pencils

I love pencils. Pencils allow you to erase. This is a magical thing.

I've noticed over the last 10 years that most high school kids (and college kids, too) don't use pencils. They use pens. I can't figure this out. Do you have so much confidence in yourself that you won't need to erase? Does using a pen make you cool? Are pencils lame?

Pens are permanent. If you write something with a pen, you can't change your mind and erase it. You have to start all over. I only allow pens in my courses when we are doing vocab (another post for another day). Otherwise, you must use a pencil with me.

The tests only let you use pencils. I like to practice how to do the test by using the correct tools for the test. This includes pencils. You might not think of this as a big deal, but it is different to write in pencil than in pen. Especially when it comes to the essay.

Since I make everyone write in pencils, I provide fun pencils. All my pencils are super cool. I have a pencil sharpener in the shape of a pencil. I noticed something else after I started using cool pencils...my kids would take my pencils. See, kids come here and want to take what they have learned here and apply it to their regular school life. I think they just take my pencils so it will be the same. Except this got expensive for me. I'm glad that they want to "take" what they have learned, but really...I can't be buying super cool pencils all the time. So I tricked them. I bought Hannah Montana and Jonas Brother pencils. Yep...those get left here. No one in high school wants to be caught with a Jo Bro pencil. (except now my "real" kids take them...because 4th graders and pre-kers love HM and JB)

Why do I care so much about pencils? Like I said before, they are magical. When we are learning something new, we are bound to make mistakes. It's much easier to erase the bad and keep the good, rather than have to start over all of the time.

graduate

I do test prep for the GRE, too. I am trying to build this side of my business. I had success with this in the fall. I did a lot of research on the GRE before even putting my foot in the waters of that test. I always want to be prepared and understand every angle before I even begin thinking about helping anyone. One of my GRE students went up 300 points. I was really proud of him!

Having said all of this, what I learned from all my research is that the GRE is a whole lot like the SAT. Bummer. I found that with the kids (can you call them that when they are 21ish??) that I had for GRE prep, they had the same problems as the kids I tutor for the SAT.

This test can be easily understood, too. I have a great program that helps raise scores on this test. Every test is manageable, you just have to figure it out first.

essay

An awesome feature of current standardized test prep is the 25 minute essay that you have to write at the very beginning of the test.

How awesome is THAT?

You open up your test booklet and find this question that is really too much to handle at 8 am on a Saturday. Then you have to write an essay from start to finish in 25 minutes. Think back to when you wrote a paper you were getting a grade on...you there? O.K. Now, how many times did you go over it and make some revisions to it before you turned it in? Lots? Some? I'm guessing somewhere in the middle of those two. I'm guessing though that you never wrote an essay in 25 minutes THAT DEPENDED ON YOU GETTING INTO COLLEGE. That is where the rub is.

I came up with a really neat way to help kids write for the essay portion of the test. I usually get some eye rolls at first, but after a one or two essays I usually can win even my most stubborn student over.

We practice writing essays EVERY time that my kids come and see me. I'm not sure if you have noticed yet, but I am big on practicing what you learn. We write a lot of essays. I used to hope that this skill would help them down the road, after they left me. Now I know it does. One of my former students, now in college, facebooked me one night and told me that his professor makes them write random essays in a short period of time every day in class. He said that he used my method and always did really well! I can tell you, and so would he, that he was one of my more...essay-challenged students. If I can get him using what he learned even 2 years after having me, I consider that a win.

I think everyone should know how to gather their thoughts and write something that expresses exactly how you feel. That comes with practice. And that is one thing you get a lot of with me...practice.

practice

One of the reasons my courses always produce a score improvement is because we do a lot of work together. I teach kids how to take the tests, but then I practice with them making sure that they understand what they have learned. At first we do everything together, but gradually they begin to do more and more of it on their own so that they are ready for the test. It does them no good for me to teach them how to take the test if I don't help them apply the skills they have learned.

We do A LOT of practice for the test. I think that this makes a huge difference in the end. However, the practice only helps you if you are doing it correctly. I make sure that my kids understand what I am teaching them so that they are able to do their very best on the test. It is just as important to me that they do well on this test as it is to them. I want to make sure that I have prepared them in the best way to be successful.

handwriting

It's a lost art. Or skill. Or something you should totally know how to do. Like be able to print. Or write in cursive.

So, when I take the tests, I'm not nervous. I feel no pressure. I just do it as part of my job. It's training to me. I like to look around and people watch.

Who am I kidding? I like to do that all of the time. It's just more fun there.

