Blog
Meet Sara Garrison
We are excited to spend time each month this year introducing members of our outstanding tutor team. We’ll kick off 2019 introducing Sara Garrison, a tutor who has been with Connections from the beginning.
Why Is Recess Important?
The discussion of recess has taken center stage in recent years, as parents, teachers, and educational leaders all over the country work to make the best decisions regarding how our children spend their school day. Schools have seen an increased emphasis on standardized testing since the 2002 No Child Left Behind Act, and more recently, the adoption of the Common Core Standards. This has prompted school leadership to minimize and even eliminate recess time in order to provide more classroom instructional time.
Encouraging a love for writing
We were three months into the school year as I sat across the table from Anthony’s mom. Anthony was a strong student, particularly when it came to math and science. He devoured nonfiction books and could recall unusual facts with precise detail. He enjoyed school, participated in class discussions, and got along well with his classmates. I had only positive things to say about Anthony, but his mom was concerned. Anthony didn’t like to write. Furthermore, she wasn’t sure how to help him. As I discussed Anthony’s reluctance toward writing, his mom said something that has stuck with me for years.
Maximizing the Impacts of Tutoring
If your family has used a Connections tutor at any point, you know tutoring is an investment in your child’s future. For many families, that investment can be a sacrifice, so in this blog, we’ll be discussing ways to maximize the value of your child’s tutoring sessions. Your child’s tutor might have other, situation-specific suggestions for you; don’t be afraid to ask!
Fostering a Love of Reading
Whether you enjoy it or not, reading is an integral skill for educational success. When I was teaching middle school, my colleagues used to refer to the science and social studies tests as “the other reading tests” because in many ways, the student scores reflected more on their reading ability than their actual subject area knowledge. Almost every class a child takes will have a reading component: written texts, written instructions, written feedback, and written assessment questions. The stakes are just as high after graduation, where almost every real job requires reading comprehension skills.
Summer Work
If you are the parent of a school-aged child, you likely have a pile of paper in your kitchen that everyone is trying to avoid. That ominous pile is the summer work assigned by your child’s school – work that is traditionally put off throughout June and July, until suddenly August arrives with a deadline. Cue the tears and panic. Like its cousin, the science fair project, summer work tests the mettle of the strongest family, but it doesn’t have to be awful.
2016 Spring Newsletter
It is hard to believe that most schools are already in fourth quarter; the year has flown by! Spring brings Advanced Placement tests, and our tutors are ready to help your son or daughter prepare. We also have tutors who specialize in SAT/ACT preparation. Strong scores on both the AP and college placement tests can ultimately save thousands of dollars in tuition; tutoring is a solid investment in your child’s future.