The end of February marks the time to start thinking about those AP exams, and other major exams like the SATs in general. In this month’s blog post, let’s check out strategies to effectively calendar and create a study schedule that works for you! Here are 4 considerations. Don’t just study It’s important to create a schedule that accounts for your humanity. Make sure to include times you’ve designated for fun and for rest. Block these times regularly in your calendar. Study challenging concepts at the right time You don’t have to get up at 6AM in the morning every morning to do well on your exams. While you’re organizing your study schedule, make sure you are accounting for YOUR best work hours. If you’re an early bird, or a night owl, be sure to acknowledge your unique best hours. Not all study time needs to be long Got a 30 minute ride to hang out with friends? Waiting for dinner to cook? Use these spare moments to review your flashcards and give your brain a quick rehash of concepts that are easy to forget. Take a practice exam Whether it be for a final, an AP exam, the SATs, GRE, or other standardized test, make sure to go through a practice test at least ONCE to get all the first time exam jitters out. You may not be able to replicate the entire experience, but you WILL be able to have a better understanding of and familiarity with the exam’s logistics and format. Now that these broad considerations are in, it’s time to organize your calendar. There are 3 important steps. Calendar your exam date Add in a treat for the day after, and some last minute flashcards for the day before. The week of, make sure you’re getting a combination of rest and review. Plan out your monthly goals After taking a diagnostic test, add in monthly goals to get a sense of how far you are from your goal score. Take at least one diagnostic test during each month so you can measure your progress. Figure out the hours per week you want to study. Once you have a sense of how many hours you can put in, you can see how much time you will need per day and when you can study more complex material you’re struggling with, given timeslots that are longer. As you can read, there is a lot of strategy and planning that comes with organizing your study schedule. The biggest advice? Make sure you can stick to it!
There’s a lot going on in the world of education right now, and we are learning not only new content, but new ways to show our learning. So, February marks the time to prepare for these new formats of exams. Some of these exams are formatted in a way such that they are hybrid or online. How are this year’s exams different? Let’s start with AP exams. For some popular college credit receiving exams like AP Biology or AP Calculus, it appears the exam will retain much of its pre-Covid structure. Most AP exams will still be in person with paper and pencil, in May. The exam will be administered for many students at the same time, at their specific schools of attendance. Testing centers which host many students taking exams are also prevalent. For a comprehensive look at the policies and guidelines of these standard format exams — which remain standard from many years past, click here. Still however, the pandemic is a factor in exam administration. For AP exams like AP English literature and AP World History, there will be a selection of exams hosted still in school, but online in a digital format. The key takeaways to understand for how these exams will operate differently are: The school must have applied in fall of 2021 to administer the exam online The exam will still be taken at the school in a proctored setting Students will be able to go back and forth online with questions Schools may be able to provide Windows, Mac, Chromebooks or even Ipads for the exam Digital and paper exams will be taken in different locations within the school For graduate degrees, the online format is also variable. The GRE is a good example to understand. A grueling 3 hours and 45 minutes, this exam is known to be tough even prior to the pandemic. With the shifts in learning, the GRE averages 1.5 million test takers with a mean score of around 150 out of 170 for the quantitative and verbal reasoning sections. The exam is entirely administered online. Here are some of the considerations for GRE for adult learners of this time: You can edit your answers and preview sections There is a built-in calculator function You can mark/ review answers on the digital format You can take the exam at home or at a testing facility At home testing is available 24/7 and proctored by an online human proctor. To read more about these exams, click here. With all of these exam changes, it will be interesting to see how students this year fair with online test scores! Seems like a good time to goal-set, and get help tutoring if you need it!
Overwhelmed in October? Students, parents, and teachers all understand the feeling of being overwhelmed this year. The ongoing Covid-19 pandemic exacerbates this feeling. It’s time to support our teachers. Because of Covid, fatigue takes a new depth in meaning this October, teachers note the month as the most challenging work-wise. This slump— referred to as ‘October exhaustion’— occurs when the ambitious goals set during the summer are faced with realities of student performance and added layers of work. So, this year giving a little extra TLC to your students’ teachers may make a difference in their education. Here are some ways to support our educators as October comes to a close. Celebrate success with your teachers! Has your student learned a new, critical skill this year with the help of your teacher? Has the transition from online to in-person (to potentially online again!) been particularly well-thought-of? Even the slightest note of gratitude can be meaningful to hear in this unprecedented time. Growth is happening! It may be a good reminder for you too. If you have something nice to say, share it! Practice psychological safety. Because many businesses going remote, there is no spare time to do much relationship building. That’s why when there is a designated time to communicate, like parent-teacher conferences, you want to make the most of your time. Practicing psychological safety means sharing just enough compassion in your communications and asking open-ended questions such that teachers will feel safe to open up to you and express their genuine concerns for your student. It may be an outlet for you to express yours too. Offer face time during Covid. This is not a suggestion for personal phone calls. Considering the current world of online learning, encouraging a “video on” rule for your student’s online education helps. Context allowing. Teachers appreciate being able to see facial feedback. Research suggests it stimulates such emotions as empathy and emotional connectedness— all behaviors that would contribute to the success of your student’s education. Further research also indicates that seeing the faces of students increases motivation for teachers. Build community. In addition to teaching itself, teachers are tasked with long-term curriculum planning, communicating with admin and parents, and a deluge of other tasks. By building a community among other caretakers, you add one more safety net for your student’s education and support teachers through community. Reflect to Support! Maybe your student is struggling during this time because your teacher needs support too. Be sure to reflect on desired outcomes for the school year. What can you easily communicate with your teacher that would support understanding the needs of your student? This small act of awareness goes a long way in conserving mental space, giving room for teachers to breathe as they move toward the winter months.
