to lead to in-depth evaluation, Dr. Kenner’s inductive approach remains crucial to arriving at the source of the problem and accessing the correct help.  “It is important to determine whether this is a primary disorder, or secondary to, for example, a learning disability, speech and language issues, sensory processing weaknesses, or a mood disorder, each of which requires a different set of interventions.”

In sum, if you suspect your child is struggling, speak with the pro’s at his or her school whose job it is to know.  With an effective partnership formed among parents, school, and support professionals, Ms. Peduto reminds us that “the students that have their learning issues clearly identified can address learning in a creative way and this will prevent frustration and allow for academic growth.  These are kids that are often very creative and will succeed in life, but need alternatives to the status quo of learning.”

After putting the right kind of support in place, parents can answer those nagging questions in the affirmative:  Yes, my child is happy.  He’s really doing okay.