News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Colleen Lerro

Director of Communications

240.780.3233

E-mail: info@ashleytutors.com

ASHLEY TUTORS EDUCATES BY FOCUSING ON

INDIVIDUAL LEARNING STYLES

UCLA study shows many kids misdiagnosed with ADHD

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. – Ashley Tutors (http://www.ashleytutors.com) launched in October 2007, offers one-on-one in-home academic tutoring to Washington, D.C. area students in grades kindergarten through 12. While other tutoring centers use their own curriculum and parents must travel to their location, Ashley Tutors develops unique, individualized strategies to meet the needs of each of its students in the comfort of their own home.

A recent UCLA study of Finnish adolescents showed that only about half of children diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), clearly exhibit the cognitive defects commonly associated with the condition. The study also concluded that the prevalence and symptoms of the disorder are similar in different populations whether or not medicine was used. Ashley Tutors works with all students to find the learning style that best suits each student. While some students may appear to be affected by symptoms of ADHD, the problem might actually be that they don’t learn well in a traditional classroom setting.

“The goal of Ashley Tutors is to develop a unique, individualized and very interactive strategy to meet the needs of each student,” said Josh Chernikoff, the Ashley Tutors team member who personally interviews, investigates and selects each individual tutor. “Our methods are highly interactive, and our tutors work with your child to find out how they learn best. We feel that our unique use of kinesthetic learning, which is learning by movement, is really helping us make an immediate impact in our students lives.”

Parents see the results from these individualized strategies. “Ashley Tutors has taken the time to get to know my son’s strengths and the things that motivate him,” said Maria Cornelius, parent of a student at St. Jane Frances de Chantal in Bethesda, Md. “His grades have improved and he continues to gain confidence. It has been a real blessing.”

“Ashley Tutors worked wonders with my child who is learning disabled,” said a parent of a Bethesda Chevy Chase High School student. “Our tutors used new individualized strategies to build on my son’s capabilities and boost his self-confidence.”

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Ashley Tutors is very proud of our tutor Dave Trachtenberg for his hard work!  Dave is currently tutoring three students and he is helping each one reach their full potential.  Dave is a firm believer in kinesthetic learning and especially stretching or video game breaks.  Check out the amazing testimonial below from parent Rhonda Shore and a teacher who works with Rhonda’s son on a daily basis.  The teacher is obviously a fan of Dave and his excellent work — so am I!

“I’m very pleased with how these sessions are progressing. In only three weeks I think my son has already made great progress with his instructor Dave.  He is thinking through his answers a bit more thoroughly, his handwriting is neater and he is becoming more confident. In addition, I’m impressed with the speed of the ‘CenterTrac’ reports, because it helps me build on the tutor’s work the in between sessions.”

<!–[if !supportLists]–>-         Rhonda Shore<!–[endif]–>

<!–[if !supportLists]–>Parent of a student at Murch Elementary School (Washington, D.C.)<!–[endif]–>

“This tutor sounds great for your son!  He has quickly keyed in on the inner workings of his personality, academic strengths and weaknesses, and made a great connection.  Now that I know what days he will be working with the instructor, I will make sure both of them have extra materials for the session to reinforce what we are learning in school.” 

                        – Teacher, Murch Elementary School (Washington, D.C.)

With a snow storm approaching, what better way to spend some inside time with your child then learning about animals, different cultures, and much more. Actually, several of our tutors use the Kids National Geographic Website to show their students animals, games, videos, activities, and stories. Just another way we try to make learning entertaining in Montgomery County, Md. and the Washington, D.C. area.

Ashley Tutors is always encouraging our tutors to engage their students and this Web site engaged me for over an hour! One of my favorites is Iggy Arbuckle’s Video Blast. Another exciting adventure is traveling through the Underground Railroad. This is where students learn more about African American History month and how the slaves escaped to freedom.

Enjoy the snow and especially if we get a day off — enjoy the time making learning entertaining with your student!