I really give credit to the first kid who will say out loud, "Look at that old lady. She must be really dumb." This is a brave kid. A stupid kid, but a brave one. I'm not old either. I'm 32. I dare anyone to comment otherwise.

I also enjoy the questions kids ask the proctors. You have to copy a statement and then SIGN your name under it indicating you agree not to cheat. EVERY time I take this test, some kid asks what "sign" means. The proctor will say, "Write your name in cursive." And EVERY time the same kid will say, "Like when the letters are all attached?"

I am not kidding.

In all honesty, though, theses kids type everything on a computer and text all day long. They have no reason to know how to write. Unless someone makes them.

I will say that I am the one that makes them...but that is another post for another day.

effort

I had a friend tell me yesterday, after reading my blog, that he only took the SAT once. That must be nice.

I think some people are able to just show up and get a super score. I wasn't one of those people. I wish I would have had me. I had to really work to get my score up. Most of the kids I tutor are like me. They are really great students with awesome GPA's...but...the test doesn't reflect that at all.

So, some of us have to put forth a little extra effort to do well on these tests.

I do know that there are some people that really just do well on the test without any prep or studying. (my brother was one of those people)

Then there are the people like me. We need a little more help. It is fine to ask for help. It is cool to have a tutor. It's even cooler to have a cool tutor. What matters most is getting the score you want and getting into the college you want.

timing

I had someone say to me today, "Hey...don't you tutor for the SAT?" I said that I did. She said, "My stepson is a Junior. When should he take the test?"

Here is what I think.

I think you should take the test around now for the first time if you are a Junior. This will be a good way to see what you need to do to raise your score to get into the college that you want to get into.

Ideally, I like for my kids to have one test under their belt before they come and see me. This way I can look at their scores and determine the best way to raise their score. Then they take it one more time before the end of their Junior year. This leaves us the first test option in fall of their Senior year to tidy up any loose ends. Then they can apply early admission and stop worrying about it all together.

That's what I think, anyway. It just makes for less stress at the start of their Senior year. There is nothing worse than a Senior who is seriously stressed because they are at the "last chance" test. Trust me. I know these things.

grammar

Being well spoken and well written can serve you well in life. It is unfortunate that our kids are not taught grammar like we were taught grammar. With endless technology that allows us to just type and everything gets auto-corrected, a person can no longer write a quality...anything...that is grammatically correct.

Don't even get me started on "text" words. Ugh...

At any rate, the SAT and ACT require you to write an essay on an unknown topic in 25 minutes. While the thought of writing a paper in 25 minutes stinks enough, it also has to be handwritten.

Which means auto-correct will not be in place.

Bummer.

Grammar is not such an awful thing. I LOVE grammar. You may have had an English teacher who made you do endless diagramming or grammar drills growing up. If you still have her/his number, you should call and thank her/him. Grammar can be great! It can be lots of fun! Most importantly, though, exceptional grammar skills can get you far in life.

Reteaching grammar to 17 (and actually to my GRE test-takers, too) year old kids is time consuming. I keep all of the work they do for me from the beginning of the course through the end of the course. My favorite part of teaching them to write is on the last day when they read the very first paper that they wrote for me and they look at me and say, "Oh. Wow. That was really bad."

I probably shouldn't get so much joy out of that...but it does make me happy because at that point they have learned enough to not only know how to write, but to see a difference.

love

I love what I do. I don't think that many people can say that and mean it. I can.

In honor of Valentine's Day, I would like to share with you the reasons why I love tutoring.

1. The "a-ha!" moment it clicks.

2. Seeing a child's confidence grow.

3. Helping someone learn something new.

4. Helping someone understand something new.

5. Being someone that somebody else trusts enough to ask a question to.

6. Continuing to talk to my kids even after they are done tutoring...like even when they are in college.

7. Being able to tell kids that college is different from high school; don't worry about it.

8. Getting texts from kids seeing if they can come for extra help.

9. Getting texts from kids as soon as they are out of the test.

10. Getting texts from kids as soon as they get their score.

11. Getting invitations to high school graduations.

12. Hearing how much their score went up.

13. Talking to parents.

14. Talking to kids.

I could keep going...but I will stop. There is so much more to what I do besides the obvious. I really have such a good time tutoring, most days it doesn't even seem like work.

important

No matter what you do, it is important that you do your best. While this concept seems simple, it is easy to...umm...maybe just do what you need to do to get by.

I don't have that option with high school kids. They tend to, well...you remember being in high school, right?

