Confidence Soars with Math Essentials

"The first time we saw Madie she had come in to the center to test for our Math Essentials program. Madie and her family, who are in the military, had recently moved from Nevada to Washington and her parents were concerned about Madie’s reluctance toward math. They were fearful about going into a new school district, one which demonstrated higher standards. We saw a beautiful blue-eyed, blonde haired 4th grader with a personality that fills a room who would get tears in her eyes when asked about math. This wonderful girl was convinced that she was not smart. She had a strong case of test anxiety and low confidence.

Madie has been coming to Sylvan 1-2 times a week for over a year. She has consistently put forth amazing effort every day. Every Sylvan teacher loves working with her because of the positive attitude she now has about her math abilities. Within her first 36 hours, Madie’s scores rose from a grade equivalent score of 3.0 to 5.5, and her percentile rankings rose from 22nd to the 85th percentile. Today her mom tells us that despite the fact that she has exceeded her grade level material, Madie loves coming to Sylvan and wants to continue. She even wants to enroll in the Academic Writing program. When asked what her favorite subject is, Madie now says confidently and enthusiastically… Math.

We are very proud of Madie and her rise in confidence, which now rivals her personality – both of which are off the charts."

Connections make success possible

"You know you’ve made a connection with a family when they stop in just to say "Hi," even after their child has stopped being a student. One of our favorite families recently relocated out of state and before leaving town, they made a special trip to come by and say goodbye. As teachers we expect our students to grow up and move on, but it is never easy to say goodbye, especially when that child has made as big an impact on us as we made on him. Caleb was just one of these special students who had convinced himself that he wasn’t smart enough. His mom remarked on what a difference Sylvan can make. “Having Caleb at Sylvan has been one of the most rewarding experiences of his life. Before enrolling at Sylvan he was having lots of trouble at school and not able to keep up with his school work. Now he is performing well above his grade level and is bursting with self confidence thanks to all the love and support given to him by the personnel at Sylvan.”"

Challenging a Bright Mind

"At Sylvan we sometimes find ourselves with an opportunity to challenge a bright student in a subject that they enjoy and excel in. According to his mom, Jakob had always had a mathematical mind. In first grade he was tackling two and three digit addition, and even started to teach himself the multiplication table (with the help of his older sister). His mom and dad worried that he was not being challenged in math given that he was working in above grade level material. “My husband and I feel that our kids are like sponges, ready to absorb all that we adults can impart. We wanted to provide Jakob with the opportunity to grow in math, not just hang with the status quo and wait for the class to catch up to him. Sylvan was the perfect solution. He could be challenged in a manner that helped him build his mathematical foundation. He loved all the teachers at Sylvan and continued to keep his elementary teacher informed about all the ‘cool things’ he was learning. This is a kid that chose to stay in at recess to work on 3rd grade math when he was in 2nd grade. We realized that Jakob’s enthusiasm for learning may not last forever, and we thought we needed to take advantage of it now. Sylvan provided the academic challenges that Jakob needed.”"

Referrals Count

"The people in the Oak Harbor Sylvan Learning Center have been great. I have suggested three families try Sylvan as a result of the way we were treated and the results we got."

- Susie, Parent

A Positive Experience

"We had a very positive experience. Our daughter, Megan, was sad to see her program come to an end. Many thanks to the Sylvan teachers, who went above and beyond."

- Rick, Parent

The Best Learning Environment

"We as a family were so impressed with our son's achievements while attending Sylvan. His progress exceeded all our expectations and all the teachers were equally impressed. The atmosphere of your learning center along with the knowledgeable, caring, compassionate work ethics of your teachers made this whole experience worthwhile for my son. Since my son was already in the 10th grade, the biggest hurdle was getting through the embarrassment of being one of the oldest students there. This is where the staff of Sylvan did a great job of pairing up my son with the right mix of people which in my opinion is just as important as learning the material."

- Nancy, Parent