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How To Address The Difficulties International Students Face In School

It takes courage to leave one’s home country and move to a new place and a new culture. This is especially true for young students. Finding a new school can be difficult, and often poses a daunting task for international students and their families. Thankfully, we at the Tenney School understand some of the difficulties international students face. And we take steps to make it easier.

5 Difficulties International Students Face In School (And How To Address Them)

1. They are transitioning from one system/curriculum to another

Transitioning from one school to another can be difficult even within one country. So imagine what the transition must be like for the international student. They are not just moving from one school district to another. They are moving to a new country with an entirely different school system and entirely different curriculums. They may find themselves far ahead of their classmates in some areas and completely lost in others simply because the schools in their home country are organized differently. This problem can be solved by schools that offer more personalized instruction. When teachers meet with students one-on-one, this allows the students to “catch up” where needed and move on to advanced material where needed.

2. They are often the victims of racial discrimination. 

International students fight a daily battle, which their local classmates can never quite understand. Although many people are taking great steps to eliminate discrimination, racism is still quite widespread. In fact, fellow students may even contribute to this difficulty. This problem is difficult to address in a typical school for two reasons: 1) the professors may or may not be educated themselves about the student’s culture, and 2) much discrimination happens behind teachers’ backs. To combat this, all school staff should be well-educated and open-minded toward other cultures and should take care to treat all students alike. A smaller school may be the best choice for international students because it is far less easy for harmful things to occur behind closed doors. Because the staff-to-student ratio is more balanced, racist comments or actions will be noticed and called out by an authority.

3. They are still developing English language skills. 

Another one of the difficulties international students face is language. Society is built upon language. And moving to a new culture also means learning a new language. Many international students have a good foundation in English but are still learning the ins and outs of the language. It takes years of immersion in a language to speak it fluently, and it is unfair to expect international students to pick up everything within a few weeks. In the average classroom, however, very little thought is given to this fact. Classes continue as normal, and international students are left to fend for themselves. One-on-one classrooms, however, allow time for extra explanation to take place. This type of learning gives the student freedom to speak up when they do not understand, and provides a safe space to practice and learn.

4. They are trying to find a new friend group.

Any student, international or not, finds it intimidating to move away from old friends and develop an entirely new friend group. Other students may already know each other from last year, making it difficult to insert oneself into the clique. International students face an extra challenge because they are used to different cultural practices, clothes, jokes and idioms, food, etc. They may even be looked down upon by local students (see Number 2). This can be addressed in several ways. Firstly, teachers and staff should be welcoming and inclusive toward international students. They are leaders in the classroom, and other students will follow their lead. They should also help other students cultivate a friendly attitude towards incoming classmates. This is far easier in a smaller, more personal setting, where students can get to know just a few close friends without being overwhelmed.

5. Their abilities and cultural experiences are often under-appreciated.

International students are often exceptionally talented but do not always get the chance to show their talents. Because language often provides a barrier (especially in the first few months), many locals pass off the student as dumb or uninterested. They do not realize that the international students are actually brilliant, but do not yet have the communication skills to show off their intelligence or take in all the information. They forget to ask questions about where they came from and what they did in their home country. When students receive individuation attention, however, teachers can probe deeply into their minds, asking questions and allowing them to express themselves. This will take time and patience on both sides. But it is worth the effort.

If you would like more information about the difficulties international students face and how we help alleviate these challenges at the Tenney School, please contact us.

How To Address The Difficulties International Students Face In School2020-02-18T07:20:21-06:00

What Is Dysgraphia And What Parents Need To Know

Dyslexia and dysgraphia began as classic neurological syndromes identified in the 1890s by Joseph Jules Dejerine, a French neurologist. From the standpoint of classical neurology, these conditions were seen as a profound inability to communicate, dyslexia referring to speech and dysgraphia referring to writing. Looking at the diagnosis from a medical standpoint from the perspective of a classical medical facility, forms of dyslexia and dysgraphia separate or combined were found to be associated with brain lesions in different brain structures. In the 1940s, Austrian doctor Josef Gerstmann describes a condition called “agraphia” as a complete inability to write associated with brain dysfunctions.

