Two recent Skype incidents remind us of the dangers of social media and the “instant age.”
One, an offensive albeit private joke ignorantly shared online, the other a deliberate spamming via Skype messaging remind us that parents can and should be aware of their teen student’s social media activities. Here are some warnings and suggestions, starting with the idea that with social media, private is never really private.
And you have probably seen the news that broke recently about The Bong Hit That Cost an NFL Prospect 8 Million. It wasn’t the use of the drug that cost him $8mm, it was the picture of it that ended up on Twitter on the biggest day of his life – 7 years after the picture was taken. Oops. Continue reading →
A student’s mom is upset about her grades and that she’s not doing her homework. But the student thinks her mom is being too pushy. Like high school teens & parents everywhere, they’re both a little right — and also a little wrong.
The student’s mom is right to be concerned. And the student is naturally feeling stressed over doing something she is genuinely having trouble accomplishing. And that’s where the emotions get in the way.
This scenario plays out every day with high school teens and their parents. Sometimes students just don’t know how to do their school work. Worse, sometimes they don’t know how to go about studying. That’s where we can help.
Quadratic Formulas & Other Troubles
Our student is stuck on the Quadratic formula. She gets it when her teacher shows it in class, but when she has to do it on her own, she gets stuck. And then everything else becomes a problem, too. Continue reading →
When a parent of a middle or high school teen worries that “my student doesn’t test” well, what’s missing is a combination of goal setting, preparation and execution.
As discussed in the previous posts on “Successful Assessments,” testing success consists of:
Identifying teacher/ test expectations (“no surprises”)
Preparing effectively (learning v. cramming)
Executing on test day (test taking strategies)
Test prep above all else
“Easy” tests are those students have or are effectively prepared for: if the student knows what to expect and prepares for it, the results will be strong.
That said, there are still a few things a student can do to better results on the test day.
Parents concerned about their teen’s middle and high school exam and test prep might consider that studying isn’t just a matter of reviewing notes and study guides. Successful testing requires ongoing learning.
Here are some strategies for parents to empower their student’s exam prep and overall academic success.
Student had time to finish (successful test execution)
This post regards student preparation. It’s one thing to know what will be on a test (see Part 1: Identifying Expectations) and also to understand it . But can you perform it yourself? Continue reading →
For successful testing, students need to know what will be on the test. Sounds obvious, but parents don’t want to hear from their teens that there were “surprises” on a test or that they studied for the wrong thing.
This edition of the Successful Assessment will review how to help your teenage student identify what will be on a test.
As outlined in the introductory post, How to approach a test (or why doesn’t my child test well?),at the A+ Club, we help middle, high school and college students succeed on formal assessments, what we usually call “quizzes” and “tests.” Our quick measure of a successful assessment means:
No Surprises (identified teacher expectations)
Student Prepared (successful learning)
Student had time to finish (successful test execution)
No surprises!
“No Surprises” on a test means the student knew what to expect, knew what to study, and was familiar with every part or aspect of the test. Continue reading →
We often hear from parents that “my child doesn’t test well.”
Teens have lots of excuses for their grades, and blaming it on the test is one that parents fall for all the time.
In the A+ Club, we measure middle, high school and college student success on a test or major assessment in terms of 1)identifying teacher expectations; 2)student preparation; and 3) successful execution on the test day. Continue reading →
They both know that parenting a teen through middle and high school isn’t always easy. And being a teen isn’t always easy, either.
At the A+ Club, we provide academic coaching, mentoring & tutoring in order to help parents of middle & high school and college students track their work, get tutoring and homework help when needed, and engage in the positive processes of goal setting, problem solving, and academic self-advocacy. Continue reading →
One of the most effective strategies to defeat procrastination that we have used with students in our A+ Club academic program is what the procrastination experts call “just getting started.”
“Getting started” can be so hard. We know that we should get to work on something, but our emotions get in the way because it can seem so big, and so far away, and, well, it’s easier — and makes us feel better for now — to put it off until later. Continue reading →
Getting started on studying, homework and large assignments means just that: start a little now — and don’t worry about finishing until later.
Cramming is a difficult habit to break. The best technique for breaking the cramming cycle is to “smooth out your workflow” by just “getting started,” whether or not you’ll finish it now.
Yet getting started on homework, studying and tests can be so hard, especially when we pressure ourselves to get it done all at once.
Students who have trouble starting an assignment or project often put it aside for later because they feel they need to finish it once they start. Knowing they can’t possibly finish, they don’t bother to start. Here’s the logic: Continue reading →
Teachers, I can’t tell you how much I hear from kids that they’re ready to learn, but their teacher keeps getting in the way.
Yep, we hear it all the time, “I hate my teacher!” But if we listen behind the angry words, what kids are really saying is that they’d rather like than hate their teachers. Continue reading →
Helping middle & high school students and parents find academic success: tutoring, coaching & mentoring from the A+ Club
Seemed like a good idea at the time…
A student’s mom is upset about her grades and that she’s not doing her homework. But the student thinks her mom is being too pushy. Like high school teens & parents everywhere, they’re both a little right — and also a little wrong.
When a parent of a middle or high school teen worries that “my student doesn’t test” well, what’s missing is a combination of 
Parents concerned about their teen’s middle and high school exam and test prep might consider that studying isn’t just a matter of reviewing notes and study guides. Successful testing requires ongoing learning.
For successful testing, students need to know what will be on the test. Sounds obvious, but parents don’t want to hear from their teens that there were “surprises” on a test or that they studied for the wrong thing.
We often hear from parents that “my child doesn’t test well.”
Meet a student & her mom.
One of the most effective strategies to defeat procrastination that we have used with students in our 
Fight the need to finish now!
I hate my teacher!