Why Should I Consider Summer Tutoring for My Kid?
Some parents wonder if there truly are any benefits for summer tutoring. After all, don’t students get enough school during the other 42 weeks of the year? Don’t kids need a break? If they don’t get a break from school to recharge, won’t it make it harder for them to start the next school year?
Yet, contrary to all those concerns…research studies, teachers, and students alike, all confirm that summer tutoring can be crucial, necessary, and beneficial for students. Sure, some students may groan and complain about having to do something academic over the summer, arguing that this is supposed to be their time to relax and hang out with friends. And, to a certain extent, they’re right. Summer is a great time for rest and for fun, but let’s keep in mind that there are also 168 hours in a week. Can they not relax, work fun summer jobs, and hangout with friends 98% of that time and devote just 2 or even 3 of those hours to tutoring? Especially when it could result in less stress during the school year, better grades, more college and career options, getting their college essay out of the way, scoring higher on the ACT or SAT, passing a class they failed, making up a lost credit, and/or getting back on track for graduation?
Especially for students who struggled in the previous year’s Math or English class, summer tutoring can be massively helpful. Math classes, like foreign language classes, are cumulative in nature. The concepts and skills build on each other year after year, so to be successful in the subsequent year of math, students often need to understand and recall concepts taught in the previous year.
Similarly, if your student struggled with writing essays last school year, guess what they are going to face next school year? You guessed it -- more essays! The reading skills and writing skills that students learn in English class are crucial not only for that class, but for other subjects like History. So, falling behind grade-level in reading and writing can be detrimental across the board if not addressed as quickly as possible.
Summer is an excellent time to receive just a little extra one-on-one assistance and brush up on those concepts and skills that your student feels less than confident about. That way, they can enter the next school year with a greater sense of confidence and tackle their classes with greater ease.
In addition to just getting caught up, summer can also be a perfect time to get ahead! During summertime, students are not bogged down by the regular school-year schedule, sports, band, and other extracurricular activities. For that reason, summer can be a perfect time to get ahead on things like SAT Prep, ACT Prep, and College Applications.
At JB Tutoring, we pride ourselves on helping students thrive in both their academic and personal lives. Our tutors are committed to not only helping students succeed in the classroom and boost their academic performance, but in amplifying their overall sense of self-confidence and self-sufficiency.
JB Tutoring has over a dozen tutors that can assist students across a wide variety of subjects, including Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics, English, History, Spanish, SAT/ACT Prep, College Admission Essays, and more! In addition to assistance with specific courses, tutors can offer advice on study skills and organizational skills, too.
Throughout the summer, we provide private tutoring services to elementary school students, middle school students, and high school students. Our Austin tutors are dedicated to offering tutoring in a wide variety of K-12 subjects and at an affordable rate! Contact us today to learn more about what we can do specifically for your unique student, or continue reading below to see all that we offer as options for our summer tutoring sessions.
What are the Benefits of Summer Tutoring?
There are truly so many reasons why investing in your student’s education during the summer is a good call!
Practice Essential Skills
We have all heard it said time and time again: practice makes perfect! Summer tutoring provides students with the opportunity to practice fundamental skills, skills that they will continue to use both in school and the workforce. Some of these valuable lifelong skills include listening, reading, writing, organization, critical thinking, note-taking, planning, and more. Whether your student is in elementary school, middle school, high school, or college, note-taking (in particular) can make a huge difference in their overall learning. If your student needs help learning and refining skills like these, practicing them in summer tutoring sessions could be an excellent choice. That way, your students are better prepared and better able to absorb the knowledge they are taught at school in the fall.
Boost Performance
Summer tutoring gives students a competitive edge for the following school year. Once your student has mastered what they did not initially understand, they are able to start learning next year’s material. The experienced tutors at JB Tutoring can guide your student through new material to set them up for success and better ensure that they do not fall behind or get lost when the school year starts. The summertime is also a great opportunity to build students’ confidence! Confidence is vital in a student’s success because low self-esteem is correlated with lower levels of focus, organization, desire to study, and more. A JB Tutoring tutor works privately with your student to support their academic understanding and celebrate their achievements without the added pressure of deadlines, grades, and so on.