Medical vs Non-Medical Perspectives.

From the standpoint of non-medical or educational settings, the view of these conditions is very different, involving different populations for the most part. Poorly written communication, spelling problems, and poor handwriting are not unusual. Dysgraphia is the clinical name given to the condition when it becomes extreme and disruptive. Often dysgraphia is diagnosed in people who have a complete inability to write.

Two kinds of dysgraphia are recognized. The specific form of the condition points to specific neurological problems that impact on motor skills. Non-specific dysgraphia refers to cases where no injury is indicated. It should be understood that the diagnosis of dysgraphia is usually speculative, made to classify the inability to write well or at all. Non-specific dysgraphia is often associated with behavioral problems or school truancy. It is more often diagnosed in boys than in girls.

Dysgraphia and Attention Deficit Disorders.

Modern research has shown dysgraphia consists of some very specific problems. One kind of problem is the failure of orthographic coding. This is poor ability to store written words in memory while the letters in the word are analyzed or the ability to create a stable memory of a written word linked to its meaning and pronunciation. Children with dysgraphia may also have difficulty planning sequential finger movements, poor ability to move their fingers without looking at their hands. Children with dysgraphia usually do not have primary developmental motor disorder. They may be fine outside of their writing problems. Dysgraphia may be part of an attention deficit disorder or hyperactivity disorder(ADD or ADHD). This kind of dysgraphia may respond to attention deficit disorder kinds of interventions, stimulant medications plus explicit handwriting instruction.

Diagnosis and Intervention.

The analysis and diagnosis of dysgraphia or other language impairments are complicated. Trained diagnosticians have to make important distinctions. Without a careful diagnosis, children may not receive early intervention or specialized instruction that could improve specific kinds of language functions. Many schools do not have systematic instructional programs in handwriting and spelling. These skill areas have been de-emphasized in many school curricula, but some students distinctly need this training taught by expert teachers. Many schools do offer accommodation and extra help for students with dysgraphia, but these students also need explicit instruction in handwriting, spelling, and composition. It is very important to determine if children with dysgraphia also have dyslexia. These children may need special instruction in spoken language.

Instructional Activities.

Children with handwriting impairments often benefit from activities that help them form letters. Hand strength exercises, mazes or connect-the-dots to improve motor control, letter tracing, copying letters from models can all help. Once basic letter formation is learned, they may benefit from special exercises involving arrow cues that help them form specific plans for letter formation. They may benefit from letter identification lessons covering letter with cards to visualize what they look like or writing letters from memory after seeing them. Eventually they may benefit from writing letters from dictation. Letter formation exercises will probably reduce the incidence of letter reversals and inversions.

The Tenney School  offers a one student to one teacher ratio. That means your child will receive tailored learning with personalized mentoring, one lesson at a time. Please contact us to learn more.

What Is Dysgraphia And What Parents Need To Know2020-02-07T18:14:24-06:00

Learning Discipline and Getting a Rounded Education

At what point does a student leave school and join the real world? Is it when they get their first job? Is it when they leave high school for college? Is it when they leave college and get a full-time job? There’s no way to pinpoint the exact point when you enter the “real world.” Instead, the process of taking on more responsibility and learning discipline is gradual until you get to the point where you can fend for yourself and develop a career.

Benefits of a Private School

As your child is going through this process, they’re going to be looking to you to provide the necessary support and be a good role model for them as well. Children who go to a private school will also have their teachers to help them to make a transition into adulthood. Not only will they develop the tools necessary to go from school to college, but they will also develop the skills needed to become happy, successful adults equipped to deal with the challenges of day-to-day life.

Learning Discipline in School

One of the most important things children need to do as they get older is to discipline themselves. When they’re younger, their parents get them dressed and send them off to school, making them stay there for the entire day and work on their homework when they get home.

