Please note: Parents' reviews of tutors are the opinions of Berkeley Parents Net subscribers. Your own experience may be different. Announcements from tutors are accepted without review as a service to local parents. Please always check references before hiring!

In response to people looking for tutoring for high school kids: we urgently needed someone to help us in the fall as our son was failing Advanced Biology at Berkeley High. I wanted him to learn the material, but equally important, learn how to learn, how to study. Classroom Matters has been amazing! He enjoys going there, feels understood by them and they entirely remove the stigma about needing tutoring.He prepares for his meetings with them - tutoring keeps him on-track and eliminates me from being in fights with him. Can't recommend more highly. Susan

Re: Homework helper?
I missed the original message, but if you're looking for someone to help your teen with their homework and keep them on track, I highly recommend Classroom Matters. They have an excellent supervised study program that allows kids to drop in after school, do their homework in a pleasant, quiet environment, and get help when they need it. My own child is very social and prone to all the modern distractions of MySpace, IM, iPods, cell phones, etc. Classroom Matters literally rescued me. My daughter loves going there, the staff checks in with her frequently, and she's become much more serious about her school work. She also has a once-a-week tutoring session with a wonderful tutor who has been able to help her with a wide range of subject areas. For years she wouldn't even consider tutoring, but after one session with this tutor, she had a complete change in attitude. I should also mention that Classroom Matters has a very convenient location at Dwight & Sacramento --the bus stops right there, and it's even walkable from BHS. A great community resource! lc

Fortunately ,I heard about Classroom Matters through another family when our daughter entered her Sophomore year at BHS. She was struggling to organize her time and prioritize subjects in advance of testing. I arranged to have her meet once a week for English and Spanish help and a review of what was due, when and how much more needed to happen. She incorporated the tutoring and study skills into her routine with impressive results and I was incredibly relieved to have her look forward to sharing her concerns regularly with her tutor and getting the help she needed. In her junior year she needed additional tutoring for Math Analysis and the SAT 2s. It is great to have such a resource as Classroom Matters available.
Karen

I want to praise the efforts of Classroom Matters. My son had taken the California High School Placement Exam (CHSPE) and passed the English but not the Math. Prior to taking the Math section a third time we sent our son to Classroom Matters. He was tutored 3 times in the 3 days before tasking the CHSPE for the third time. Our son passed the test with flying colors. Classroom Matters provides an excellent space to promote learning. If your teen needs tutoring Classroom Matters is the place. Renata

Jut want to echo the sentiments that Classroom Matters is wonderful. My son took a college essay class this summer and it was so helpful. There were 4 group lessons and he got 3 individual tutoring sessions also. He really enjoyed the teachers and wound up writing a fantastic essay. So I highly recommend it. Alisa

Does anyone have any comments/opinions about the Berkeley tutoring center ''Classroom Matters'' ? How expensive is it? Thanks in advance. looking for an algebra tutor

Just wanted to give a plug for Classroom Matters - the tutoring center mentioned recently on this digest. My 11 year old daughter has started going there for help with reading and comprehension, and she has been really pleased with the extra help, and I have noticed a big change in her attitude towards school. The center is a busy place - but seems very flexible about timing for sessions. I also found the cost reasonable - $500 for 10 sessions. It has been worth it. SM

Re: Tutors for Japanese
Classroom Matters has a tutor, Greta Pane, who is an excellent Japanese tutor. She is available this summer, and we are offering reduced rates. Please feel free to call us at 540-8646 to discuss her background,set up an appointment, or ask any questions you might have about our services. We also have a web site: www.classroommatters.com, which has Greta's bio and descriptions of our services as well. Please note that all tutoring does take place at our center, in Berkeley. Molly Gales

Classroom Matters has been a godsend for our family. My son, a sophomore at Berkeley High, immediately connected with the classroom matters staff and, under his own initiative, has been going four days a week after school and stays until they close. They are tutoring him in several different subjects, and he is benefiting tremendously from working with them and from the supervised study time. He has learned to better organize his assignments and work productively. His grades have improved and he feels confident and proud of his new academic abilities. I attribute his progress to the great Classroom Matters staff. They have helped him to enjoy Berkeley High and the increased workload of his sophomore year. They are providing the one-on- one and small group environment that I would have expected at a private school, hoped for at Berkeley High, and found at Classroom Matters. You can contact them at www.classroommatters.com. a Berkeley High parent

I can't recommend Classroom Matters enough for helping my son through a rough period last year and preventing our family from going through a complete meltdown over his problems with school. CM not only got us through a real crisis but helped my son develop a much stronger sense of confidence about himself and his ability to tackle and solve difficult problems and succeed in school.