Bridge the Gap
During the summer, students tend to forget much of what they learned in the previous school year. It is just human nature. We forget knowledge and skills that we do not ongoingly use or practice. Our summer tutoring programs can help bridge the educational gap that occurs between the end of spring and beginning of fall semesters. Instead of falling behind because your student does not remember how to pick up where their studies left off, JB Tutoring’s 1-on-1 summer tutoring will refresh their memory and bridge the gap so they can better transition into their studies the next semester.
Stay Focused & Overcome Test Anxiety
A lot of students feel pressure and anxiety during tests, some so intensely so, that it ultimately distracts them from doing well on the test. A summer tutor can help students develop healthy habits and techniques to cope with stress and improve focus during an important test or exam. Students who have trouble focusing (in general) could also benefit from these techniques.
Create a Routine
Time management and organization are two extremely valuable habits that students should strive to master before college, and just life in general. Summer tutoring can help your student create a consistent routine and structure for their studies. Routines help hold students accountable for their studies and ensure they do not fall prey to procrastination. Through following a routine, students get comfortable with studying on a regular basis and at particular times of day. Summer tutors can also provide your student with tips to ensure their study habits and organizational habits persist. For example, they can practice keeping track of their assignments and staying organized with their notebooks, folders, and planner.
Personalized Study Style
Since we all learn differently, tutors can help students identify the study style that best supports their unique way of learning. The summer is a great time to explore new ways of learning and experiment with various study, learning, and teaching styles. Students who learn better 1-on-1 will learn differently than students who prefer to study in groups, just like students who are visual learners learn differently than students who are auditory learners. A summer tutor can help your student find the learning method that resonates best with them so that they enter the school year equipped with better self-awareness.
What Else do I Need to Know About Summer Sessions?
Tutoring sessions are typically 1, 1.5, or 2 hours (and can be arranged to be longer). They can occur 1-4 times per week.
Sessions typically take place in families’ homes, but parents can request for tutoring sessions to take place at a public venue, such as a library, school, or coffee shop.
Students are expected to be prepared and have all necessary materials (textbook, worksheets, notebook/paper, writing utensils, calculator, laptop, etc.) for their tutoring sessions.
Tutors will come to sessions with a whiteboard and marker or a pencil and paper, along with a laptop and calculator, if needed.
Tutors will help students work through course material (if your student is enrolled in summer school to earn a new credit or to retake a class), provide relevant instruction, and offer valuable tips on study skills each session.
Most families have tutoring sessions on the same days/times each week. This ensures a consistent, predictable schedule for the student, parent, and tutor.
Scheduling: Parents can purchase and book individual tutoring sessions directly through the JB Tutoring website or the JB Tutoring app. To book an appointment, download the JB Tutoring app or visit our Book Now page.
If families or tutors must change the day or time of the session due to other commitments (sports event, doctors appointment, etc.), tutors and families need to be in communication with Jaclyn, Zoe, and/or their tutor 24 hours prior to the session start time. We request that both parties do their best to be flexible and accommodating with the other’s schedule and availability on any given week.
Payment: Parents can pay for sessions individually on an as-needed or drop-in basis. However, we highly recommend parents purchase one of our tutoring packages (bundles of 4 sessions) which have built-in discounts! These sessions do not expire and can be redeemed at any time, too. To learn more about our drop-in rates and discounted packages, visit our BOOK NOW page!
Mandatory Adult Chaperone: A parent, guardian, or chaperone (21 years of age or older) must be present in the home during the entire lesson for in-home tutoring sessions. Tutors may not enter the home of a student if a parent, guardian, or chaperone is not home. This policy exists for the comfort and safety of tutor and student alike. We can arrange exceptions to this policy if:
the tutor and parent both agree to the tutor being alone with the student,
Jaclyn is informed that this is taking place
Jaclyn and JB Tutoring LLC will not be held liable for anything that happens in the absence of a chaperone.
In a similar vein, a tutor may never tutor a student behind closed doors. This is for the tutors' comfort and safety as well as the students'. Tutoring sessions should be held in an open, quiet, low traffic area in the student's home where a chaperone is in close proximity. We appreciate your cooperation with these policies which have been carefully crafted to protect everyone’s wellbeing and ensure a safe learning environment.
*For more questions on scheduling, cancellations, tutor responsibilities, and more, please visit our About-Our Policies page or our FAQ page.
