Above and Beyond

"I appreciate the commitment of the staff, the communication from them and the feedback they provide. They listen and are willing to do whatever is necessary to make sure my child is successful, including attending school meetings as an advocate for her. Sometimes just having that one other person present who can speak for my child has made a huge difference. They go above and beyond the program to help my child. They have always made sure we both know what is going on and why. My child has loved Sylvan and that is saying a lot, considering she was there for her least favorite subject: Math!"

Happy Mother's Day

"One of our Sylvan mothers reported finding this appreciative note in the Mother's Day card her daughter made for her: "Thank you for spending our money on Sylvan!""

This is easy!

"I just had to let you know--when my daughter was working on her fifth grade math homework last night, she kept saying, "This is easy!" I know the reason it's easy for her now is because of all the hard work at Sylvan. She was really struggling with this same type of homework at the end of fourth grade. Thank you!"

"Our son needed help in reading and Sylvan did an excellent job of implementing a yearlong plan to bring him up to academic standing for his grade level. Sylvan tested our son and had scheduled meetings to inform us of how he was progressing and what was expected of him during the next phase of his learning. Our son enjoyed his learning experience at Sylvan because he knew he was gaining knowledge and that he was succeeding in his reading tasks at school. He has such a positive attitude about school today because of the hard work he put into reading and the positive structure Sylvan provided for him throughout the year he attended Sylvan. I highly recommend Sylvan to anyone who has a child struggling in reading. It was such a positive experience for our son and his parents."

"I greatly appreciate the genuine concern and interest in my daughter's academic success as we prepare for her senior year and beyond. She has vastly improved in her reading speed and comprehension thanks to her Academic Reading program. We hope to work with Sylvan of Missoula more in the future!"

"I like the way everyone goes about making you feel wanted in the learning and overall atmosphere of Sylvan. They go out of the way to help you if you need to readjust a schedule and make sure the time meets the needs of parents and students. They also make learning a pleasure for the students so it builds their confidence to put the new tasks learned to work in everyday life. And having a monthly payment plan available makes it possible for anyone to come to Sylvan."

""Sylvan has been the critical factor in our son's success in completing high school and going on to college with confidence. He struggled with math from ninth grade on, and it was the clear instruction and mastery of skills with his Sylvan teachers that helped him to truly understand math concepts and apply them. Their encouragement gave him the support he needed to feel great about math and himself. It was never a chore to come to Sylvan! Now as a college freshman he is tackling a challenging math class. He was placed in it due to his good SAT scores, which were the result of Sylvan's SAT prep course. He says the course is difficult, but he knows he can do it! Sylvan made all the difference.""

""Our kids love Sylvan! They look forward to going every day, and have smiles on their faces when I pick them up.""

""Sylvan gave my child a place where she knew homework and learning were the focus, and I did not have to argue about having no TV, ipods or such when doing homework.""

A Good Decision

"Things are going so well in school this year. My daughter barely missed getting an A in math this quarter. At the parent-teacher conference, even the teacher was hoping that my daughter would earn an A. It is so nice to have that the focus of the conference instead of talking about a C in math. Our daughter no longer gets upset with math homework. Now and then she will have a couple of problems that she needs help on, but helping her is now a pleasant experience instead of an emotional experience. Deciding to have my daughter come to Sylvan has been a good decision for our family."

"Josh's mother said,"Thank goodness we sent Josh to Sylvan this summer. It gave him back his confidence and taught him his basics. He loved all of his teachers at Sylvan and never complained about coming. His teacher this year is very plrased with his reading, and he is doing well in all of his subjects.""

"Brandy was upset with her mother for signing her up for homework support, but after a couple of weeks she apologized, saying that Sylvan really was helping, and it was a lot of fun!"

"Michael's mother is so pleased with the changes she sees in Michael. He has made the high honor roll, and she sees his confidence soaring in areas outside of academics also. Homework used to be a battle, but now Michael has most of it done before he gets home. If he does have homework, he can complete it independently. She is so glad Michael came to Sylvan; both she and Michael feel good knowing that if further challenges come up, he can come back for support."

"Jessica was going to take more hours in the summer, but wanted to take only one more. She told her mother, "I like going to Sylvan, and I don't want to hurry through the program, and not be there!""

A True Test of Success: From a parent letter

"My son hated to read and doing story problems in math became a guessing game. I hate to admit it, but I dreaded going through his backpack. I kept hoping he had no homework.
On my way home one day, I drove by Sylvan...I explained our reading comprehension issues and homework disaster scenarios...that every approach I tried always led to the same conclusion, arguing and tears. I have to tell you I left there that day feeling like a load had been lifted from my shoulders. At last, I had someone who could help me "fix" a problem I did not know how to fix myself.
My son was very scared and upset when I told him I had signed him up for testing. However, by the end of the testing period, he was laughing and smiling and admitted he had had a good time.
It has been about eight months now since we started Sylvan (we did two 1-hour classes per week). The results are incredible. Not only do Beth and her staff make my son feel comfortable, but they make learning so fun he doesn't even realize how much and how fast he has learned.
I just had another conference with Beth. My son has progressed so fast that he will complete the program in fewer hours than initially thought. However, the true test of his success comes from me.
1. Homework has been a breeze this year.
We still have the "normal" discussions about homework such as "right now? in a minute." These are discussions I will take any day.
2. When we sit down and read a book there is no more struggle to get through it. He enjoys reading and has the confidence he used to have.
3. His teacher says he has confidence in class and will actually raise his hand to answer questions. And the best test of all is that I can be MOM again and not the monster.
Beth and the Sylvan teachers will never know how much my son and I appreciate all their hard work and effort they put forth to make learning fun again. I have and will continue to recommend Sylvan to any parent who is looking for that little bit of help and hope."

Student Quotes

"I love this! I used to hate math, but now its my favorite subject. At school, the teacher was teaching us, but my friend didn't get it, so I taught him!"

- Elijah, grade 3

"I want to be sure to get to Sylvan this summer, because I really need to get all my base skills for math next fall."

- Paul, grade 9

"When Kayla's mother enrolled her at Sylvan, she was not sure it would work. She was simply ready to try anything! She was thrilled when Kayla said one evening, as they were each reading their own book, "I'm so glad I share your love for books.""

"Lori tells us her son is now getting straight A's and her daughter is now reading for pleasure and doing great. Both of the children have recommended Sylvan to their own friends."

"Elizabeth was watching T.V., and the child actors were telling about their heroes. She told her mother, "Mom, you are my hero because you got me into Sylvan!""

"Katie was at the back of the classroom helping her friends with their pre-algebra assignment. The kids asked, "How did you get so smart? Last year you were not getting this at all." Katie smiled. "I go to Sylvan.""

"Taylor's mom said that his teacher from last year pulled her aside on the last day of school to comment on what a wonderful turnaround Taylor had made in math during the year. At the beginning of the year he lacked skills and confidence and, as a result, was very negative about math. He improved so much that in the last week of school he came in in second place in the math competition!"

"Denise saw a former math student at his high school graduation. As she congratulated him, he told her he could never have done it without Sylvan."

"When her teacher was explaining a new concept to the class, Mary quickly announced that she knew how to do the skill. The teacher allowed her to explain and demonstrate it at the board. The class was impressed, and Mary felt great! She could hardly wait to get home to tell her mother. Mary had learned the concept at Sylvan."

"Alex's mother is continually amazed with the strategies he has learned at Sylvan. Lately, he has been teaching her syllabication rules. Almost every time she works with him on a new skill he announces, "I already learned that at Sylvan." He then tells her about the strategy that goes with the skill."