College freshman not ready!

"Professors believe high school teachers should cover fewer topics with more depth to prepare students for college." And I couldn't agree more. Often times I feel that our educational approach is similar to eating at Soup Plantation: if you offer enough food, some items will surely satiate. Instead, we need to focus on quality. Perhaps we could employ a Tapas approach to education? Many countries in Asia and Europe have proven that quantity does not result in quality when it comes to textbooks. Furthermore, countries such as Thailand and Finland have supported this pedagogy with high test scores.

As an educator who works with hundreds of students each year, I couldn't agree more with the findings of this study by ACT. Enjoy.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20070410/news_1n10college.html

Contact College Coaches!

I'm always encouraging my student athletes to do their part in the recruiting process. Contrary to popular belief, most coaches don't show up at your front door with a white limosine curbside. Here is a great reminder.

"Just give them one more call". Those words hold a special spot in Bryanne Gilkinson's heart. In fact, they are the best words of advice Gilkinson has ever received. "It's what my dad told me, encouraging me to call the Stanford coaches one last time after I hadn't heard from them in a while and was giving up on coming here. It was that call that ultimately brought me to The Farm," said Bryanne. It seems to have been a good move. "I have three favorite spots on campus. The first is Memorial Church, the second is on the benches in the middle of the Oval and the third is Maloney Field. It's our game field and is by far the most beautiful and perfectly groomed field in the country. There is nowhere I would rather be than out on Maloney under the stadium lights on a Friday night playing lacrosse with my teammates."

March SAT Scores at Hammer Tutoring

Congratulations to our students who took the March SAT. You dropped the Hammer.

Here are the statistics for Hammer's March students:

• Average Cumulative Point Gain: 191 points
• Average Reading Point Gain: 63 points
• Average Math Point Gain: 83 points
• Average Writing Point Gain: 45 points
• Average Cumulative Score: 2005
  
• Average Prep Hours: 19

In order to increase an SAT score, students must prep smart. We've developed the most efficient and effective one-on-one training program for the SAT. If you're interested in learning more, visit our website: www.hammertutoring.com or call 858-793-PREP.

How Do Asian Students Get to the Top of the Class?

I've often argued that essential study habits, particularly organization and time management, are products of a child's upbringing. For example, a child who seems helplessly disorganized in school, probably didn't have to keep a tidy room or tidy play area during childhood. Unfortunately, many parents avoid their child's shortcomings and blame schools or, even worse, teachers.

Dr. Soo Kim Abboud and Jane Kim, authors of Top of the Class: How Asian Parents Raise High Achievers - and How You Can Too, take my argument further and offer recommendations about how to raise a high achiever. Using the template used by many Asian families, the book examines 17 practices for raising high achievers.

The following article discusses two of the 17 practices covered in the book. Whether you agree or disagree with the practices, this article is an interesting read. Enjoy.

Read Article

Congratulations to Hammer's ISEE Students

Once again, 100 percent of Hammer's students who used our ISEE program were admitted to their first choice private high school. Check out our students acceptance rates to the highly selective private schools in San Diego:

• Bishop's - 100 percent admitted
• Francis Parker - 90 percent admitted
• La Jolla Country Day - 100 percent admitted

Hammer's ISEE program mirrors our highly successful one-on-one SAT program, and addresses all content areas of the ISEE: math, reading, vocabulary, and writing. In addition to covering all the content tested, we teach students to maximize their score with expert test taking strategies- skills that students do not learn in school. Our students, on average, meet with a tutor for 15 hours, complete 5 practice tests, a student workbook, and vocabulary program.

Contact us at 858-7WE-PREP for more information.