The key is to actively engage with the material. Don't just passively write; try to summarize the information in your own words. Ask yourself questions: How does this connect to what we learned last week? What are the implications of this concept? The more you wrestle with the material, the better you'll understand it.

Sarcasm Isn’t Wasted on Humans

Try saying, “Oh, yeah, solving this math problem is exactly how I want to spend my Friday night,” to an AI tutor, and it’ll probably hit you with, “Persistence is key to success!” Thanks, robot. Human tutors, though? They’ll smirk and say, “Right? Because who wouldn’t want to spend their weekend deep in algebra?” Humans get your sarcasm—AI’s still buffering.

The real problem is complicated. We as a country have to prioritize child care, NOT by putting more onto schools. I'm generally a solutions-oriented person. But I don't have one here. I'd love to say that workplaces have to allow for last-minute cancellations and accommodate families. But what to do about the jobs where that can't happen? If we had better solutions, people might not be griping about the meteorologists "getting it wrong."

The most critical thing to consider when looking at colleges is the match between college and student.

Finding a college that offers a major you want is great, but chances are your interests and major could change before you graduate- what is the most popular major at UCLA? “Undeclared!” Of course, we “market” clients based on current interested fields of study, but you you should ensure the school is a good fit and feel for your needs, not just academics.

When people hear that I enjoy math, they cringe, usually responding with an anecdote about how it was their least favorite subject in school. One time in high school, my friend sat next to me while I did a calculus project. Upon seeing the assignment, she remarked that it “looked like the most miserable thing in the world.”

Part of my work involves tutoring admissions tests. Most students aim for that top-scoring echelon, usually in the 97th percentile or above. As we chip away at strategies, question types, and tailoring plans of attack, I continually emphasize that the frosting on any preparation cake is simply this: reading independently. This is a discussion that occurs with every student, not just SAT and ACT prep clients and takers of secondary school admissions tests.

When students return to school in Somerville, we will be fully remote. At the high school, we will be remote until we move into the new building. Grades will count as they always have. Attendance will count as it always has. However, there are far more social-emotional supports than there were. The first week or so with kids will focus heavily on community building and less on academics before we move toward more rigorous learning. The staff has been trained to provide rich instruction virtually…

It is unquestionably the summer of our discontent as we are submerged in a deep-fried Upside Down. The reference to the creepy alternate universe in “Stranger Things” is not only apropos to today’s mutated reality (things are stranger, to say the least) but also harkens to a recent era without ubiquitous internet, cell phones, endless streaming TV content, etc. I often wonder what we would have done back then with three months of closed schools.

Ending a school year in the midst of a pandemic, after three months of distance learning, has been a challenge. Children have suffered, unable to see their friends and family, practice sports and other activities, or travel outside of their immediate neighborhood. How do we want our children to remember this unique moment in their lives?