I learned how to study

Public school was not a good experience for me. I was really bored and hated all of my teachers. I am sure that they felt the same way about me.

I admit that I didn’t really put forth much of an effort because the way the teachers would try to get me to learn was really aggressive and I did not like it. If I did raise my hand to ask something, I was told by the teacher that she had already covered the information multiple times and was not going to go over it again. (I was asking because I OBVIOUSLY didn’t understand it even after multiple times.) This made the teacher very aggravated which made me respond the same way.

My mom was told I was ADHD and that I needed medication. Thankfully, she refused the drugs and ended up finding out about HELP Miami. Her best friend had just enrolled her daughter, so my mom decided to give the school a try.

HELP Miami is so different than my other school. The setting and tone of the school helps you study whatever subject you’re trying to understand and really learn it. I never feel intimidated asking a question or approaching a teacher for help because the teaching is its own unique style.

The thing that has impacted me the most so far is The Learning How to Learn because it taught me how to study. Not only did this help me understand math better but it helped me with other interests. After I learned how important it is to know the meanings of words I applied this to Jiu Jitsu. Jui comes from the Chinese words “jou” which means “soft, gentle” and jutsu “art, science,” from the Chinese word “shu” which means “to shut”. Basically, I am learning to shut down an opponent smoothly.

Knowing the definitions of words and using dictionaries is encouraged in every class. If a student gets something wrong the teacher always says, “Find your word and look it up!” There are times when I’ll be studying and I’ll yawn (a symptom of going past a word not fully understood). The teacher then tells me to find my word and most of the time I’m like: “I am just tired, there’s no word!” And then the teacher offers to help me find the word. Even when I feel like I fully understand every single word and there is no way I missed anything, they will ask me to define something and I am like: “Oh! I guess I didn’t really have it.”

Every student is treated with the same respect and individualized attention. Plus, my teachers don’t get aggravated when I ask a question. They really take the time to make sure I understand what I am studying without being overwhelming and they are always focused on how I will use the information in real life. This has made all the difference for me!

Again, in public school if I was bored or didn’t want to learn, I just would not participate or try. The teachers did not seem to care enough to try to work with me either.

I think anyone who is having trouble in their current school should absolutely enroll at HELP Miami. I am an example of why that is. The school is very open and the teachers actually pay attention to each student individually and they never refuse to answer your questions.

Kai