Honestly, after reading Cici's daunting review, I was VERY skeptical about signing up my daughter at NEO Fine Art Learning Center, but was strongly urged to "check it out" by a friend of mine whose son attends NEO.
I've enrolled my 1st grade daughter in several other learning centers (for summer and after school programs) such as Kumon and Tutor Time but my daughter always seemed to put up a fuss about going. She complained that the educators were very "boring" and the material was not fun to learn. I discussed this with the director and looked at my daughter's assignments and saw that her scores were near perfect. I studied with her at home and realized that the math and English materials were too easy for her! She wasn't being challenged. So, I decided to give NEO a try.
Several weeks before school got out, I visited NEO and spoke with Kate (the founder) and Nora (the director) to inquire about the 1st grade curriculum and activities for their summer program.
1st grade Curriculum:
9:30 - 10:50 Writing Time: Students will learn the basic, proper format for creative writing and book reports.
15 Minute Break Time
11:05 - 12:00 Phonics/Comprehension: Students will learn new vocabulary, parts of speech, and reading comprehension.
1 Hour Lunch Time
1:00 - 2:30 Math: Students will be challenged with new concepts and terminology.
20 Minute Break
2:50 - 4:45 Fun Time: Students will have field trips, Science projects and other activities.
The students were in "Speech Time" when I was given a tour, which I found to be unique about NEO. Kate explained that NEO's teachers were trained to stress on proper enunciation, loudness/clarity, and energy when reciting their speeches. Kate further explained that public speaking is crucial in a child's development and will be helpful not only in the school environment, but also in life situations because "it helps children learn how to present themselves properly" and "allow them to be more comfortable in front of an audience". She also told me that her "goal" for her students at NEO was to not only gain a larger understanding of textbook materials but to also gain "beneficial life skills". Piqued by interest, I decided to sign my daughter up.
My daughter LOVED her summer days at NEO! Though she put up a fuss during the first couple of weeks about going, by the end of the second week, she was excited to get to class with her new friends and teacher! Like Cici's son, my daughter was challenged to write a journal every evening on a topic chosen by the teachers, and on Fridays, there would be "Free Topic" where students were able to write about anything they wanted. Yes, there were A LOT of red marks and X's, but they were all editing marks and suggestions to help improve my daughter's sentence structure. By the end of summer, the red markings decreased significantly and comments of praise were written in her journals. Her writing improved immensely and I can see that there is a lot less ambiguity and a lot more description within her stories.
Every week, the 1st graders were given a math lesson and test along with an English lesson and test. The students were being taught fractions and word problems, which I thought to be very extensive for incoming 1st graders, but the teacher informed me that the concepts were "challenging" and were to "evoke problem solving skills". Still concerned, she assured me that the students understood the concepts and scored well on their tests. She showed me my daughter's tests which were all in the 90's percentile! My daughter was also taught alphabetical order, past and present tenses and new vocabulary and spelling words.
Unlike other institutions, I find that NEO gives students incentive and goals. During "Fun Time", there were field trips and activities such as Raging Waters, bowling, Science projects and art classes. Though, as Kate explained, partaking in "Fun Time" is a privilege and can only be earned if students show good workmanship and diligence. I find that Kate's disciplinary actions at NEO helped my daughter become more responsible and wary of the consequences for making good or bad decisions. For example, if my daughter chose not to do her journal, her breaks would be taken away or if she was consistently off task, she would not be able to take part in the fun activities, and in contrast, if she did particularly well in her speech recital (which she did!), she would be rewarded with a medal, or if she demonstrated eagerness to learn, she would be rewarded with a treat.
Again, NEO's philosophy isn't just about learning the material within a textbook, it's about life long learning and understanding inside and outside the classroom.
Thoroughly impressed with my daughter's growth and improvement within JUST ONE SUMMER, I HIGHLY recommend parents to sign their children up for NEO Fine Art Learning Center! I've already signed my daughter up for this upcoming year! read more