The bad news (aka the most unsurprising news ever): a global pandemic will cause school-related shortfalls.
The good news: there’s enough time this summer to take a well-deserved break AND build school skills and confidence ahead of the new school year!
To make an effective summer learning plan for your child, you may find it helpful to read about the common areas of concern we’ve noticed this past school year. Following that info, we share some pointers for how to weave learning into your child’s summer.
Online and in-person, teachers have gone above and beyond to keep students engaged and growing during this pandemic. But with the obstacles presented by the past year, classes may not have stayed on pace with their typical curriculum. This could lead to challenges for students next school year, particularly in math and world languages, or any honors or AP classes. These courses build upon the previous year’s lessons, so getting a good handle on those pre-requisite skills is important.
Some of our tutors have noticed that their students have been assigned fewer novels this year. Lack of practice with that kind of “endurance” reading impacts everything from time management to vocabulary to fluency. Similarly, kids have been doing less writing – as in essay writing and just plain old writing by hand. These skills won’t bounce back easily, especially if they were shaky to begin with.
If your child attended school remotely part-time or full-time, they likely experienced new organizational and time management problems. It’s hard to build a school routine when you’re not actually in school daily with all of its infrastructure and consistency! Self-advocacy – even something as simple as asking your teacher for help on a math problem – also became more complicated. When executive functioning skills are off-kilter, academic skills are also affected.
We’ve heard over and over again from tutors that students are going to have a tough time returning to taking tests the “normal” way. Some teachers gave fewer tests this past year, and some allowed open-notes or open-books. Students felt more relaxed taking tests at home, and, unfortunately, cheating was pretty common. Kids need to refresh (or maybe even discover) study skills and test-taking confidence.
Prepare a plan for summer learning to build confidence! Without a timeline and goals, it will be too easy to put it off, and all of a sudden it’s a week before school starts.
This might feel intimidating, but it can be as simple as saying:
You can read about specific strategies and resources by grade level over here, and about our summer tutoring options here. We want to help you and your child feel good about their academic skills and school habits after such a challenging year!
Contact us if you’d like to talk about summer learning to boost your child’s confidence!
Kim has a bachelor’s degree in public administration from University of Arizona, a master’s degree in special education from University of Illinois at Chicago, and a master’s degree in educational leadership from American College of Education. She previously worked as a teacher for fourteen years, and as a tutoring director for Nurturing Wisdom—we’re excited to have her back on the team! Learn more about her below.
My favorite class in high school was…geometry (although I prefer algebra) because my teacher, Mr. Warwick, was organized and explained the concepts in an engaging and understandable manner. He made me feel confident when asking questions and was always open to teaching material in a variety of ways.
I loved UIC because…it allowed me to explore Chicago and meet incredible people while working in a variety of schools and educational programs. The Graduate College of Education had teachers that provided real world context and were very supportive to students’ individual goals.
On a day off, you’ll find me…at a sporting event for one of my four daughters, floating down the DuPage River, or at the dog park with my dog, Daisy.
What sets Nurturing Wisdom apart is… the individual care we take with the families we work with and the strong team behind each tutoring decision, including tutoring plans, curriculum, and tutor matches.
Sarah graduated from Marquette University with a bachelor’s degree in education and sociology, and she’s completed coursework in childhood literacy and museum studies. After nine years as a fifth grade teacher in Wauwatosa, Portland, and Chicago, Sarah initially joined NW as a tutor. Learn more about her below!
A tip I’d give to a student to make the most of tutoring would be… that you get out of it what you put into it. If you put in time and energy, and bring a positive attitude, you’ll achieve so much!
I loved Marquette University because… it put me on the path to teaching, introduced me to amazing, life-long friends, and made me fall in love with Milwaukee.
On a day off, you’ll find me… taking a long walk to a coffee shop, chatting with friends, or going on a bike ride and cooking while listening to my latest podcast obsession.
What sets Nurturing Wisdom apart is… that everyone on the team is a life-long learner at heart, and that we care about the whole student. Everyone is dedicated to getting to know families in order to find a great fit for students and tutors.
Shannon has a degree in marketing from Creighton University. After working in the business world for over five years, she decided to go back to school to get her master’s degree in elementary education from Quincy University. Learn more about her below!
My favorite book is… The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway. This is an amazing book that made me want to travel and see more of the world.
My favorite subject in school was… history because I loved learning more about the world and how the past helped shape who we are today.
On a day off you’ll find me… hanging out with family and friends. In the summer, usually doing something fun outside.
What sets Nurturing Wisdom apart is… it’s team approach to tutoring as well as it’s individualized curriculum! Both the team approach and the curriculum make tutoring and learning more fun and efficient.