But as children get older, they learn to do more things for themselves. Still, high school is a time when many students are being pushed by their parents to finish their schoolwork and not spend too much time hanging out with friends.

Any student who wants to get into a good college and have a good career will need to learn the art of learning discipline early on. They’ll need to learn to delay gratification. And they can do these things by going to a private school.

Learning Self-Discipline

No matter how brilliant or hardworking a student is, it can be tempting to spend all their time watching movies, gaming or doing whatever they do in order to put off studying.

Most students at our school soon realize that they have to learn to discipline themselves. So they learn to set their own schedules. Some might set down a certain number of hours to study every day. Others might set down a certain number of assignments to complete every day. They soon figure out what works for them and they start doing it.

And this method of disciplining themselves will stay with them for the rest of their lives, helping them to figure out the best way to get things done when they’re at work. Discipline is probably the most important component of developing a career because you have to keep pushing yourself to keep going.

A Rounded Education

Even though we encourage our students to learn how to discipline themselves, we also realize that an important component of having a full life is to have a rounded education. Children don’t merely go to school to study but also to learn how to interact with others and develop hobbies and outside interests.

There’s a time and a place for everything. And this is one of the main ideas that we try to inculcate in our students. You can’t spend all your time studying and ignore everything else in your life as this will lead to burnout. In fact, spending too much time on any one occupation—studies, sports or any other interest—can lead to burnout, even if you really enjoy that activity.

At a private school, you can be sure that your child will receive the kind of individualized attention that will help them to spend a moderate amount of time on everything that’s important for them in their lives, now and later on when they reach adulthood.

Contact us to learn more about the benefits of sending your child to a private school.

Learning Discipline and Getting a Rounded Education2020-01-02T08:43:56-06:00

Private Schools Prepare International Students for College

International students have to face many challenges when they come to the United States to study. In fact, there are times when even getting into a school poses a challenge, even if the student is very good at academics. This is because the application process in the United States is very detailed, which is quite different from the application processes for college in other countries.

In India, for example, all you have to do is take the “mark sheet” from your standardized exam at the end of 12th grade to the college you want to go to, and if your score meets the cutoff mark, you’re admitted. This is quite different from how the process works in the United States where your grades from the past couple of years, your SAT scores, recommendations from your teachers, your personal essay and your extracurricular activities are all considered before you’re admitted.

A Private School Will Help International Students Get into College

One way for an international student to prepare themselves for college in the US is to go to a private school where they will be encouraged to develop all the essentials for college admission.

Academics

At a private school, an international student will, of course, receive a comprehensive education.

Recommendations

They’ll also get to know their teachers well and will be able to get the recommendations required at the end of their time at the school.

Writing

They’ll develop their writing skills which will help them when it comes to the personal essay (which is very important when it comes to college admissions).

Extracurricular Activities

They’ll also be encouraged to participate in the extracurricular activities which interest them the most—sports, music, art etc.

In order to get into a good school in the United States, you need to be a renaissance person. And as we know, people during the renaissance (the most famous example being Leonardo da Vinci) were proficient at a number of different things rather than just focusing on one thing. This is something that a student at a private school will be encouraged to do.

A Private School Will Prepare International Students for a College Education

Going to a private school will also prepare an international student for the type of academic work they’ll have to do in college.

Reading

The student will be exposed to classics as well as contemporary writers. They’ll do quite a bit of reading which will prepare them for the amount of reading they’ll have to do in college. They’ll understand how to interpret and understand texts.

Writing

They’ll also learn how to write papers about texts. How do you come up with a thesis and present proof in favor of that thesis? They’ll learn to be independent thinkers, but they’ll also learn how to present their views in a favorable way in an academic environment.

Testing

They’ll learn how American colleges test students and how to prepare for these tests.

Background

They’ll also get a good background in whatever they’re interested in doing in college. For example, if they want to study English literature, they’ll find that by going to a private school, they’ll already have a strong background in English literature which will help them in studying more in college.

