In today’s installment of Two Minute Tuesday, we are fortunate to have educator Erica Cender, president of Cender Scholars, an all-encompassing tutoring service for all grades and levels right here in South Florida!
We chatted with Erica to discuss some frequently asked questions she gets from parents on common studying or homework issues. In today’s Two Minute Tuesday, let’s hear some “gotta ask” questions and answers about study habits, troubleshooting, and time management from Erica.
--What are some of the most common studying mistakes you see made by elementary, middle, and high school students?
The most
common mistake that is made by students across all grade levels is striving for
memorization rather than studying for understanding. There are surely certain topics, especially
in math, which can benefit from rote memorization skills; however, the truth of
the matter is that students succeed when they work towards understanding a certain
learning goal. Students will drill to memorize for a test and as soon as that
assessment is through, the material is gone from their memory. Later on, when students need to revisit
certain material, they have forgotten what they memorized and did not retain
valuable knowledge.
How should students balance studying for several
classes all in the same day?
Erica:
The best way
for a student to balance studying for several classes all in the same day would
be to keep up with the material, daily. Students tend to wait until they last
minute to start preparing and studying for a subject only after a teacher will
assign upcoming assessments. When
students learn studying skills early on, instead of getting into the habit of
procrastination, they are able to balance their subjects conformably without
feeling the need to cram. Studying new
material daily is the key to success!
What are some great study habits to start to
develop when children are in elementary school?
Erica:
Students
will benefit greatly from learning organizational skills early on in their
elementary school years. Students that
are organized feel more confident and schoolwork and home learning is less
chaotic for them. Elementary school
years are meant to prepare students for middle and high school where the
majority of teachers do not tolerate excuses like, “I don’t know where I put my
homework”. Additionally, as I previously stated, studying a little bit every
night is an excellent study habit because learning happens at home, too. It is so important to review the material you
learned in school that day.
How long is “too long” to spend on homework? Is
this a sign that a tutor is needed?
Erica:
Homework is
meant to reinforce skills that are being taught in school. Homework should not take all night to complete
and students should not lose sleep over homework. In addition, homework is not meant for
mothers and fathers to stress about all night with their children. It can also
be a daunting and tedious task for a parent to sit and do homework with their children
and it usually ends in a fight. If you
are experience a nightly struggle with homework, it is a sure sign that you may
need a tutor for your child. Having a
tutor is not a negative thing or a sign that your child is unsuccessful in
school. Having that individualized
attention in a one-on-one setting can do wonders for any child, including boosting
their confidence and avoiding the chances of your child slipping through the
cracks of a classroom setting.
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Meet Erica:
My name is Erica Sobel Cender and I am currently a
5th grade teacher at a charter school in Boynton Beach Florida. This past summer, I followed a dream of mine
to create a tutoring company. The last school year I was tutoring over 6 hours
a week and I have seen the value of tutoring students throughout my professional
career. I wanted to create my own
company which follows my own teaching philosophy. My goal as an educator is to bridge the gap
for students who need a little extra attention and who, without tutoring
services, may fall between the cracks of their classroom learning. Each child learns differently and at a
different pace, which makes it my goal to find the best learning environment
for my students. My primary goal is to
help my students increase their academic achievement. Above all, I want to build
confidence in my students as I teach them with a personalized individual
education plan. My vision for Cender
Scholars is to have tutors who will guide students to help develop organizational and study
skills, while helping them cultivate self‐ discipline
and self‐confidence about their academic
abilities.
I believe the unique quality about the tutoring
service that we offer is the personalized touch that we guarantee for all of
our students. As a classroom teacher, I
am constantly in communication with parents and fellow teachers. I recognize the importance of keeping an open line of
communication with teachers and parents. Communication with students’ teachers
and parents will ultimately help a child succeed. Some parents may be led to a big tutoring
company that guarantees a success rate for the children but I feel that a
successful match for a child is based around an individualized, personalized
educational plan. I encourage my tutors
to develop a good rapport and working relationship with their students. I value
educators who will make a connection with the students that they work with.
I would
be happy to personally guide a parent as they look to find a perfect match for
their child. Our teaching philosophy
centers on the basic principles of building connections and confidence with the
students and to teach with passion.
Cender Scholars currently offers the
following tutoring services:
·
All
levels K-12
·
Special
Needs Services
·
Speech
& Language Services
·
Spanish
Tutoring
·
Hebrew
tutoring
·
Bar/Bat
Mitzvah lessons
·
Piano
lessons
·
Voice
Lessons
·
Mental
Health & Counseling Services
·
SAT/ACT
preparations
·
Standardized
test preparations
·
College
Essay Writing
“The beautiful thing about learning is
that nobody can take it away from you.”- B.B. King
Teach
with passion & your whole heart!!
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