Summertime is the bastion of relaxation and ease in a child’s life. No school, fun in the sun and endless free time. It is not uncommon for a child to put away their books until school starts once again. However, this creates a risk for summertime learning loss and even potential academic setbacks when school is back in session. Encouraging your young one to pick up a book can require a creative approach, especially when reading time competes with social activities and technology. We suggest that you tag team your child’s summer reading list by reading to them or with them. For older children, feel free to read independently and discuss together later. You will find that the opportunities for engaging conversation on intriguing topics are virtually boundless and tech-free bonding is an added bonus! Below you will find summer reading suggestions for children of all ages. All of our selections have television or film adaptations to supplement the reading and are available for hardcopy or audiobook purchase online. Elementary School 1. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbit: A young girl encounters an extraordinary immortal family who teaches her that there is more to life than simply living forever. 2. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney: This comedy novel explores the daily life of a self-proclaimed wimpy kid just trying to fit in. 3. The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey: Two overly imaginative pranksters spend hours in a treehouse creating comic books about their hero, Captain Underpants, and are surprised to discover that he has become real. Middle School 4. Holes by Louis Sachar: An unlucky teenage boy named Stanley Yelnats is sent to Camp Green Lake, a juvenile corrections facility in a desert in Texas, after being falsely accused of theft. 5. Wonder by R.J. Palacio: A boy with Treacher Collins Syndrome, which has left his face disfigured, leaves homeschooling behind to experience a larger world after his parents enroll him into Beecher Middle School for the start of fifth grade. High School 6. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline: Avid gamer Wade Watts searches for an Easter egg in a worldwide virtual reality game, the discovery of which will lead him to inherit the game creator’s fortune. 7. Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon: Madeline Whittier lives everyday stuck inside her LA home while being treated for severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) until a new friend motivates her to come outside. 8. The Circle by Dave Eggers: A young woman begins a new job at top technology firm, The Circle, that has consequences for every aspect of her life.
It is nearly time for college admissions decisions to start being delivered to mailboxes all around the nation. Prospective college freshman wait with a health mixture of nerves and excitement. Along with admission comes Move-in Day, arguably the most exciting aspect of a freshman’s preparation. Here are ten things we recommend you bring to outfit your child’s freshman dorm. Mattress Protector – Adding a mattress cover/pad is a cost-effective way to make those twin XL sized beds feel brand new. Ease any worries about bed bugs, previous mattress users and other contaminants by investing in a protective zip-up cover for less than $15. An added bonus: keeping your mattress in pristine condition means the dorm deposit will be returned in full.Mattress Cover/Pad – College dorm life does not mean that comfort must be sacrificed. Memory foam mattress toppers add much-needed comfort and support, without putting a major dent in your pocketbook. After a long night of studying, there is nothing better than crashing in comfort. Portable Shower Caddy – Dorm living often necessitates communal bathrooms. Keep your toiletries in a shower caddy to maximize organization. Best part? You can carry the shower caddy to and from your room, so that you know you’re the only one using your products.Eye Mask – College living often means roommates. Even the most compatible of suite mates might have misaligned schedules. Don’t lose a minute of shut-eye, instead use an eye mask to block light.Extra set of laptop and cell phone chargers – A day in the life of a college student means ubiquitous electronic usage.Nonstop tech time means ample opportunities to leave a charger in the lecture hall, library, dining hall etc. Keep one set of chargers that stays home, and the second set for on-the-go.Surge Protector – Need extra outlets to plug up your gadgets and gizmos? Get a surge protector that will maximize available outlets without overloading the circuits or fuses in your dorm room.Under-the-bed Movable Storage – Dorm rooms necessitate taking full advantage of smaller living spaces. Ikea has a few great options for wheeled bins and chest of drawers to transform the space beneath your bed into an organized storage space.Bed risers – A critical part of utilizing storage below your bed is ensuring that it’s high enough off of the ground. There are no guarantees that bunk beds will be able to be debunked, but if you can split the bunks into two separate beds, we highly recommend doing so. Then, use bed risers to elevate your bed anywhere from 6-12’ from the floor. You’ll marvel at the increased storage space!
