Comprehension through Composition

Does your child's feedback from teachers sound anything like this?

• Needs to provide more detail in writing.
• Work on essay structure.
• Take more organized notes!
• Should write more coherent or complex sentences.
• Must work on staying focused and engaged while reading.

We work with many students who constantly get this type of feedback, but have no idea how to implement it. That's understandable! In a busy class with 25+ students, most students don’t get the one-on-one attention they need to become stronger readers and writers.

These skills are ideal to learn in a one-on-one setting. Sentence structure, for example, is a skill that may seem rather abstract. We know, however, that sentence structure can be systematically broken down and taught like a series of formulas. In fact, when writing is presented more like a pattern or a math equation, some students find it much easier to do.

In our popular Comprehension through Composition tutoring program, we help students develop a firm grasp on the toughest skills to learn in a classroom setting, such as organizing writing, developing advanced sentence structures, reading actively, and responding thoroughly to text. Comprehension through composition can be customized for students in grades three through twelve, and is available during the school year and in the summer. During the school year, we can incorporate a student's school writing assignments into tutoring.

Comp comp is one of the programs that our students love most. We've had students who have seen siblings working on comp comp with their tutor and requested it for themselves! Whether your child could use some supplemental enrichment or needs real skill-building, we would love to help. Contact us to learn more!

January Proctored Tests are coming up!

Join us for our next proctored test event! These tests are a fantastic opportunity for students to take a practice test in a real test environment. New students can take a diagnostic pre-test, and students currently working on a test prep program with us can take their mid- or post-teset.

Register Online Now!

pre-registration is required.

Winnetka & Hinsdale

Sat. January 28^th

8:45am

All the tests that we tutor  are available. It's an especially good time of year for:

ACT

SAT

SAT Subject Tests

Contact Lauren at 312-260-7945 ex. 112 with any questions.

"Why Gifted Students can be so Challenging," from The Washington Post

Gifted children are not always the kids who sit nicely in classrooms, study diligently for tests, and succeed easily in school.  Gifted kids often struggle with the structure of a typical school. 

We love this article from the Washington Post - Mark Philips discusses many of the symptoms of gifted children who are bored in school. At the NW Academy, opening next year, we hope to address many of the issues he discusses.

While talking with these students I realized that each of them could be described as creative dissident intellectuals, students with high intellectual and creative abilities who were difficult for teachers to handle.

The trouble they caused was not criminal but disruptive. This usually took one of two forms. One was active, such as sabotaging a class with sarcastic comments, or talking back continually to the teacher. Some, however, did it through relatively passive means, via sullen non-participation and/or other forms of quiet defiance. Not infrequently these students also were a challenge to their parents.

If they had lacked anything it was: (a) a supportive environment that engaged, encouraged and rewarded their spirits and their minds and (b) the skills to know how to effectively assert themselves. In schools and/or homes that they found discouraging, they didn’t know how to respond in an effective way to improve their situation.

Read the whole article here.

Tutor Spotlight: Katherine Jacob

The first thing I do when I sit down with my students is make a to-do list for the session.  Do they need to come up with a study plan for finals?  Are there any long-term projects we should start working on?  Is there homework due tomorrow that’s confusing?  We decide together which tasks are top priority and then get to work.

This exercise was always a little interesting with one of my students whenever she had a test or quiz coming up.  She was perfectly content to study by glancing at the material during her drive to school the day of the test.  Every time she mentioned a test and I suggested studying for it, she would only grudgingly agree.  Even when she finally accepted that studying could be done in advance, she would insist that she did just fine on tests by re-reading the material rather than being quizzed on it.  For the first two months of the school year, we had the same discussion every time there was a test or quiz—and each time she got one of those tests or quizzes back, I was sure to point out that she did much better when she was quizzed on material.  Nevertheless, she didn’t seem swayed.

In one session last month, I sat down to make my to-do list with her as usual.

“Do you have any tests or quizzes in the next week?”

“I have a French quiz tomorrow.”

“How do you feel about the material?”  Oh boy, I figured.  Here comes the same old discussion.

“Can you quiz me on it?” 

Could I?  Was she serious? I decided not to dance around the room, but I said enthusiastically, “Of course I can quiz you on it!  I’m so glad you asked!”

These small successes in tutoring are often the most memorable moments.  My student’s question could’ve been completely insignificant to anyone who didn’t know her.  However, not only did this question show me that she had started to rethink her ideas about studying, simply asking it showed me that she was taking the initiative with her own education!

NW Academy Application Available

We’re excited to announce that the application for Nurturing Wisdom Academy is now available!  If you’d like to apply or pass the application along, simply follow or forward this link:  

www.nurturingwisdom.com/nw-academy-application

Once the application is complete, our process involves a "match meeting," which is a chance for us to get to know each applicant, for the interested family to learn more about our school, and for everyone to decide if Nurturing Wisdom Academy is the best fit.   

Our school has space for only 36 students, so we do encourage interested families to apply now!  As always, don’t hesitate to contact me if you have questions about our school or ideas for us to consider!  

Why I Started To Teach

I think a lot of us have a difficult time imagining exactly what we will be like as adults when we’re young. When I think about my younger self, I was pretty unimaginative about what I thought the future could hold.  Perhaps it was because I was on the timid side and felt intimidated by a lot of things. If you had told me as a kid that I would one day be a classroom teacher or work with students, I’m not sure I would have believed you.  

I was the kid in 7th grade who struggled like crazy in math and had to go in after school to see the teacher (a lot). Sometimes I felt bad for my teacher because I was in there so often. I also couldn’t help but feel that surely there was something wrong with me if I needed this much help until one day my teacher said to me, “I hope my daughter is just like you” (she was expecting a baby girl at the time). That short statement made such an impression on me and gave me a lot to think about. Fast forward to high school and I was asked to help out with grade school students at my church’s summer camp. It was so much fun - I was hooked and starting helping out the following summers. In college, I was asked by one of my instructors if I would consider tutoring other students. I gave it a try and ended up really enjoying it. These are just some of the events that fostered my love of education at an early age.

The bottom line is, I had some really great people in my life who saw something in me and gave me the opportunity to try things I wouldn’t have thought of doing on my own. I needed a major confidence booster and outlets to see what I was capable of as a young person. At Nurturing Wisdom, we focused on one of our values in October: “Pursue Growth and Learning.” I’m convinced that we all grow stagnant and lose excitement if we’re not stretching ourselves. I also think that part of pursuing growth and learning is about helping others through this process. Is there a young person in your life who could really flourish from some of the things I was fortunate enough to have experienced through the adults in my life? While you’re pursuing your own growth and learning, is there anyone in your life whom you can encourage to do the same?         

December Proctored Tests...coming right up!!

Our December proctored tests are right around the corner. Take advantage of this fantastic opportunity for your children to take a diagnostic practice test in a real test environment!

Register Online Now!

pre-registration is required.

Chicago:

Sun. December 18^th

8:45am

Loyola University’s Water Tower Campus

Corboy Law School

25 E. Pearson 

Hinsdale:

Sat. December 17th

8:45am

Zion Lutheran School

Corner of 2nd & Vine

Hinsdale, IL

Every standardized test that we tutor will be available, including:

    

·   ISAT, TerraNova, SAT10, Iowa

·    ACT, SAT, SAT Subject Test

·  HSPT/ISEE post-tests, for students currently working with us