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Colleen Lerro

Director of Communications

240.780.3233

E-mail: info@ashleytutors.com

ASHLEY TUTORS PARTNERS WITH JCC TO OFFER ON-SITE TUTORING

Ashley Tutors’ Innovative Learning Improves Students’ Grades and Confidence

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD – Ashley Tutors (http://www.ashleytutors.com) is proud to be working with the Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Greater Washington (www.jccgw.org), providing on-site tutoring to further enhance the JCC’s exceptional after-school programming. Ashley Tutors prides itself on its in-home tutoring service, and the JCC offers a central location in Montgomery County, Md., offering a quiet atmosphere for students to focus on their studies after school.

“The JCC has a well established, highly respected after-school program in a familiar and comforting atmosphere,” said Josh Chernikoff, the Ashley Tutors team member responsible for interviewing, investigating and hiring each tutor. “Studying at the JCC gives the student the same comfort level as if they were in their own home.”

Everyday during the after school program at the JCC, Ashley Tutors will offer its engaging one-on-one academic tutoring and also staff a separate group study area supervised by Ashley Tutors qualified and experienced instructors. The one-on-one instruction will be by appointment only to establish a relationship between the student and tutor, while the study area will be offered on a drop in basis where students can take advantage of a competent group of tutors ready to tackle any subject. For Chernikoff, it is very special to be partnering with the JCC as his education is coming full circle.

“I went to nursery school in some of those same rooms that the students will be tutored by our instructors,” said Chernikoff who grew up and still lives in Rockville. “Ashley Tutors has always been a local team and now we are working with a local landmark in the Greater Washington area.”

Ashley Tutors is quickly earning a strong reputation in the area tutoring and mentoring students in grades kindergarten through 12. Ashley Tutors develops unique, individualized strategies to meet the needs of each of its students in the comfort of their own home, and now also at the JCC. From a fourth grader raising his reading level in three months to a Spanish II student improving her grade from a D to a B, parents are already seeing results generated by the energetic and experienced team of dedicated tutors who put to practice the Ashley Tutors motto: LIVE! Learning Is Very Entertaining.

“I wanted to let you know how HAPPY we are with Joe as our tutor for Algebra,” said Shelly Bobruska, a parent of a student at Quince Orchard High School in Gaithersburg, Md. “He has a genuine interest in our daughter’s success, and he is really getting through to her. He is an amazing tutor and we couldn’t be happier. Thanks so much for connecting us with him!”

“From the moment we met Ashley and Josh, I knew we were on the right track,” said Maria Cornelius, a parent of a student at St. Jane Frances de Chantal in Bethesda, Md. “They were very professional and knowledgeable about the issues we were facing at school. My son looks forward to his weekly tutoring sessions. Ashley Tutors has taken the time to get to know my son’s strengths and the things that motivate him. His grades have improved and he continues to gain confidence.”

Based on the teaching methods of Ashley Fagel, a passionate instructor with a master’s degree in education from the University of Maryland, Ashley Tutors encourages the use of kinesthetic learning, a method of teaching in which a student carries out a physical activity, rather than listening to a teacher talk. To ensure progress during each session, every tutor on the Ashley Tutors team works with Fagel on how to best utilize kinesthetic learning and speaks with Fagel each Sunday to review their last tutoring session. Any member of Ashley Tutors can make anything from homework help to an abstract subject entertaining in their one-on-one sessions with the use of kinesthetic methods.

“The goal of Ashley Tutors is to develop a unique, individualized and very interactive strategy to meet the needs of each student,” said Chernikoff, who has put together a 12 team of instructors who offer their students knowledge from their exceptional college and graduate educations, and also come from different backgrounds with intriguing personal stories or jobs. “Because the teaching method is so interactive, it is important to have highly educated and highly energetic instructors.”

Ashley Tutors goal is not just helping students’ improve their grades, but teaming them up with a mentor as well, whether it be through the one-on-one instruction in a student’s home or at the JCC. “A positive role model can improve a student’s attitude toward learning by helping them achieve even higher levels of success, self-esteem and confidence” said Chernikoff.