As is not atypical for 15-16 year old males, my formerly straight-A student hit the wall sophomore year. At the start of the year, he was sharing only his better grades with us, and we didn't realize he was having problems until his first quarterly report card arrived. We were shocked and dismayed to find a "DF" in one subject and a "CD" in two others. Being incurable Type-A people, my husband and I immediately launched into "We will get control of this situation" gear. Right. Of course, the more we pushed, cajoled, advised and otherwise tried to act like we really didn't care if he got As or not, the worse things got. He tormented us with his "decision" to either go to community college (okay) or join the army (with Bush as President? Gulp) upon graduation. Happily, a close friend's son was already being tutored at Classroom Matters, and we decided to try it ourselves.

Within a nanosecond of meeting him, Molly Gales, one of the owners, had my son wrapped around her little finger. Within 5 minutes, we were signed up not only for tutoring in the one subject but in two, combined with three days of "supervised study". My son heard what that was about and jumped at the opportunity. Basically, supervised study provides an environment free of parents, siblings, phone, computers/e-mail, music, TV, etc., where kids can tackle their work and receive input and support when they want it, from Molly, Lisa Miller (Molly's partner) the varying tutors who are there on any given day, and other students. The atmosphere is wonderful - the kids feel they are there with other motivated, academically strong students who just happen to have some problem or another - ranging from motivation and attitude to real learning disabilities. In our case, we agreed that Molly and Lisa would monitor his grades, progress, issues, etc., allowing us as a family to go back to having fun and focusing on other things. Their feedback is regular (every two weeks), insightful and caring. We get involved only when we have to. We do talk about school with our son and he now tells us quite often how he is doing, but mostly we have great talks about what he is learning and what interests him. Molly and Lisa are both wonderful and very different, so there is a great balance in the roles they play and how they relate to the kids.

My son had his plan for CM in place for this year before school was even out last year. Whether he needs tutoring or not, he has signed on again for three days of supervised study. I am going back to school for the first time in 30 years this fall and "threatened" to sign up for CM myself. I was told in no uncetain terms to forget it - this is definitely his space for learning, struggling, growing and kicking back.

I'd be happy to talk to anyone who is considering using this wonderful resource. Please contact me.

Nancy

I want to report a great experience we've had using Classroom Matters tutoring service for my son. He started going there during junior year when he needed help with writing papers. After a few tutoring sessions he started getting papers in on time and the quality got better and better throughout the year. Even more important, he enjoyed going and took advantage of the study hall option (kids can do their homework in a quiet but relaxed setting--they even have snacks--and ask for help from the tutors if they need it). He also got help in studying for his SAT 2 Writing which is one of the most important tests for colleges--especially if you aren't getting As in English. He wound up getting 780 out of 800!

The service is expensive, especially if you compare it to what a college student tutor charges. We decided that it was worth it to us, not just to help our son with his grades/test scores but to keep us off his case as much as possible. Although we have had some tense moments, the college application/senior year pressures have not been serious and we feel as though Classroom Matters is the reason. If you can possible afford it, I recommend them. I only wish we had started using them in sophomore year.

you can go to their website at: http://www.classroommatters.com/ (two mms!)

I found the Classroommatters.com service on the Teen website and I would like to echo the raves of other parents. My son has received help with English essay writing (he suffered writer's block when he had to analyze Virgil, and we sure couldn't help him) and the tutor--who is an adult, experienced teacher--has been great for both essay writing and support. He also got short term prep for the SAT--he tests well and a series of classes would have been overkill. The service is expensive compared to hiring a college student for a single subject--but the quality is so good it's worth every penny. Meg

I worked with Molly and several other of her trained tutors throughout my 4 years at BHS.They helped me with English, AP Chem, Biology, Spanish, SAT and even helped me with my college essays. I am now going off to Bates College this fall. I am writing the newsletter because Molly is doing something wonderful that I want to share with as many people as possible. This fall, her small tutoring business is expanding and she is opening a new center. I just came back from a visit to the place (it's at 940 Dwight Way)and got so excited I decided to write to the newsletter.

This place is going to be incredible. Molly has created a really homey environment, it reminds me of her living room, only with lots more resources. There are computers with DSL, bookshelves full of useful books, supplies, and 12 new trained tutors. I just know Molly and her band of people will help tons of teenagers, her program really does tutor the whole teenager. I am living proof. I think her new address and phone information is on the updated web site: www.classroommatters.com, but just in case, you can call her old number at 510-841-4631. Cecilia

Lisa, BHS parent of sophmore (6/00)

The atmosphere at Molly's is relaxed and comfortable, she often feeds all of the kids and always shows them lots of love; it is also clear that the business of learning is a serious and dedicated pursuit in her home. All of the tutors are trained in study skills, as well as their content area. And Molly makes it her business to see personally that each kid gets organized and on track. She also takes time to make sure that each student is getting just what they need (and they really respond to her, I often hear great feedback from friends I have recommended to Classroom Matters and they always seem to stick with the program). I know she has put up a web site: www.classroommatters.com as a resource for parents and kids who are working with her. I suggest you go there to find out more. She is not cheap, but it is worth every penny. I know she offers scholarships and discounts too. I hope this helps others as much as it has helped my daughter.

Cecilia (6/00)

Molly Gales (July 2000)