Note from Erica C.

"I feel that the tutors at Sylvan are very helpful. They are very nice and they do their best to help all the students. I feel an improvement in my work because I am going to Sylvan. Sylvan does take up a lot of my time though. In the end I guess it's worth it because I'm getting better grades.
Erica C. age 15"

- Erica C. Student Center 12128

Sylvan Online

"Kelly C. moved here from New York and was intimidated by the change of lifestyles, classroom techniques and new friends. She came to Sylvan to get help in catching up to her peers and gain the confidence to do her Math with ease. They decided to do Sylvan Online and as she is reaching her 36 hour mark, her Mom is totally amazed at the change in attitude and grades at school!! She is thrilled with the technology of Sylvan Online but is even more grateful to the Sylvan Online teachers who reassured her daughter, helped her learn from her mistakes and cheered her on her successes. She went from a shy 'D' student to a
happy, well-adjusted 'A' student. Even her teachers were amazed and asked Mom how she accomplished such a turn around in so little a time and she assures me that she simply says 'SYLVAN!'"

- Kelly C. - Center 12161

Summer Time Diligentence Pays Off

"At the end of last school year we had a young man who was a freshman come here for Algebra testing. He had just entered the public schools after being home schooled since the age of 7. His math skills were so far behind the school took him out of the Algebra class altogether. After testing we realized he had very little math knowledge at all, and needed all the basics including how to multiply and divide. His confidence was so low that all of his grades at school were suffering, and he felt like going back into the schools may not have been the right choice for him. Financing the program was a big concern, but through the power of SLM, and our persistence to want so badly to help him, Mom enrolled him. All summer long we pretested and worked diligently to move him through as much material as quickly as possible to prepare him to tackle Algebra this school year. It was a tall task since he had gaps all the way back to the 2nd grade. However, we were confident he would do just fine in his Algebra class after his last PA, which showed an improvement of 9.2!! ADDITIONALLY... I am SO proud to tell you that this student has just received his first report card and is getting a 94% in Algebra, and all 100%'s in all other classes!! I spoke with his mom, and they are thrilled, and enjoying the school year. Mom made sure to tell us that he misses Sylvan, and actually became quite attached to our staff! What a nice way to start the day :)"

- Linsday Risner - Center 12907

Boost in Self Confidence

"Well, as we get school off to a start things at our house are pretty hectic as you can imagine. School, homework, Sylvan and oh yeah don't forget football... yikes. I start to ask myself, is it too much, as Caleb drags himself to the car after the first couple days of school. Then Caleb informs me that his Language Arts teacher gave a test on Thursday (first day in her class). As a result of her test she has divided the class into 2 different groups, Basic and Challenged. Caleb was thrilled to be placed in the higher group!!!! After all, he has been in a SE Language Arts class for a few years now, what a boost for him! One more thing, on the way home today he said to me, "I finished all my Math homework in class, I was able to get it done so fast. I'm glad I went to Sylvan" Kudos to you and your staff for all your hard work, keeping Caleb engaged and excited about the progress he is making!! I know there are better things still to come.
Sincerely,
Debbie P.""

- Debbie P. - Center 12987

Good Tears

"When Julian's mom came to the enrollment conference she was really frustrated with his grades in math. She informed me that in all of Julian's years in school he has never made above a C or D in math. He was now in the 7th grade and struggling to pass again. We signed him up for Homework Support to help him pass his current math class, but we also registered him in the SME program. This is the second month Julian has been with us and in the ongoing conference last week Julian's mom was in tears. For the first time in Julian's life he made an A in math. She is so proud and couldn't praise Sylvan enough. Way to go Sylvan and Julian!"

- Cassie Jacobs - Center 12066

"One of our third grade reading students said to her mom last week as they were leaving the center, "Sylvan makes me smart!" What a great feeling!"

- Annemarie - Center 12235

Working at Grade Level

""Dawn H. brought her son Jalen to Sylvan in September. They had moved to a school district with much higher expectations and performance and Jalen was significantly behind in math and reading. His original LOS for reading was 137 hours. At the time of his enrollment I told Dawn that as a reading specialist I felt his problems stemmed from not having an organized, sequential, everyday reading experience in his previous school. After 55 hours of instruction, Jalen was working at grade level in reading. He is doing his homework independently and choosing reading activities at home. He will accomplish the goals Dawn set forth at the enrollment after only 65 hours of instruction! He has become one the best readers in his 4th grade class and is a much more self-assured learner. Dawn had tears in her eyes when I gave her the good news about Jalen's progress. She said Sylvan has been the best investment she's ever made.""

