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| Courses & services -- frequently asked questions For information on specific courses, please click the appropriate menu button to the left (test prep, enrichment, writing, admissions coaching, summer courses, or 2009-10 courses). How big are your classes? Each class typically has 7-9 students. This small size enables me to give some personal attention to each student and fosters a cooperative and stimulating learning environment, in which students discuss ideas and learn from one another as well as from me. How often does each class meet? Once a week for two hours. How many students do you work with? Each week, I work with 35-45 students in grades 4-11. Typically, I teach four to five classes a week; this teaching load leaves me with time for only one private appointment a week. Where do your students come from? I teach students from both Chicago and the suburbs (and even Indiana). Many of my test-prep students, in fact, come from the suburbs (e.g., Vernon Hills, Neuqua Valley (Naperville), Libertyville, IMSA, Stevenson, New Trier, Hinsdale Central, Grayslake, Glenbrook South, Prospect (Mt. Prospect), Hersey (Arlington Heights)). I have worked with students from Latin, Parker, Lab, Northside College Prep, Payton, Whitney Young, St. Ignatius, Lincoln Park, Lane Tech, Lycee Francais, Francis Xavier Warde, Near North Montessori, Sacred Heart, and the British School of Chicago, among others. Some of my students attend East Coast prep schools (Andover, Exeter, Choate, Deerfield) and study with me during school vacations. I have also worked in person with students from Connecticut, Maryland, California, South Korea, and Japan. What is your admission policy? Since I started teaching in 2004, any diligent and motivated student has been welcome to join the class designated for his/her grade level, on a space-available basis; registration has been first-come, first-served. Now, however, demand for my courses has become so great that I require new students to submit test scores and transcripts, to ensure compatibility with the majority of my students, who are veterans of my classes. ADMISSION POLICY FOR NEW STUDENTS: ("New" students are those who have never worked with me before, or those who last worked with me several months (or more) before the start of the current course.) I will admit new 8th-graders and 11th-graders by special permission only, based on recent test scores. (I may request a copy of the student's report cards/transcripts showing grades from the most recent semester.) If a prospective student attends a trial class, I will also take into account his/her performance during that class. I prefer to start working with a student at least a year before he/she plans to take high-school or college entrance exams, but if space permits, I will accept motivated, high-performing 8th and 11th graders who seek to improve their scores further. In general, I will only accept new 8th and 11th graders who have scored in the 95th percentile or higher on their most recent ITBS, ISAT, Terra Nova, or Stanford tests (for 8th graders) or on the PLAN or PSAT (for 11th graders). New students in grades 6-7 or 9-10 who wish to join a class will be asked to submit recent standardized test scores, to ensure that they can keep up with their classmates, most of whom are returning students who are veterans of my classes. Test scores will not be the sole admission criterion, however. Self-motivation and diligence are also important, as indicated by school grades; I may ask new students in grades 6-7 or 9-10 to submit report cards showing grades from the last semester. If a prospective student attends a trial class, I will also take into account his/her performance during that class. The open admission policy for students in grades 4-5 will remain the same: any diligent, motivated student who can keep up with the class is welcome to join. I encourage new students to start early --well before they are scheduled to take entrance exams for high school or college. I give priority in enrollment to the following students: returning students who have worked hard, who have made positive contributions to the class learning environment, and who have good attendance history; new or returning students who plan to take courses with me all year long; and students in pre-high-school classes (for grade 8 and below) who commit to attend the greatest number of class sessions (e.g., students who will attend 9 of the 10 sessions in a given course).
Because my classes are small, and because many students enjoy studying continuously with me (some of my younger students recently completed their fifth year with me!), classes fill up quickly and typically sell out, sometimes several months in advance. I maintain waiting lists for sold-out courses. E-mail me to be added to the waiting list for a particular course. How do I sign up for a class? E-mail me to find out whether a spot is available and to request registration/application materials. I reserve a student's place in a class once I receive his/her completed registration/application form and payment in full for the course (or the applicable deposit, if the student is signing up in May/June for the upcoming year's courses). Prospective students or their parents should e-mail me at least a few months before the start of the course(s) they are interested in. Summer courses typically sell out by March, and academic-year courses, especially those for students in grade 8 and below, usually sell out by May or June. Are small-group classes as effective as private tutoring? In my experience, small-group classes with a knowledgeable, engaging teacher can actually be more helpful than one-on-one tutoring. Most students enjoy learning and interacting with other students; the group setting provides extra encouragement, motivation, and intellectual stimulation as students strive to do their best. This is particularly true for younger students, who may find one-on-one tutoring tedious, pressure-filled, or both. Moreover, students benefit from the structure of a weekly class, with regular homework assignments and a variety of in-class exercises and discussions. Can I meet you before deciding to sign up for a course? For the past five years, all of my students have signed up for courses without meeting me first; that is standard procedure for any institution that offers group classes (as opposed to private tutoring). If, however, you would like to experience my teaching before signing up or applying for a course, you may reserve your place in a trial class (a list of available trial class dates is here). A trial class costs the same as a single regular class. Alternatively, if my schedule can accommodate a short private session, you may set up an hourlong private appointment, for which I will charge my regular hourly rate. I do not meet with prospective students or parents "for a few minutes" free of charge; instructors at, for instance, Northwestern's Center for Talent Development or the Latin School of Chicago's summer school do not offer that option, and I don't either. My website includes comprehensive information on my background, course offerings, and student successes; that information will assist you in deciding whether to sign up or apply for a course. Do you assign homework? To maximize learning, students are expected to do some homework during the week; the amount varies by class. If a student has not completed his/her homework, however, he/she still benefits from attending class and learning here for two hours; he/she can make up the homework the following week. I encourage students to manage their time wisely and complete as much of the homework as they can each week. What if my child has an erratic or packed schedule, with conflicts due to other commitments (such as sports, music, or drama)? Each course meets only once a week (with holidays during school breaks), so students must be able to attend almost all classes to make real progress. My Saturday classes, for example, are not a good fit for students who have frequent Saturday conflicts, or who are sometimes available on Saturday mornings and sometimes on Saturday afternoons (but who cannot commit to one particular time slot on Saturdays throughout most of the school year). Such students are best advised to find a private tutor who can visit them at home on a schedule of their own choosing. My child is not a "gifted" student. Is he/she a good fit for your courses? Some of my students earn high scores (after completing multiple courses and working consistently hard), but I teach a wide range of students who come to me with varying levels of preparedness. If a student completes the assignments, manages his/her time wisely, and does his/her best, that student will improve; some of my weakest students have made dramatic progress. I will accept students who are willing to work hard (even if they don't have particularly strong test scores at the outset), if they come to me early -- well before they must take entrance exams for high school or college -- and show that they can keep up with the class. Improvement and perseverance matter more than the initial level of a student's scores. Do you tutor individual students? Classes are my primary focus (I teach four to five classes each week). However, to the extent my schedule allows, I occasionally tutor students privately (I can meet with only one student per week at most). Private appointments are usually reserved for students who are currently taking classes with me, but even those students should contact me at least a few months in advance; I often book up as much as 6-9 months in advance. I am fully booked with private appointments right now; contact me if you would like to be added to the waiting list, since last-minute cancellations sometimes occur. Do you tutor privately by phone or e-mail? Will you edit written work online? I do not coach students by phone or e-mail, or edit written work remotely, whether a student lives in Chicago or elsewhere. (I have received inquiries from students and parents as far away as Arizona, Connecticut, Japan, and South Korea.) For private tutoring and advice, a student must meet with me in person. Likewise, there is no "long-distance" version of any of my courses. | |
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