So, in an attempt to "win them over" and "gain their trust" I do something that most people would never do in their life again. Every year I take the SAT or the ACT. My philosophy is this: if I am going to teach something as serious as THE test that gets you into college, I need to know exactly what it's like. A bonus that comes with taking this test every year and telling my students that I do is some sort of instant, yet hesitant (almost like "are you crazy?") trust from every high school kid I have ever had the pleasure of tutoring.

In case you were wondering, yes, it is indeed just as awful as when you took it. In fact, I would argue that it is probably worse. It takes FOREVER to take the test. There are 10 sections AND an essay on an unknown topic that you only have 25 minutes to write. It stinks.

I don't really enjoy taking the test, but I feel better about saying stuff like, "You know on the test how they..." because I really know what I am talking about and trying to describe.

It's also a little bit funny. For instance, you either wear your pajamas to take the test or you get dressed up just short of how you might look for prom. It's pretty funny. And yes, you can totally see the kids sizing one another up. Ahh, high school...it's super awesome.

fun

Fact: if kids are bored when stuff that they are meant to learn is presented to them, they will tune you out.

You can argue with me if you like, but I am right. You remember things better when you are engaged in what you are learning.

I try to make learning for standardized tests something fun.

Huh?

I know, you think it's impossible to do. It's not. I've worked really hard at it. I have to make what I do fun. Do you honestly think that at first any 17 year old is going to come willingly to SAT/ACT tutoring? The answer to that is "no".

However, I make this fun. I make it engaging. I make them want to come back. I have to. Or I wouldn't be in business.

I do this many different ways, but the key is to keep the kids on their toes, engage them, and be a little bit of a dork.

I don't mind if they laugh at me. At least I know that they are paying attention.

words

Words can be very intimidating. They can be spoken or written. They can be taken like they were meant to be, or taken out of context. They can be understood or misunderstood. You know them, or you don't. That is the one that really stinks; the not knowing them.

This is easily fixed.

I'm sure it won't surprise you to know that I LOVE to read. I read like it's my job. I read books. I read magazines. I read ebooks. I read ebooks on my iphone. I LOVE to read. Therefore, I know a lot of words. I know that there are some people out there that don't like to read as much as I do. I don't understand that, but I do acknowledge it. The more you read, the greater your vocabulary becomes simply because you come in contact with more words.

The greatest thing you can do for your child is read to them. I'm sure you have heard this before, but it is true. Right now you might be thinking, "Umm...great. My child is 17. Can't start reading to them now, Jess." And you are right. But for those of you who have younger kids, you CAN start reading to them now. This will broaden their vocabulary and make it easier for them to pick up on context clues in sentences when they are older. It is a great skill to be able to use the words you are reading to figure out what other words mean if you don't know the definition. (plus, it's fun to snuggle up with a little one and read!)

If you have an older child who is getting ready to take one of the dreaded standardized tests, they must increase their vocabulary. The easiest way to do this is get a list of the top 100 words seen on said dreaded standardized test and learn them. Standardized tests LOVE big words. If you don't know them, well...that is not good. Really. It's not.

READ. READ. READ.

If nothing else, you will be as cool as me.

pressure

I debated about what to post today. I decided to just go ahead and jump right into this one. Pressure is not limited to the kids with these tests. We have pressure as parents, too. There are lots of different types of test pressure.

Let's make a list:

1. I hope they do well pressure.

2. They have to get into a good school pressure.

3. I don't want my friends to ask how they did and then I have to lie and say that they did better than they really did pressure.

4. They need a scholarship pressure.

5. Why aren't they taking this more seriously pressure.

I may have skipped some, but I doubt it.

Now, onto the pressure the kids feel.

Let's make a list:

1. I hope I do well pressure.

2. I have to do well pressure.

3. My parents are stressing me out pressure.

4. My friends are stressing me out pressure.

5. It's 8 am on a Saturday pressure.

6. I can't get a crappy score pressure.

7. I have to get into a decent school pressure.

8. I can't end up at some dumb school pressure.

9. That guy/girl in the 3rd row taking this test too is hot pressure.

I may have missed some, but I doubt it.

Now...having listed all of that and knowing all of that to be true, I must say this: you need to let go of the pressure. It's not fair to project it. Trust me, your kids (whether or not they appear to be) are totally concerned about this test. Probably more than you are. The best thing you can do for them is just be there. Don't ask them about how much they have studied. Or if they are taking this seriously. It only takes the one test with a "yep, this score is awesome for NO SCHOOL ANYWHERE" score to get them in gear. Then you call me...I take over from there.

Welcome!

Thank you so much for visiting my new site! Every day I will post something related to standardized tests. I hope that you find the information on my site helpful! If you ever have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me. I love helping kids get through these tests!

jess