So basically going to college in the United States will not come as that much of a shock to an international student who has gone to a private school. They will be conversant with how the academic system works. Plus, they’ll also have more experience mingling with Americans and other international students. So they’ll be more comfortable with the social environment when they enter college.

Contact us for more great reasons why international students should consider going to private school.

Private Schools Prepare International Students for College2019-12-17T08:55:36-06:00

Thriving in Small Schools

With so many educational choices available today, the controversy continues to grow on what type of school makes the most sense for any given individual student. The term ‘small school’ represents a relative term; however, most would define a small school as enrolling 400 students or fewer. Small schools may take the form of a rural school, a private, charter, magnet, or home school.

Depending on the child and their situation, a small school atmosphere may represent the best educational option, while other students thrive in an atmosphere with more students.

 

Advantages of Small Schools:

When considering what kind of school to send your child, take note of the many benefits small schools offer:

  • Students get more overall attention at small schools.
  • Small schools produce better academic results.
  • Students often learn more quickly in a small school atmosphere since the subjects consist of a more focused curriculum.
  • At smaller schools, teachers focus more on teaching rather than babysitting and discipline. The improved teacher to student ratio also lends itself to more productive learning.
  • With significantly fewer students, many of these students experience a culture that lends itself to a closer community atmosphere. The increased intimacy that results from this closer community culture also encourages creative thinking and original ideas.
  • Notably, in today’s conflicted world, the fact that statistically, smaller schools represent a safer choice needs mentioning. Smaller schools experience far less violence, but also less conflict between students and students and teachers. Bullying and sexual harassment don’t happen with the same frequency in small schools as they do in institutions with many more students.

 

What Kinds of Students Do the Best in Small Schools?

In certain situations, some students thrive more in a school with a larger student body. Larger schools may operate with a more standardized and stringent curriculum. This defined type of program appeals to students seeking optimum structure.

Larger schools offer more competition, not only academically, but also with sports, music, and other activities. Young people who thrive on competition may do very well in a larger school.

However, if a student possesses a particular passion for music, the theater, or visual arts, private and magnet schools that focus in that area often represent an ideal option.

Additionally, gifted students and those with learning disabilities both experience a better educational opportunity at a smaller school.

Shy and Introverted Students

To understand the shy child, we must define shyness. Shyness represents an inherited human trait. Though people may learn to adjust or deal with their shyness, they cannot help their condition. Shyness, manifests itself physically, mentally, and emotionally. Some of the most notable symptoms of shyness include blushing, trembling, sweating, and hyperventilating.

Introverted adults often experience difficulty both in their professional and social situations. Imagine how a shy eight-year-old feels when confronted with thirty plus classmates.

Shy students need to feel acceptance and understanding from their classmates and teachers. The improved teacher to student status and the intimate feeling of community represents a much better atmosphere for the introverted student.

 

Consider the Advantages of Tenney School:

Tenney School’s Power of One philosophy represents the principal tenet of their mission statement. The goal for every student to succeed both academically and socially helps prepare the student for all future aspects of their life.

Rather than pooling data and concentrating teaching tactics to the middle, Tenney School treats each student as an individual. This practice of individual attention works well for the gifted student that needs challenging as well as a child with a learning disability who may require extra patience. Tenney School’s teaching and learning model also represents an ideal atmosphere for the introverted student.

Since Tenney School falls under the private school category, it does not require a lottery-type system. Additionally, at Tenney, we offer age-appropriate preparations for your child’s educational future, including readiness courses for the ACT and SAT exams and college prep courses for high school seniors.

To determine if Tenney School represents a good option for your child, please contact us here for more information.

Thriving in Small Schools2019-12-10T09:15:23-06:00

Why Some Kids Give Up and Others Stick With It

There is nothing more defeating for parents and teachers than the moment when a child just gives up. If the child would just keep trying, parents and teachers alike are willing to go above and beyond to help that child succeed, often more than anyone believed possible. When a student gives up, on the other hand, it’s hard on everyone. Those kids, however, rarely give up without reason. Consider some of these reasons why some kids give up–and how you can help them past that moment.