- Linda Seaborn - Center 12672

Sylvan Coaches Needed

"I met with a parent this morning whose daughter is a full time 8th grade student who also competes on an almost professional level for gymnastics as well as horse back riding. She is a young girl, who has a very very busy schedule. She works out twice a day, meets with coaches, travels, and also attends school. She has always loved school but recently was bumped into a higher level math class and has been bringing home D's. She was working herself very hard and staying up until midnight to complete her homework. Her mom met with me last week, we assessed Skylear and she will be coming to our center to get extra support for Math. She spoke to her gymnastics coaches to ask if she could cut back her gymnastics a couple of days in order to come to Sylvan. She told them she needed her Sylvan coaches now, but that she would be back soon!"

- Lara Findlay - Center 12502

Building Confidence

"When Adrian first started he didn't want to come Sylvan. On his first day, he wasn't sure how it would be when he came into the center. The mom had to make him understand why he's coming and so he did unwillingly. After his first few hours here at Sylvan, his mom saw him coming out with a smile and said he loved it. His confidence has grown just for being here within 3 weeks. She said that yesterday he took his daily tests in his math class and received an A. Before Sylvan he was receiving F's on his quizzes. With the help of his mom and Sylvan staff he is more confident and more focused with his homework as well as in school. This is such an inspiration for me to hear these many stories from parents. This is why I've been here for 3 years."

- Frances Lopes - Center 12508

Building Horor Roll Students

"I had a past RP call in today to thank us. Her granddaughter attended our center for reading. She wanted to let us know that Brittany is now on the honor roll and is also the student of the month! Grandmom is so proud of her and just had to call us. She said that Brittany couldn't have done it without Sylvan!"

- Deborah Lesko - Center 12235

Higher Benchmark Scores

"Bill and Lahra:
I know I told you that Joe's last spelling test was a 90%, but I wanted you to know that he received another 90%. Also, Joe's teacher called me the other day to let me know that on the Benchmark Unit 5 Test he was the only child to score an A.
On all of his previous Benchmark Tests he had failed.
We are so proud of him.
Thanks Guys!"

- Bill Pearlman - Center 12280

Asking To Go Back To Sylvan

"My niece, Paige, could barely read when we enrolled her at Sylvan. She was in 7th grade and reading at a 3rd grade level. She is a special Ed. student with many learning difficulties. She is now a freshman in high school. Sylvan turned her life around. The teaching methods they used with Paige turned out to be just what she needed to grow and thrive in school and out. From a parents viewpoint, I found all the people at Sylvan to be genuinely interested with my concerns and willing to devise and implement strategies to help Paige read. We took a break from Sylvan for a couple of months and Paige has asked to go back!!!! I could not believe it. She wants to go back. That's something the people at Sylvan should be proud of."

- Linsday Risner - Center 12907

""Chad struggled with reading comprehension starting in first grade. We started Sylvan in 2/2007, Chad was in 3rd grade, but testing at 2.2 grade level. Chad finished 3rd grade with a strong C. I was satisfied. We kept him in Sylvan because I could see that he was gaining skills and confidence. Chad just entered the 4th grade and we had our first teacher conference yesterday. He has a strong B in reading comprehension and she feels that it will move to an A by next quarter. She is also going to recommend that Chad be selected for honor roll. Honor roll! I never expected this... I just wanted him to be confident and secure. Chad's 4th grade teacher also indicated that Sylvan had contacted her directly about Chad and wanted to know if there was anything she wanted sylvan to help Chad work on. She was impressed, because she said most learning centers only work on their own programs and the fact that Sylvan was willing to focus on the same thing they were already doing in his class was encouraging for her.""

- Susan Van Tuyl - Center 12040

""My daughter, Nicole was home schooled since kindergarten. We decided it was time to enroll her in a more traditional setting. Real school. I loved her being home with us but our concern was that she wasn't up to 4th grade level in her schooling or emotionally. After testing her we found out we were right. Ricki, Armani and the teachers at Sylvan were such a blessing. Nicole is enrolled in school and is doing great! Mahalo (thank you) for all they help in giving our little girl the support she needed to prepare her for school. And for the support you gave my husband and myself to make this transition in our lives.""

- Ricki Smith - Center 12038

""My daughter just got accepted into Carlow University and we have to give Sylvan Learning Center credit. They helped her with AP Statistics and AP Chemistry. Yes, Sylvan is not only for the little kids or the flunkies, but it helps the average student become the exceptional student. They help give a student confidence and help them finish homework in a timely fashion so they can have a social life as well and not spend every waking moment doing homework. Sylvan is worth every dollar I spent because the picture I witnessed of seeing my daughter jump three feet off the ground, cheering, when she was accepted into her first choice school, two weeks after she applied was priceless!""

