Do you find your child is having difficulty in school? Or maybe your son or daughter just can’t seem to get over that one hurdle? Could your student just be showing signs of boredom or not being challenged? Do you have difficulties getting your young one to go to school? Or perhaps you just want to help them get a jump start for the next year?
If any of these situations describes you or your child, then a solution is right around the corner. The Sylvan Learning Center offers a wide variety of programs for students of all ages and skill levels.
Owned and operated by Center Director Joanne Woolf and Director of Education Janet Scheltema, the Sylvan Learning Center in Oxford opened this past February. The center uses a diagnostic and prescriptive approach to create an individualized program for each student.
‘Our mission is to improve the skills of the student in whatever program they may be struggling in,? explained Woolf. ‘We also offer more challenging programs for those students looking to move ahead.?
‘What we want to see is an increase in the students confidence and attitude, their self-esteem,? added Scheltema. ‘That’s the most important. It’s amazing what the improvement in attitude and confidence does to a child’s life.?
Students, parents and teachers who are a part of Sylvan Learning Centers call this improvement in overall self-esteem ‘The Sylvan Moment.? Woolf and Scheltema said that often parents are the first to notice a change in their student.
To reach ‘The Sylvan Moment,? students begin their journey with a diagnostic test, an ‘x-ray? of their strengths and weaknesses. The professionals at the Sylvan Learning Center then evaluate the assessment and write a ‘prescription? for success by pinpointing the skill gaps. Just some of the programs offered by the center include beginning reading, academic reading, basic math, study skills, Sylvan academic writing program, algebra 1 and geometry.
‘What makes us different is simple – we have a proven program with over a 1,000 centers nationwide,? said Woolf.
Students attend the center for anywhere from two to eight hours a week for instruction. They are placed in instructional groups of no more than a three to one student to teacher ratio. Instructors with the center maintain close contact with parents and regular classroom teachers.
During lesson times, students are given an opportunity to succeed with on the spot responses. Their accomplishments are also rewarded with certificates and other incentives.
‘The students get immediate feedback for what they do,? explained Scheltema. ‘Everything is a positive comment. This a positive environment the students enjoy coming to.?
‘Everything they do is reviewed here with the teacher, not after they’ve done the assignment the night before at home,? said Woolf. ‘They are rewarded for every effort. Also, they are working on a level where they find success… and then they can build on that.?
‘Our motto is ‘Learning Feels Good,?? added Scheltema.
The Sylvan Learning Center is Oxford employs 14 part-time teachers, all Michigan certified and trained by Sylvan to accurately apply the Sylvan programs, and two staff members. The instructors have a wide range of experience. Woolf and Scheltema have extensive educational backgrounds themselves with each being a member of Sylvan for the past seven years.
Woolf has worked as a classroom teacher, private tutor and substitute teacher. She holds a bachelor’s of science in elementary education and a master’s degree in educational leadership. Her top responsibility is to hold the center to the highest standards in the delivery of their educational programs.
Scheltema holds a bachelor’s of science in elementary education with a minor in mathematics and master’s degree in educational leadership. She has taught in the classroom, worked with a GED program, taught Signing Exact English and worked with project READ. Scheltema is responsible for all aspects of the center’s educational operations.
‘We are doing this because we believe in it,? said Woolf. ‘We know it works.?
‘We opened this center because we love Sylvan and we decided that if we put in so many hours for someone else, we should just do it for ourselves,? added Scheltema. ‘We work the long hours because we believe in the programs and the children. We know this works and we want to make it work here.?
The Sylvan Learning Center is located at 164 S. Washington St. in the Oxford Market Place. The center is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
For more information on the center or to set an appointment, please contact either Scheltema or Woolf at 248-628-8100, or visit www.educate.com.