MK Educational Consulting & Tutoring Services

01/30/2023

A lot, and I mean A LOT of students find math complex🧐, confusing🤯, and much like reading Greek🤬.

𝐻𝑜𝑤 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑠 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑜𝑟 𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑑 𝑠𝑎𝑦 "𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑟𝑜𝑏𝑙𝑒𝑚𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑠𝑜𝑙𝑣𝑒, 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑝𝑠 𝑑𝑜𝑛'𝑡 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑠𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑤ℎ𝑦 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑤𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 "𝑡𝑟𝑦𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑥?".

This often leads them to become frustrated, lose motivation, fight you to do homework and can often lead to misbehavior in class. Does this sound familiar?

This week we are going to look at 𝟏𝟎 𝐖𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐆𝐞𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐭 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐡.

Each day we will look at ✌️ ways we can help our students/children become better and more comfortable in math class.

1️⃣ It is so important to establish a good relationship with the teacher, it's important for both you and your child. Now, with that being said... as students get into high school I do recommend students self-advocate for themselves with the parents stepping in only when the students are either unable to self-advocate or are not getting the response needed. Middle schools and High school teachers can have up to 175 students, so it’s important for your child to distinguish themselves from the rest.

Are they asking questions, or asking to come in for extra help during lunch or after school, do they act interested in class, are they welcoming the opportunity to learn. Do they attend study sessions or extra help sessions?

From a teacher's perspective: I was always much more willing to "bend the rules" for the students that showed initiative and took an active role in their learning. Especially the ones that struggled but still showed up for all the things.

Parents-- you should also introduce yourself, via e-mail or at Back-To-School night, or schedule a parent/teacher meeting at the beginning of the year if you know your child has difficulties. It is so helpful for teachers when they feel like they have open lines of communication with parents!

A Teacher will always respond best to students who show that they care about the class, even if they don't like the subject matter.

2️⃣ 𝑮𝒆𝒕 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑 𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕. If you realize that something is difficult, your child/student should seek as much help as possible as quickly as possible. Teachers are very receptive to requests for extra help. Straighten out misunderstandings before they start to snowball.

You can find a friend to be your study partner or someone who will attend the extra help sessions with you! In my experience, I have found that often students learn material better from their peers than they do the teacher.

You can get a study group together. If you can find a group of friends who are committed to getting better at math, it can be a positive experience to be a part of it. You can sit with each other and solve problems individually, help each other with problem areas, and even engage in healthy competition.

01/29/2023

No matter how hard you study, how long you prepare, and how ready you feel on test day, things are not always guaranteed to go as planned.

Disappointment happens to everyone, and while we may feel like the world comes crashing down when we fail, you may be surprised at how much you learn and grow from each challenging experience.

Next time you find yourself disappointed, think about what you'll take away from the experience and what you can do differently if you have a chance for a do-over.

You might be surprised at how well things turn out!

01/28/2023

❓❓❓ Do you have a plan ❓❓❓

When prepping for the SAT I always recommend that students structure their planning and studying to keep things going smoothly and ensure that nothing gets forgotten.

👇 Here are some suggestions to help you get organized 👇

𝐓𝐢𝐩 #𝟏: 𝐌𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐚 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧
⚫️ Use a calendar to chart out each section you are going to study each month/week/day
⚫️ Find a system that works best for you... Is there a particular day/time that works best? When are you the most likely to complete tasks?
⚫️ Prioritize!!!!! Make a list of the topics from MOST to LEAST important, and make a list of the main things that you need to get done in those subjects. Concentrate on the most important FIRST, and leave the easier topics for later!

𝐓𝐢𝐩 #𝟐: 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧
🟠 It's easy to give in to the temptation of putting off today what you can do tomorrow... BUT DON'T!!! Create deadlines for yourself and adhere to them.
🟠Setting a deadline usually isn't enough for a study plan - go through what you need to cover and make mini-deadlines for each section.
🟠Taking breaks during your study session... My suggestion is to work for 20 minutes and take a 5-7 minute break and then again for another 20 minutes.

01/27/2023

👉Fun Fact Friday👈

EVERY Question on the SAT is worth the same amount of points!

So STOP wasting your time on the problems that are stumping you!

Focus on getting the easy and medium questions correct FIRST before you try tackling the harder ones.

01/26/2023

❓❓❓𝑫𝑰𝑫 𝒀𝑶𝑼 𝑲𝑵𝑶𝑾 ❓❓❓

There is an order of difficulty when it comes to SAT math problems.

YES!!!! There is a method to the madness

Sections in the Math Test increase in difficulty as you go along:
👉the questions start out easier, then slowly get harder, with the hardest questions at the end of the section.
👉the questions go from easiest to hardest for each section of questions...

EXAMPLE: the few grid-ins/short answer questions (where the student gives an answer and fills in the bubbles) after the multiple choice questions are always easier than the last few multiple choice questions. And the first open-ended questions are always easier than the last ones.

So it's important to be sure you don't waste time on the hardest multiple-choice before picking up some easier points in the grid-ins.

Taking the SATs is more like playing a game of chess than actually test taking, if you know how to play the game and how to utilize all the tips and tricks you have a better chance of upping your score.

01/25/2023

It is that time again, time to REALLY start buckling down for the SATs!!!

𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝑨𝑻
The SAT can be taken any time starting your freshman year.

However, most students take the test in the spring of their junior year. Doing so will give you enough time to take the test twice, which is highly recommended, as 67 percent of students improve their score the second time around.

𝑾𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒕 𝑷𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑺𝑨𝑻
For those SERIOUS about getting a superior score on the SAT, it's never too soon to start preparing. Typically I recommend starting at least 5 months prior to the test and really buckling down the last month prior to the test.

Is your student ready to take the SATs?

11/17/2022

Using Google Jamboard along with zoom so I can see student work in real time!

Super helpful since zoom doesn’t play nice with their school iPads and this allows me to see clients work through problems!!

09/11/2022

I started creating and posting single problem SAT Math Prep practice problems on TikTok.

Going to continue to expand with many other math topics but starting small.. if you’re on TikTok I’d love a follow or even a ”like” on my videos!!

Follow

SATH MATH PREP: EASY if you know the trick 😉

06/29/2022

Summer Math Tutoring and Remediation is in full swing!!!

If you are looking build up your child’s math in preparation for a more difficult math class in September or simply remediate their skills and make sure that summer slump doesn’t happen, PM and we can chat about session options and needs!

Hourly and session packages available to best suit your family’s needs

02/15/2022

Good morning! ☀️
:
Give yourself permission to not know it all.
:
Allow yourself to ask questions, admit when you don’t know the answers, and seek out those who might.
:
Allow yourself to learn from anyone and everyone because true strength is understanding we don’t know it all! 👊
::
Education is about sharing knowledge and collaboration!

02/01/2022

💭 THOUGHT OF THE DAY 💭

Good teachers know their lesson plans. GREAT teachers know their students and how they learn.

Good coaches know X's and O's. GREAT coaches know their players and how to motivate them when they are down.

Good leaders know their vision. Great leaders know their team and how to drive them to succes.

Your people make the difference. They matter. Remind them that you care.

~Jon Gordon

01/31/2022

💭 THOUGHT OF THE DAY 💭

Teaching and learning is not transactional.

🫂 It is relational.
🥰It is emotional.

It is psychological safety that allows the brain to be open to the world around them.

IF kids don’t feel safe and cared for they will not learn! The smartest kids will fail a class bc they do not trust or have some type of relationship with the teacher