Anyone have experience w/ Sylvan Learning Centers?

[luvdzny]

Our 13 year old DD does well in school, is always on honor roll and has some advanced classes. She has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder so she has some problems with test taking and it takes her a LONG time to complete her homework assignments. I was thinking of checking out Sylvan Learning Center to see if they could help. Has anyone had any experience (good or bad!) with them? Thanks!

[RUDisney]

I am interested in this, too. My DD is 6.5 and has trouble recalling words. She is smart and knows what things are, but when she's shown a flash card, she has trouble remembering, for instance, what a fence is called. We've attributed some of this to the fact that English is her second language, but she really doesn't remember Russian anymore, so we want to help the situation. We were thinking that Sylvan may be our best choice for help with this.

[justjulie]

I checked into these programs when I was looking for a math tutor for my son. I wanted some place that would work in conjunction with what the was studying in school. It seems the location near my emphasized the basics of operations (add, subtract, multiply and divide) rather than how to work on the specific topic he was studying - say, for example percentages. They would work on the required operation, not necessarily teach how to work out the problem. My son wanted someone who would help him strenghten his skills as it pertained to each unit he was studying - we went with a private math tutor which suits him just fine.

Good luck, I know how trying it can be. School just isn't taught the same way it was when I was there and I (apparently) don't know anything anymore.

[swanmom]

I used to be a disability service coordinator so I have some experience with these. And my take on this is ..... it varies depending on the center you use. There are franchise wide standards for qualifications and methods but the teachers skills and personalities vary widely. An awful lot depends on the personality of the director and how he/she chooses, supervises and motivates his/her staff. My advice is to go to the nearest center - ask to meet the director as well as the teacher who'd be working with your DD. Ask questions not just about qualifications, but about style, methods, longevity (some centers experience frequent turnover), parent contact, etc. You know your 13-year-old well and can probably get a good feel for what kind of match this might be with your DD. Don't go by the Sylvan name.....go by the calibre of the teachers at the center you would use.

[Pembo]

I've worked for Sylvan Learning Centers for the past 3 years. Pm me, I'd be glad to answer any questions for you.