ABOUT THE JCC OF GREATER WASHINGTON: The JCC of Greater Washington is a welcoming and inclusive environment that inspires and connects people of all ages and abilities through educational, cultural and recreational opportunities.

The JCC offers approximately 2,000 classes and programs each year in art, music, dance, Judaics, languages, swimming and sports. There are also many specialized programs for parents, families, couples, singles, women and seniors, as well as a variety of after school and enrichment programs for children of all ages.

In addition, the JCC runs one of the area’s finest health & fitness facilities, camp and preschool, as well as the intimate 290-seat Kreeger Auditorium which hosts concerts, dance performances and other cultural arts programming.

JCC programs are open to everyone, regardless of race, religion, age or ability.

For more information, please call 301-881-0100 or visit our website at www.jccgw.org.

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As Black History month rolls on in Montgomery County, Md., and across the country, we are encouraging our tutors to incorporate materials to emphasize the importance of February. A great resource about a very important even in African American history is a Web site created by the New York Times about The Little Rock Nine: 50 Years Later. According to the site Techlearning.com, this site is age appropriate for middle and high school students and gives them an opportunity to view “current portraits of seven of the Little Rock Nine and listen to remembrances of their experiences as the first African Americans to enroll in the previously segregated Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957.”

Using amazing Web sites like this one is another example of how we make learning entertaining. At Ashley Tutors, we search for these tools to help our tutors engage the student in a subject. Whether it be important African American history or a subject that might not connect with the student, we find ways to make learning anything fun! We find that once the student is enjoying the material, the confidence grows and the attitude toward school even changes. Again, Ashley Tutors practices our motto all the time – L.I.V.E. – Learning Is Very Entertaining!

A parent of an Ashley Tutors student mentioned an article in today’s Washington Post called, “Parents Rise Up Against A New Approach To Math.” The article details a new textbook that is being used in Prince William, Howard, Loudon and Arlington Counties and across the country — “Investigations in Number, Data, and Space.” The reason parents are so upset is that they, “say its methods are convoluted and fail to help children master basic math skills and facts. Educators who favor the series say it helps young students learn math in a deeper way as they prepare for the rigors of algebra.”

As a teacher, I have not come in contact with this book or this method. Our methods are the opposite of convoluted! In fact, our use of kinesthetic learning has been producing amazing results and making math easier to comprehend and attack. One of our tutors has been working with a second grade student on his math by making math fun. The two play games using special manipulatives such as playing cards, dice or blocks to help this young student learn addition and subtraction. His understanding of the concept and his confidence (which is also huge!) have skyrocketed since this tutor started using the kinesthetic approach.

So, whether the approach to math detailed in the Post makes its way to MCPS — Ashley Tutors is ready with our own method that makes learning very entertaining!

I have some big news for all of our loyal Ashley Tutors fans out there! We are going to offer our unique and fun style of tutoring at the Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Greater Washington right here in Rockville. And, because you guys are so special, here is a sneak peak at the press release we will be sending out very soon:

Ashley Tutors (http://www.ashleytutors.com) is proud to be working with the Jewish Community Center (JCC) of Greater Washington (www.jccgw.org), providing on-site tutoring to further enhance the JCC’s exceptional after-school programming. Ashley Tutors prides itself on its in-home tutoring service, and the JCC offers a central location in Montgomery County, MD, offering a quiet atmosphere for students to focus on their studies after school.

“The JCC has a well established, highly respected after-school program in a familiar and comforting atmosphere,” said Josh Chernikoff, the Ashley Tutors’ team member responsible for interviewing, investigating and hiring each tutor. “Studying at the JCC gives the student the same comfort level as if they were in their own home.”

Everyday during the after school program at the JCC, Ashley Tutors will offer its engaging one-on-one academic tutoring and staff a group study area supervised by Ashley Tutors qualified and experienced instructors to the students in the JCC after school program. The one-on-one instruction will be by appointment only to establish a relationship between the student and tutor, while the study area will be offered on a drop in basis.