1. It’s easier for self-confidence.

We’ve all been there: that moment when we were sure were staring failure in the face. In these cases, it’s easier to not try and fail than to try and fail. Your self-confidence doesn’t take a hit. You can convince yourself that it wasn’t really worth doing anyway–and perhaps even convince yourself that if you’d really done it, you probably would have succeeded.

Helping Your Child

If your child struggles with self-confidence when the time comes to do something difficult, it starts with building your child’s confidence for the rest of the time. Your child doesn’t need a constant cheerleader. Instead, he needs to know that you support him and believe him even when he doesn’t accomplish his goals. Build your child’s confidence. Encourage him to remember that he can do this, even if it seems difficult right now. As your child’s confidence grows, he will often naturally be more likely to take on those difficult tasks without complaint.

2. Your child doesn’t know where to get started.

Many children lack the ability to break tasks down into simpler, more manageable pieces. Kids with ADD and ADHD, in particular, may struggle to deal with a large, complex tax. They don’t know how to get started, so it’s easier to throw up their hands and quit. This is doubly true for children who need to learn a complex task or skill, but who might have missed some of the fundamentals necessary to complete that task: because they lack the foundation, they may have no idea how to move forward into the greater whole.

Helping Your Child

One of the most valuable things you can teach your child is how to break a task down into manageable parts. Think through your child’s attention span as well as what she is actually capable of doing. Then, make a list together of the component parts of a bigger project or skill. The act of making the list will often trigger your child to take greater ownership over the task–and in some cases, simply seeing it broken down can make it seem less daunting. For concepts, you may not understand yourself or aren’t sure how to break down, work with your child’s teacher to divide the task or skill into more manageable pieces.

3. Your child bases success on innate ability.

Research shows that kids who hear a great deal of praise based on innate ability–“Wow, you’re so smart!” or “You’re so good at math,” for example–have more trouble completing tasks that they consider difficult than children who hear praise based on the effort they put forth. Children who believe that success is based on innate ability often feel that they will either succeed or fail on a first attempt. If they just don’t get it, they’re just not going to get it, and nothing is going to change that. On the other hand, children who believe that success is based on effort will keep pushing to succeed even when they’re struggling.

Helping Your Child

One of the most effective things you can do for your child is changing the way you issue praise. All too often, parents want to brag about how “smart” their kids are, or how good they are at something in particular. While it’s fine to recognize your child’s skills and successes, shift your focus to the effort your child puts in. Acknowledge and praise your child for working hard or for sticking with a difficult task. This simple shift in perspective can change the way your child looks at success–and, as a result, improve their odds of sticking with even hard tasks.

Are you looking for a school where your child will be nurtured and teachers believe in working with students to help them achieve their greatest potential, including working with them when they’re ready to quit? Contact us today to learn more about whether The Tenney School is the right fit for your student.

Why Some Kids Give Up and Others Stick With It2019-12-01T10:08:17-06:00

Why Parents Choose Personalized Learning Programs for Their Children

As a parent, you try to make the best possible decisions for your children to help them grow and succeed. Just as you encourage your child to stay physically fit and eat healthily so their bodies will grow strong, you also want to make choices that will help their minds grow strong. Choosing the right school and the right learning program is a big part of that.

Personalized Learning Programs

This is why so many parents are eager to see their children in a one-on-one personalized learning program like the one-on-one lessons provided at The Tenney School. You want your child to have the best possible education, both in-depth and attuned to their natural learning speed. Personalized learning and individual lesson time with teachers is the key to that. Here is why parents are choosing one-on-one personalized learning to ensure their children’s success today and in the future.

 

1) Nurturing a Child’s Love of Learning

Children naturally love to learn but years in limiting and crowded schools can dampen that love to a tolerance for classrooms. Personalized learning brings back that love of learning by making each lesson all about the student’s personal journey through knowledge. One-on-one, teachers can encourage children to explore what they love most about each subject. Your child can truly get excited about learning again in order to achieve more in-depth knowledge and skills.