Summer-Specific College Prep: ACT, SAT, & College Essays
Students need a break from regular school curriculum to focus on other big academic mountains, especially toward the end of high school. Summer provides the perfect time to step away from the day-to-day assignments from the classroom and focus on bigger picture tasks: college list, the ACT, SAT, and college admissions essays.
The Problem with ACT and SAT
While some teachers do try to teach content that will arise on the SAT and ACT exams, many students feel lost when it comes time to tackle these huge tests. For example, while an English teacher may include daily warm-ups featuring sample SAT or ACT practice questions, and Math teachers may include problems similar to the ACT and SAT in their homework assignments, students rarely have even a class dedicated to SAT and ACT Preparation. For that reason, many students are ignorant of the crucial aspects that go into taking these tests such as how much time they have for each section, how best to manage their time, how to best guess when they don’t know the answer to a question, what order the test sections are in, what the scores mean, etc. Through our tutoring sessions for ACT and SAT, however, we go over all of that. Students gain knowledge of the test’s overall structure and time requirements, which concurrently lowers anxiety and oftentimes increases test performance. The 1-on-1 tutoring environment is also especially helpful, because students can ask their own questions without fear of what their peers might think. They can study questions they got wrong and get direct support on identifying and addressing trends in their knowledge gaps and tailoring their study efforts accordingly. Students can go online to request access to previous PSAT and ACT, and our tutors can use that information to help develop a personalized plan just for them. And for the record, the legendary online tutorial website, Khan Academy, has a professional partnership with Collegeboard (the writers of the SAT) and can also develop customized study plans for students based on their previous scores! This is an ideal option for self-motivated students and every parent's favorite word: FREE!
SAT Prep and ACT Prep Timeline
Students ought to begin preparing for the SAT or ACT as soon as the summer after their sophomore year of high school. This is especially true for students who took Algebra II during their sophomore year of high school. If your student has not yet taken Algebra II by summer before junior year, the Math sections of the exams will still be a bit challenging. No matter what level of math class was taken sophomore year though, prep for the SAT and ACT must start during junior year! This will be the year that many students start taking official SAT and ACT exams so that they can begin applying to colleges the summer before senior year and the fall of their senior year.
What to Expect in a SAT Prep Session
Tutors will start by explaining the overall format of the SAT exam. The SAT consists of 4 major sections: Writing and Language, Reading, Math (No Calculator), and Math (Calculator). A perfect score on the SAT is a 1600 and the best score you can get on each section is 400. The four scores earned on each section will be added together to create a composite final score. After the student has a better understanding of the SAT format, the tutor will start reviewing relevant concepts and explaining concrete strategies for each section of the exam. Students are encouraged to ask questions throughout this portion of the session. After that, the tutor and student will start working on actual SAT practice questions together.
What to Expect in an ACT Prep Session
Tutors will start by explaining the overall format of the ACT exam. The ACT consists of 4 major sections as well: English, Reading, Math (Calculator), and Science. A perfect score on the ACT is a 36 and the best score you can get on each section is a 36. The four scores earned on each section will be averaged together to give you one final score. After the student has a better understanding of the ACT format, the tutor will start reviewing relevant concepts and explaining concrete strategies for each section of the exam. Students are encouraged to ask questions throughout this portion of the session. After that, the tutor and student will start working on actual ACT practice questions together.
College Decisions
We offer tutoring sessions focused on college and career decisions. Our professional tutors help students identify fields of interest, articulate academic and career goals, select colleges that fit their interests, and assist students in navigating applications’ writing requirements and deadlines. Please don’t hesitate to reach out for more information about what these tutoring sessions and college planners can look like.
College Essay Writing
Just as getting personalized assistance with the SAT and ACT can be extremely helpful and reduce stress (for both the parent and the student), we know our college essay tutoring is just as valuable in this regard as well. While the SAT and ACT tutoring can certainly be individualized, it is more streamlined, since the tests themselves are multiple choice and do not change too much from year-to-year. College essays and short answer questions, on the other hand, are much more unique. These prompts often depend on the college or university and sometimes even on what area of study your student is pursuing. For that reason, our college essay coaching is the most personalized of all of our tutoring services. No matter what universities your student chooses to apply to, they will always be competing with others for that congratulatory acceptance letter informing them that they have gained admission into the college of their dreams. Crafting an exceptional college application essay with a tutor at JB Tutoring ensures that your student will successfully articulate their unique personality and voice, along with their aptitude for critical thinking and personal reflection. To put it simply, our tutors will help ensure the university HEARS your student, SEES your student, knows the person beyond the numbers on their transcript and in their test scores. JB Tutoring understands how exciting, but also overwhelming, applying to colleges can be for your student, and just how difficult it can be to articulate who you are and what you are passionate about. We strive to make the college application process as seamless and actually enjoyable as possible.
