Tutor Doctor Quiz:

The two biggest questions we get at Tutor Doctor:
Take our 2 question quiz... Then, watch the video and see how well you did :).
1. Where do we tutor? At our location or in your home?
2. Do we work with our own pre-designed curriculum, or do we build a tailored curriculum around your student's learning needs and styles?

We're here for you, your students and their success. Contact us for more info on how we can help you.

Finding the Shot

This one is personal. I get asked many times why I got into this business - and honestly, I could probably answer it on many different levels: "I've always been an entrepreneur and loved owning my own business." "Being my own boss is great!" "Working with kids and their families is wonderful." There are so many answers... I could go on and on and on. But, honestly, there is one reason that hits very close to home which answers it all. And it centers around a puck, a sitck, and a sheet of ice...oh and and my son.

I lost my son in 2nd grade. Not really lost him, like I couldn't physically find him, but emotionally lost him. I LOST who he was, his smile, his energy, his spirit...HIM. It was during a move, a transition for him at the beginning of the school year. My son - who is by all counts a pretty spectacular kid (ok, so I'm biased) - is pretty shy, but over time truly becomes the "Mayor'' or "Norm" (from Cheers) pretty quickly in most situations. He ended up in a class, in a school, that wasn't him, with a teacher that never truly saw him. Because of this, he lost himself and everything about him. We went from a kid who loved to read, to a kid who hated to read. A kid that loved math, to a kid that threw his homework across the table because he was "stupid" (and we don't use that word in our house.) A kid who loved being with other kids, to a kid who wanted to just be at home. Like I said, I lost my son.

However, we found hockey. He found hockey. He found a uniform, a hockey mask, a jersey, a stick, a place that he could be anyone he wanted to be. A place that he was invincible. And it was from hockey that we started seeing our son come back to life. When he stepped on the ice, he was awake again, smiling again. Coaches saw him, people believed in him... and more than that, he believed in himself. Two times a week I saw my son again... If you're a mom, you can understand how this felt.

We ended up moving and into another school district where our son was welcomed with open arms and open minds. Within days I saw glimpses of the old kid I had always known. He was playing again, making friends again and loving school again. He had a teacher that took an interest in him and saw him for the child he truly IS. It was amazing.

He once told me that when he got sad in the old school, he imagined he was playing hockey and it made him smile. I have no doubt that the worst months that we went through would have been even worse without those skates and ice...in fact, I know it. I sit here today still watching him with tears in my eyes everytime knowing that he found who HE is through a tough journey, but he found it nonetheless. I have Tutor Doctor because of my son's journey... I help other families and kids find their voices when no one else maybe listening, and while I'm doing it, I can make sure they have the help in school that they need to succeed.

You never know where your goals will come from. For us, we scored on the ice... Find where your child becomes invincible, if only for an hour a week and run with it. Cultivate it. Embrace it. This is a journey you'll take together and you'll never be sorry for it.

Communities need to work together to avoid students' academic "slide" during summer break

When school children close their books in June, they too often forget about reading, writing and arithmetic until September rolls around.

For teachers that means a fall filled with remedial work. Educators typically spend four to six weeks getting students back to where they were at the end of the previous academic year. A study done in the Grand Rapids Public Schools from 2003 and 2004 showed the summer learning loss reached almost 40 percent for some students.

The phenomenon is so universally recognized it has a name: summer slide.

A group of local organizers is looking for a way to halt the slide. The campaign, if done right, can lead to educational efficiency, relieving teachers of the chore of covering the same ground. In addition, the developing program would address inequities. Children in lower-income homes are more likely to suffer summer learning loss than children in middle-class and upper-income homes.

Beyond summer programs that turn attention to books instead of video games, educators should explore the way the school year is structured. Does a long summer break make sense anymore? Does the 180-day school year — altered to 1,098 hours of instruction in Michigan — best serve students, especially when countries that are our economic rivals keep kids in classrooms longer? Should local districts experiment more with year-round school as a solution to learning loss?

Studies in the United States show that all students, regardless of socioeconomic background, fall behind in math skills over the summer, losing on average 2.6 months. Educators believe this is because math isn’t typically practiced outside the classroom.

In reading, however, income disparity sharpens. Children in low-income households lose on average two months in reading ability. Middle- and upper-income children hold their own or make slight gains. Experts believe that lower-income youngsters have fewer opportunities for brain-stimulating cultural enrichment during summer months, whether trips to zoos, museums or national parks.

The academic gap extends far beyond a single school year. A study done by researchers at Johns Hopkins University tracked Baltimore school children from 1st grade through age 22. The study found that summer learning accounted for 65 percent of the learning gap between upper-income students who attended college and low-income high school dropouts.

In other words, the decline is cumulative. Effectively addressing summer loss, and doing so early on, can make a huge difference for youngsters who might otherwise fall off the track academically and fall through the cracks of society.

A number of local organizations from government, non-profits and churches came together recently to address summer slide. The groups include the Grand Rapids Public Schools, Heart of West Michigan United Way and the Douglas and Maria DeVos Foundation. Those involved believe they can make use of existing summer programs and try to use them more effectively. That goal merits support.

One example of a simple program that works is in the Kalamazoo Public Schools. There every student entering sixth grade next fall will be mailed eight books over the course of the summer. The students will be asked to read the books and send postcards, which will be answered. A pilot study done with some incoming sixth graders showed participants advanced four months in reading test scores. Those who didn’t take part lost one-and-a-half months.

The Kalamazoo program this year will involve 900 youngsters and cost the district $74,000. That’s a modest sum for substantial gains.

Parents, of course, are the ultimate tutors. They should insist that when their kids aren’t outside riding bikes or running around, they’re spending at least some of their summer days reading books. Whether “Treasure Island,” “Harry Potter” or “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” a world of possibility awaits, now and in the future.

Source - Grand Rapids Press Editorial Board 03.10.10