 

2) Allowing Children to Excel Beyond a Set Curriculum

In a classroom, the curriculum discourages reading ahead and denies children who are ready to fly the ability to tackle their lessons with enthusiasm. This does a disservice to children who shine brightly and could complete advanced courses far earlier than their peers. Your child deserves the opportunity to excel beyond a set curriculum pace, and with one-on-one learning, they can. Because lessons are one-on-one, when a child is ready for the next lesson, they can dive right into the advanced subject matter and excel.

 

3) Relieving the Modern-Day Homework Burden on Children in School

Homework has become an epidemic in the modern school experience. From elementary school through high school, children are coming home with stacks of worksheets and hours of homework each day. But with personalized learning, homework is only what the child will most benefit from taking home. If your child wants to work on extra problems and projects because they love the subject or want to excel, they can. But they can also spend their personalized learning time knocking out lessons and assignments with the guidance of their teacher to lighten the load of take-home work at the end of the day.

 

4) Ensuring Their Child Gets the Teacher Attention They Deserve

The gift of teaching is conveying knowledge and depth of understanding to a student who is learning it all for the first time. This is limited to only a few answered questions, if any, in a standard classroom. But with personalized learning, you know that your child is getting the full attention of their teacher that they deserve to take full advantage of their time at school. Each one-on-one learning teacher is there to provide all of their knowledge, understanding, and hands-on experience to help children truly gain the advantage of each lesson.

 

5) Helping Their Child Master Subjects that Challenge Them

Lastly, parents know that with one-on-one learning their child will never fall behind. One of the biggest advantages of one-on-one lessons in a personalized learning program is that when a child struggles, the teacher is right there to help them. Your child will be able to ask every question they need to ask. They can explore the subjects fully so that their challenges quickly become victories and the foundation for future learning.

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What could your child gain from the focus and personalized learning experience of a one-on-one learning program? Contact us today to explore the opportunities available at The Tenney School to find out.

Why Parents Choose Personalized Learning Programs for Their Children2019-11-27T15:57:54-06:00

Why Consider a Private Education for Your Child?

Our children will create the world of tomorrow. And tomorrow is a time and place we don’t know. How can we prepare them to take on this challenge with integrity, perseverance, and honor? We give them the education that best fits them. But how do we choose the best school? Here are some of the benefits of receiving a private education:

Education is not one size fits all

Every child is unique, with his or her own talents, strengths, and weaknesses. The way people approach learning and structure understandings is as varied as our DNA. Choosing a school with an educational model flexible enough to meet the demands of such variety requires a search akin to a royal quest, but finding that perfect fit is like pulling a polished diamond from a heap of turned up stones.

A private school may be the gemstone you’re looking for

At the beginning of your quest, it helps to map out your search. Of course, you want your child to meet the highest academic standards possible. You want your family’s core values supported. You want a positive peer network that will stand the test of time. Your child needs a certain amount of a qualified teacher’s focus. Finally, it’s all got to fit your budget.

Considering the alternatives: private education

Academic standards

Public schools are designed to educate all students to a particular degree, described as a set of standards. The curriculum, textbooks, and resources are constructed under assumptions about what the typical child in a given age range understands and what he or she should be learning. Aptitude and achievement tests are designed that help educators get a picture of where each child is in the learning process by comparing them to the responses of a large mass of children in the same age range.

When you’re considering the optimum education service for your child, find out how they will assess your child’s particular strengths and weaknesses. Does the school you’re looking at have a method for meeting your child where he or she is? How will they capture students’ attention and bring them forward?

Values

There is perhaps nothing as frustrating as trying to instill a particular set of values in your child only to have them come home and tell you that their teacher contradicted it. Or to have the value of hard work destroyed by the child’s observation that they can skim through a subject with minimal effort and still receive a good grade.

The setting where your child spends most of his or her waking hours should support your family values. When considering a school, ask what character traits are built into the school’s methods. What kind of thinking do the administration and staff support? What are some examples of how certain values are modeled within the school and in the relationship between the school and home?