We also aim to familiarize students with the essentials of essay writing so that they feel more prepared for college writing assignments as well.
From idea brainstorming and outlining, to researching, writing, and revising, our tutors are here to ensure that your student feels comfortable with every aspect of their college admissions essays.
College essay tutoring can be adapted to your students’ needs, but some of our services include:
Topic Choice & Brainstorming: Simply getting started is the most challenging part for pretty much all students. Many are unsure of what they want to write about, or just how to begin their essay. JB Tutoring’s tutors will help your student identify a few significant experiences that can provide insight into their personality, passions, background, and talents. Some colleges actually allow students to choose the topic of the essay, as long as it’s appropriate, while others may preselect a topic for you.
Writing: If your student is not the strongest or most confident writer, JB Tutoring can offer your student some helpful writing tips, tips that they can carry with them into their college career. Whether your student needs assistance in grammar, punctuation, sentence structure or paragraph organization, our tutors will ensure that their essay reflects proper writing mechanics and style.
Revising: Most of the time that we spend with your student will be on essay revisions. JB Tutoring’s tutors help improve your student’s essay by offering suggestions and feedback on tone, structure, opportunities for adding further detail, and more. Our revisions will help your student eliminate the unnecessary details throughout their essay and ultimately let the relevant, most important information shine.
Research: Many universities have additional short answer questions that require students to provide details explaining why they would like to attend that particular college. JB Tutoring tutors can guide students through their research to ensure that they compose a short essay that captures why that school resonates with them. This may include the college’s mission statement, extracurricular activities, size, location, courses or degree programs, and more.
Final Editing: After students and tutors have crafted and extensively revised all college essays, we will do one final edit to ensure that their main essay is free of any grammatical, spelling, or punctuation errors. This requires carefully reading through the essay, marking any obvious errors, and making any necessary changes before submission.
Math Tutoring
JB Tutoring offers tutoring in all levels of Math. Whether your student is struggling with basic mathematics, pre-algebra, algebra 1, geometry, algebra 2, or pre-calculus, we at JB Tutoring are here to help! Our tutors will teach your students skills and strategies that will help them become strong math problem solvers in the following school year, catch up on credits from failed classes, or complete summer school requirements.
English & Language Arts Tutoring
JB Tutoring offers tutoring in all levels of English & Language Arts. Whether your student is struggling with grammar, spelling, reading comprehension, or essay composition, we at JB Tutoring are here to help! Our tutors will teach your students skills and strategies that will help them become competent writers and critical readers in the following school year, catch up on credits from failed classes, or complete summer school requirements.
Science Tutoring
JB Tutoring offers tutoring in all levels of Science. Whether your student is struggling with biology, chemistry, physics, or environmental science, we at JB Tutoring are here to help! Our tutors will teach your students skills and strategies that will help them succeed in their science courses in the following school year, catch up on credits from failed classes, or complete summer school requirements.
Foreign Language Tutoring
JB Tutoring offers tutoring in all levels of Spanish! We also sometimes have tutors who can assist with French, Mandarin, American Sign Language (ASL), and Latin! Whether your student is struggling with verb conjugations, vocabulary, or sentence structure, we at JB Tutoring are here to help! Our dedicated tutors invest their time and energy in helping your students feel more confident in their written, verbal, and auditory command of a foreign language in the following school year, catch up on credits from failed classes, or complete summer school requirements.
Organization & Study Skills Tutoring
JB Tutoring offers tutoring in organization and study skills for all age groups. Whether your student struggles with a learning difference like ADHD or dyslexia, issues with time management, a lack of confidence, or perhaps a dissonance with a certain teacher’s teaching style, we at JB Tutoring are here to help. We recognize that organization and study skills are necessary to being successful in the classroom. Let our tutors help your student gain skills that will be fruitful for the following school year and long after they make their way through school.