Making A Difference For You, Inc

    What do we mean by “essential academic skills”? Well, it’s a pretty extensive list. To an elementary-age student, it could be a struggle with multiplication tables (and addition, subtraction, and division, too!) Without those “facts” firmly down pat, more complicated math processes become extremely difficult to master. (Hello, long division!!) Another student might find themselves lost in Social Studies class, because their map-reading skills aren’t quite where they need to be. Someone else might be great with numbers, but is completely confused by graphs . This is an issue that can affect not only math, but science lessons. Maybe you have (or are!) a student who enjoys writing, but sweats over essay assignments. Some extra, focused attention on structuring solid essays might make all the difference to the confidence of such a student. And what about the reader who loves stories, but has trouble applying critical skills to those stories? A summer of focusing on co...

  How Can We Help You? MAD4YU founder Gail Crawford, recognizing that a lack of access to resources can be an incredible obstacle to success, determined that part of the mission of MAD4YU would be to address this. That’s why, while we focus a lot on tutoring and learning at MAD4YU, that’s not all we have to offer. Do you need to access the internet? Come in and log in with us! Do you need to make a copy? Our printer is at your disposal. Need a notary? We have you covered (and it’s free!) We offer help with resume writing and job-hunting. We can also help you to research other community organizations and resources that might be of benefit to you. ( This list is a good starting point.) How else can we help? Let us know! We’re here to support you, however we can. Learn more at www.mad4yuinc.org , or contact us via phone (804-833-3281) or email: (info@mad4yuinc.org.) Help us keep our services free – Donate Now

  In April 2018, MAD4YU founder Gail Crawford had the pleasure of welcoming Rachel Gilbert to the organization as a volunteer tutor. An EMT by profession, Rachel tutored all grade levels, pre-K through advanced high school, as well as ESL learners. Gail remembers: “ Rachel is a very warm and caring person, and it showed with the students and adults she helped. I remember a conversation with her about a pre-K student that needed help. He was very active (as little ones are) and his mom wasn’t sure if he would stay focused during his session. I asked Rachel if she could tutor him, and she did not hesitate. She shared a story with me about when she was younger and was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. She could relate to an active, pre-K student. She did an exceptional job with her student, and he looked forward to his sessions with Rachel. I remember him asking before Rachel arrived, "Is my tutor coming today?" He would run to Rachel and give her a big hug!” In ...

  Academic success requires effective research skills.   But there’s a lot to that, isn’t there? To be a good researcher, you have to have the ability to critically analyze your sources . Is this website reliable? Is the person who authored this article a trustworthy voice? Does the argument being made in this essay hold up to scrutiny? Is it a useful support for my thesis? Speaking of sources, how do I cite them properly, anyway ? What style guide am I supposed to be following–and do I even understand what a style guide is? My teacher gave me a site called NoodleTools to help me, but it’s confusing. What do I do about that? As a student, these are all questions you have to be able to answer to competently research a topic. And gathering sources is just the beginning! Let’s say you’ve managed to gather some great ones. You’ve figured out how to paraphrase them properly. You can cite them. But do you understand how to use them effectively in your writing? Can you constr...

  There are lots of reasons kids shy away from reading.   Maybe your child struggles with basic reading skills–through a learning disability, or just a lack of confidence. Maybe they’re doing okay, but they could use more practice to increase fluidity, speed, and understanding. The one-on-one, individualized tutoring we offer at MAD4YU can help with all of this. But what if your child is a fairly capable reader–but they just won’t read? Reading is boring . Reading’s a chore. Reading is for school, not summer vacation! Does your child associate reading with work ? If your child has come to associate reading with work–and is quickly building the kind of antipathy to reading that will block them from experiencing its pleasures–we can help with that, as well. Summer is actually the perfect time for this kind of reading support. In summer, there are no school assignments that have to take priority. Tutoring sessions can become “love of reading” sessions. We’re here for that, too...

  It’s that time of year again, when area students spend significant time prepping for and taking the SOL exams. As the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) states on their website : "The Standards of Learning (SOL) for Virginia Public Schools establish minimum expectations for what students should know and be able to do at the end of each grade or course in English, Mathematics, Science, History, Social Science, and other subjects." In other words, these tests are important. Does your student struggle with SOL testing?  Have SOL score reports revealed a deficiency in one or more academic areas? Is test anxiety an issue? If you answered yes to one of the above questions, please consider coming in to see us. Our caring volunteer tutors work one-on-one with students, in one-hour sessions, for as long as you need. We provide our students with a safe and nurturing environment, and the kind of warm, personalized attention that can’t be matched by online or group tutoring s...