Positive peer network

Students in a private school generally come from families that share a common set of values. Therefore, the students are expected to live from those shared values. The student body, as a whole, is moving in the same ethical direction. When families pay for private education, there is generally less tolerance or opportunity for negative behaviors and attitudes that bring students down. Everybody involved is giving their best to lifting the students up. As students socialize with one another, they reflect these attitudes to each other and support their peers positively.

Class size: adequate teacher-student focus

While public schools often have a student-to-teacher ratio of at least twenty to one, educators know that the smaller the class size, the better the students’ needs are met. How can one adult teach, assess, plan, and keep an eye on the behavior of twenty students? And when a student needs help but must wait idly for ten or fifteen minutes to receive it, he or she is wasting time that could have been used productively if the teacher were able to focus on that student’s needs.

What is the class size of the private school you’re looking at? In order to keep the student-to-teacher ratio down, schools will have to hire more staff or accept fewer students. Or both. This is where things may seem tricky, but getting the best education for your child is probably worth the entrance requirement efforts.

Finances

On the one hand, your child’s education is priceless. On the other hand, there is a cost involved. In order to hire and maintain the best-qualified staff, a school must be able to attract them. In order to acquire the best curriculum and materials, a school must be able to buy them. These costs are necessarily passed on to the families enrolled. When you identify the school that best fits your child, you will have to make sure it also fits your wallet. If it seems close, or if you are determined that the school is the exact fit and are ready to demonstrate that need to the administration, talk to them about your financial concerns. You may find that financing or other financial help is available.

The Tenney School is a private school in Houston, Texas offering high academic standards for each student. Our educational model is built on the foundation of a one-to-one student ratio, allowing our teachers to focus on each student’s unique needs and learning potential. Please contact us to learn more about private education and to see if we are the best fit for your child’s needs.

Why Consider a Private Education for Your Child?2019-11-18T08:05:07-06:00

Personalized Learning Helps Children Excel & Reach Their Full Potential

Every parent wants to see their child excel at what they’re good at and rise above their same-age peers. When natural talent is combined with a love of learning and a supportive learning environment, any child can accelerate beyond the steady pace of classroom lessons. This is why personalized one-on-one learning programs are important for helping children reach their full potential. With personalized learning, featuring hours of focused study and one-on-one time with a teacher, children can truly explore their talents and accelerate to advanced study long before the grade-level curriculum would allow.

The personalized one-on-one learning design focuses on unlocking potential in several key ways.

 

Classrooms Tend to Hold Back Bright Children

It is already well known that classroom learning, while standard, is not always the best way for students to absorb knowledge. Many students get lost in the crowd and don’t have the chance to pursue what really interests them about the subject matter when the whole class must move at the same pace. Students don’t need to go at the pace of the class, they need the freedom to explore the subject matter. To move forward when they’re ready to move forward and study in-depth when they want a deeper understanding. Crowded classrooms are particularly unhelpful for bright children who have a great deal of potential to unlock, as these children are often discouraged from reading ahead in the book and prevented from tackling more challenging subject matter until their classmates are ready.

If this sounds like your child, then they have everything to gain from a personalized style of learning with one-on-one access to both their teacher and the learning materials. Without having to wait on everyone else.

 

Personalized Learning Allows Your Child to Learn at Their Own Pace

In contrast, personalized learning allows students to learn at their own individual pace and, in fact, encourages students to move ahead at whatever pace suits them best. If your child grasps one or several chapters of their textbook quickly, they can take the quizzes to prove their knowledge and move ahead to the truly interesting or challenging future lessons. And when your child wants more time to explore a subject, they will be able to linger and enrich their knowledge for a life-long depth of understanding.

With one-on-one time with the teacher, your student will have all the time they need to enrich their minds and truly gain the benefit of the subject matter at hand. They will come home talking about the amazing things they learned instead of the usual shrug because school is finally an inspiring place where they can learn freely.