- Alison Jones - Center Director

Building State Test Confidence

"I just talked to a student who was with us for State Test Prep. The ISEE test was two weekends ago, and mom wanted to call me to let me know how confident Michael felt coming out of the test. Mom even mentioned that this was the first time in Michael's life that he smiled after a test (and he even told her that he knew that he rocked the test!). She wanted to make sure to thank us and let us know what a difference we made in Michael's confidence."

- Brooke Businsky - Center 12102

Tears Of Joy!

"Today was Jacob's last day. He cried, then his mom cried, then Lindsey cried and then I cried. His mom said that last year she was distraught and not knowing what to do and now she is excited for his future! He is reading 103 wpm and is in the 90% for his last Math CAT. This is one of those examples of how you really get a tangible feeling of, "Wow!, we really made a huge difference in this family's life!"
Jacob's mother submitted these comments through Sylvan Connect:
"Jacob has changed regarding how he views schools. Last year before we started at Sylvan school was very difficult for him. He was hard to get going in the morning and was miserable when he came home and very frustrated with doing work at school and home. Worksheets [were] a nightmare and remembering certain math facts wasn't easy either. This Year he is confident and able to keep up at school and home. A night and day difference!
"Thanks to the teachers and staff at Sylvan! What a wonderful group of people a pleasure to work with!""

- Brent Roberts - Center 12207

College Bound

""Golda Bonaparte, a senior in high school, called us in a panic less than a month before she was scheduled to take the SAT. She needed to raise her score at least 200 points to be accepted into Virginia Tech's Architecture program. Due to the time crunch, Golda's father spoke with several of our competitors and wanted to make sure she got the best program! Though he was a bit hesitant, he purchased the half-SAT prep program with In Home Tutoring, and ended up adding an additional 9 hours for math preparation. Two of our tutors worked with her consistently for 3 weeks. Golda's father called me this week with the results and he was overjoyed--Golda's scores increased over 200 points, with an increase in each subcategory. As a result, Golda was granted admission into the Architecture program, and offered additional financial scholarships. Her father, Isaac, could not thank Sylvan enough. He stated, 'My daughter is going to college, and I owe it all to you! I will definitely be recommending Sylvan to everyone.'""

- Mandi McClain - Center 12115

"Angie and I were just finishing up an enrollment when a dad came into the center. He told Angie that he did not want to interrupt instruction but he had to talk to his son Jacob. Angie went to get Jacob. As the dad stood in the hallway, I watched his smile grow and grow. (knew that I had to hang around to see what was up) Angie came back to tell the dad that Jacob was on his way out. The dad told Angie that he had just left the parent-teacher conference at school and could not wait to tell Jacob the news. At that moment, Jacob came bouncing around the corner. His dad grabbed him in a huge hug and lifted him off the ground. The dad went on to tell Jacob and us that the classroom teacher is so proud of Jacob for his hard work, his progress and that she had seen so much improvement in the past few months in his grades and self-esteem. You can just imagine how excited Jacob was at this point. They were giving each other high-fives, thumbs-up and lots of hugs. WOW!!!! It was so awesome that we got chills!!!! (Needless to say, Sarah was on top of it with lots of tokens for him too.)"

- Angie Willis

""Hannah has attended the Eastgate Sylvan Learning Center just shy of a year. Her programs in Math Essentials and Academic Reading started well below her grade level. Her parents have been faithful to drive the hour (one way) to make sure that Hannah's needs would be met in a timely fashion. She has regularly attended 6-12 hours per week (12 in the summer months). Hannah's progress and confidence in her skills have grown by leaps and bounds and she now performs easily near the top of her 4th grade class. At our last ongoing conference, Hannah's mom relayed some comments from Hannah - "I don't know what you are going to talk about in there [in the conference], but I'm telling you now, I am NOT stopping Sylvan!" Needless to say, Hannah is continuing her lessons in Math Essentials and will soon graduate from her Academic Reading program. Mom and Dad could not be happier; with Hannah's increase in confidence and independence, as well as her current lack of frustration and procrastination with homework, she is well on her way to a bright and successful future.""

- Terri Huntington - Center 12373

On Line Geometry Program

"Alicia is a senior in high school, and came to us after she failed at her third attempt in passing Geometry. She wasn't going to graduate. Somer went above and beyond in working through the high school on-line Geometry program then going to the Vice Principal and getting authorization for a class for credit. She worked with the RP and student to ensure requirements were met. Alicia was in tears at the [Sylvan] graduation and proudly wore her cap. I think the sense of relief and expectation toward high school graduation was overwhelming for her."

- Somer Hall - Center 12500