This is super special for me because I actually went to the JCC for nursery school and now we get to give back. Our tutors are going to make every afternoon special for the students at the JCC — please call or e-mail us to register your student!

News Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

Colleen Lerro

Director of Communications

240.780.3233

E-mail: info@ashleytutors.com

ASHLEY TUTORS IN-HOME TUTORING SERVICE

HELPS WASHINGTON, D.C. AREA STUDENTS GET AHEAD

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. – Ashley Tutors (http://www.ashleytutors.com) has hired an energetic and diverse team from six countries to put into practice the Ashley Tutors’ motto: LIVE! Learning Is Very Entertaining. The fresh tutoring team has been assembled to make learning entertaining, to improve students’ self-esteem and to connect each student with a positive role model. Ashley Tutors offers one-on-one in-home academic help in any subject to students in grades kindergarten through 12.

“One of the keys to increasing comfort level and learning ability is being with the student in the comfort of their own home,” said Alejandro Alegria, a native of Guatemala, who tutors Spanish and is producing his first record album to be released in mid-2008. “It is great for the parents because they do not have to fight the traffic, and it is awesome for the tutors because we can be as active and interactive as we want in the confines of the student’s home. Things get very entertaining with my students when we perform Spanish songs and play our own version of ‘American Idol.’”

Ashley Tutors prides itself on not just making students’ grades better, but giving them a mentor as well. “A positive role model can improve a student’s attitude toward learning helping them achieve even higher levels of success, self-esteem and confidence,” said Josh Chernikoff, the Ashley Tutors team member who scouts the most qualified and energetic tutors to join the team.

Sometimes even the tutoring can be a learning experience for the tutors. Math tutor Michelle Silva, who graduated with a degree in mathematics from Washington College, uses the Washington Redskins statistics as a teaching tool when she tutors.

“I never thought I would know so much about the Redskins,” said Silva. “I am so happy to do whatever it takes to relate the subject to the students and make the learning fun and the subject relevant.”

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Hello everybody. As you all know, I am always upbeat, optimistic and focused on the future. We hope that all of our Ashley Tutors instructors always carry this into their sessions. Unfortunately, not every journal entry, every session with a student or every school day can be a positive experience.

But, they call be learning experiences. And, we are learning more and more about the recent school shootings all across the country. I read an insightful column in the L.A. Times by writer Stephanie Simon called, School Shootings: quest for answers. Ms. Simon takes her readers on a horrible journey writing about why school shootings have been taking place more frequently, like the one in our backyard at Virginia Tech University and the most recent one at Northern Illinois University. Simon does her best to provide her readers with some explanation: “In many families, both parents work, and have less time to keep close watch on their kids. That could be a factor too. As could the high divorce rate. Pressure to succeed in school. Cutbacks in mental-health care.” It is just one columnist’s view – I think it is a very thought provoking one.

When it comes to a subject like this, our tutors can’t make anything entertaining or fun. When age appropriate, we do encourage the instructors at Ashley Tutors to discuss these issues with their students and try to engage their student in conversation about these topics. This was not a fun topic to enter in my journal, but like Ms. Simon, I thought it was an important topic to open up for discussion so we can all learn from the experience.

Hey all – I hope everybody is ready for a nice long weekend. At Ashley Tutors, we always encourage our students to learn and have fun all of the time. But, balance is very important too. So while we will be tutoring this weekend, it is also important to take some time away from the books. I know I will have Ashley Tutors, kinesthetic learning and our students on my mind — but I am also going to take an academic break. This is a good chance to get some quality time with your kids — why not take a bike ride around Montgomery County, Md. or the Washington, D.C. area, go shopping or catch a movie?

There is a great and helpful page on the Common Sense Media Web site that rates movies for ages 2 to 17. Click here to get reviews from other parents on movies as new as The Spiderwick Chronicles which came out yesterday. Have a younger student in your house you want to catch that flick with, find out if Alvin and the Chipmunks got two thumbs up or down.

While we are not saying drop the books and learning for the whole weekend and forget about Ashley Tutors, we are saying make sure you have balance and enjoy the mini-vacation too!