 

One-on-One Teaching Give Students All the Resources They Need

In personalized learning, rather than sharing a teacher with dozens of classmates your child will be able to learn directly in one-on-one lessons with their teacher. They will be able to ask all the questions they want and their teacher will have time to really explore the answers fully. Teachers gain the opportunity to truly share their knowledge while students gain the benefit of their teacher’s insights in a way that is impossible in the classroom. Your child can also ask for quizzes and tests at their own pace, do projects that explore and display their learning, and build their own custom learning path with the help and guidance of their teacher.

Tenney School

Every student can benefit from the special lesson design of personalized learning. One-on-One time with the teacher ensures that they gain the full advantage of the teacher’s expertise, experience, and insights. An unpaced lesson plan allows your child to excel at their own pace and accelerate beyond the slow-paced rate of typical classroom learning. To discover more about how personalized, one-on-one learning programs here at The Tenney School can do to unlock your child’s full potential, contact us today!

Personalized Learning Helps Children Excel & Reach Their Full Potential2019-10-11T10:28:45-05:00

How Can a Small School Help Students?

Small School Communication to Creativity

There are many ways in which students can benefit from going to a small school. Not only are they going to get personalized attention which may not be possible in a public school, but each and every area of their life will also improve.

Through better communication with their teachers and advisors, they will learn to focus on academics while still having a good social life. They will learn to be socially responsible and creative. Plus, they’ll also have access to better technology.

Communication

First and foremost, it’s important to stay in touch with students to find out what they’re happy about and what’s a problem for them. This is usually the job of the student advisor. At a small school, student advisors are encouraged to talk to students about more than just academics.

If the student gets the feeling that the student advisor actually cares about what they are going through, then they are more likely to open up and tell them about their problems, at which point the two of them can work together to come up with a solution.

Socializing

Yet another reason students are not happy in school is that they feel like they don’t fit in. Maybe they are not from that city or state. Or maybe they are international students. They may not feel accepted by other students at the school. Or they may simply not understand their mode of communication.

At a small school, there are school events which all students can attend; this is a great way of getting students to mingle. It gives them something to do, like listening to a lecture or a band, and helps them to connect with each other at the same time.

These events are often educational as well, with well-known speakers, writers, academics, etc. And there are usually snacks after the event so that students can discuss the issue.

Social Responsibility

Let’s assume that a student is doing well in their classes. And they’ve got some good friends to spend their free time with. And yet, they feel demotivated. They feel like something is missing.

In this case, it’s up to the small school to give them a sense of purpose. Everyone needs a purpose in life and a lucky few find their purpose pretty early. They know exactly what they want to do in life. But there are people who don’t get clear about this until much later in life.

In such cases, it helps if you show them a way of helping people. Helping others can become one’s main purpose in life. And even if it’s not one’s main purpose, it can still be a fulfilling activity that gives meaning to one’s free time. Either way, it can reawaken a student’s enthusiasm and make them believe more strongly in what they are doing.

Technology

We live in an age where everyone has their own computer. Still, it can be inconvenient to carry a laptop around everywhere, and it helps to have an up-to-date computer lab where students can write their papers or do other assignments.

This is also helpful because there’s a different energy in a computer lab. When everyone around is busy working/writing, you feel motivated to do the same. But if you go home and work alone, you’re always going to be tempted to lie down in bed and relax or watch a movie.

It also helps if teachers use technology to teach. This can be done in a simple form, such as showing students slides or it can be more complex, depending on what type of class it is and what the students are learning. At a small school, teachers are more creative in planning out their classes.

Creativity

Encouraging creativity among your students can be a great way of motivating them to study. Creativity comes in many forms. You can be creative when you paint something on canvas. Or you can be creative when you run a mock company in your business class.

At a small school, there are many ways of being creative, from art classes to new syllabi for literature which has previously been neglected. Fictional or non-fictional creative writing can also help the student to grow.

All these are great, creative ways in which a small school can keep students engaged. Contact us to learn more about the benefits of attending a small school for your child.

How Can a Small School Help Students?2019-09-27T13:45:46-05:00
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