2019 #JEIEssayContest - Winners Announced!

Congratulations to every participant! Please see below winners for the 2019 JEI Essay Contest. DIVISION A: 1st: Victor Xu (Warren, NJ) 2nd: Kevin Liu (Fresh Meadows, NY) 3rd: Mia Jin (Livingston, NJ) 4th: Prajna Guduru (Bensalem, PA) 5th: Ananya Janamanchi (Franklin Park, NJ) Honorable Mentions: Lea Choi (Cresskill-Tenafly, NJ), Atiksh Jena (Cupertino, CA), Roan Prasanna (San Diego, CA). DIVISION B: 1st: Henry Tang (Livingston, NJ) 2nd: Saranya Vegirouthu (Old Bridge, NJ) 3rd: Oceana Li (Livingston, NJ) 4th: Connor Li (Livingston, NJ) 5th: Haley Talati (Mount Olive, NJ) Honorable Mentions: Maya Elkordy (Austin, TX), Donghee Seo (Austin, TX), Sathvik Kasarla (Bedminster, NJ), Princi Shah (Bensalem, PA), Epenesa Ellison (Cerritos, CA), Alexander Struk (Fresh Meadows, NY), Nina Benigno (Fresh Meadows, NY), Sia Agarwala (Hillsborough, NJ), Sophie Hao (Livingston, NJ), Vishv Dhanraj (Milpitas, CA), Vihaan Patel (Old Bridge, NJ) Eerah Murunkar (Princeton, NJ). DIVISION C: 1st: Emma Xing (Livingston, NJ) 2nd: Aanya Shah (Old Bridge, NJ) 3rd: Chloe Park (San Diego, CA) 4th: Samantha Cheng (Livingston, NJ) 5th: Christina Jiang (Livingston, NJ) Honorable Mentions: Sanjay Saravanan (Ashburn, VA), Likhitha Kosanam (East Windsor, NJ), Simran Agarwala (Hillsborough, NJ), Rishitha Guddapalli (Newark, DE). DIVISION D: 1st: Kevin Ha (Livingston, NJ) 2nd: Hannah He (Livingston, NJ) 3rd: Claire Shin (San Diego, CA) 4th: Annabelle Zhang (Livingston, NJ) 5th: Lucas Zhu (Livingston, NJ)

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Say farewell to stressful report cards

It is natural for parents to want to see their child excel. They want to see that their child is blossoming at school in all aspects, from behavioral to social and from academic to athletic. However, there may come a time when their child’s performance at school does not quite reach these expectations. This may be why quarterly progress reports and report cards can be stressful for all involved--and that time is fast upon us! Just in case, it is always nice to have a plan ready to go so you can help your child out based on what you see. First Stage - How are you feeling? Fast forward to the day you receive the report card where you see something concerning. It is understandable that you are upset or disappointed. Your knee-jerk reaction might be to try to talk to your kid or ask questions. However, fight that urge. The very first thing you must do in handling the situation is settle your own emotions. Clear your thoughts. You do not want to go to your child looking upset or angry, so take a breather. Any negative emotion you express can be picked up by your child, make them feel bad, and worsen the situation. Take some time to let those feelings settle down because you will want to be rational and ensure your child feels comfortable talking to you in the next steps. Now that you have collected yourself and cleared your mind, let’s tackle the problem! Second Stage - What are these expectations? You and your child have to be on the same page regarding standards. If you believe a B is bad but the child believes a B is great, there is a natural disconnect that will have to be settled before you move onto the next steps. Communication will be key throughout this whole process. Before you go to your child, you should think about your own expectations. What had you expected or wanted to see in the report card? Then, figure out if your concern is actually something to be concerned about. The best way to do this is to speak with professionals, other parents, or the teachers themselves. Were your expectations too high? Were they unrealistic? Should you be patient? This is important to gauge as the problem might actually be the expectations. After deciding your expectations were reasonable and you want to continue addressing your disappointments, approach your child. What did your child expect? Did they have any goals in mind, and if so, did these results match their own goals? At this junction, you can reveal what you had hoped to see, and then work together to figure out what standards or expectations seem right at this time for your child. Third Stage - What is the problem? After making sure you and your child are on the same page and both of you want to see improvement in the next report card, you have to pinpoint the issue at hand. This involves talking to your child and their teachers. Talk to your child to see what they are struggling with. They might lack motivation or have difficulty grasping concepts, so they do not like studying for a particular class. Sometimes, students do not understand why they are having a hard time. Maybe your child does not understand how they are being graded. Either way, it is wise to talk to the involved teacher, as well. You could ask for their insight or clarification on the issues they have seen in the classroom. Simply speaking to the teacher might open your eyes to a problem. For example, you might know that your child is more of a hands-on learner and realize from talking to the teacher that hands-on learning is harder in a classroom with thirty kids. Fourth Stage - What is the solution? There will not be an end-all-be-all solution, but you can certainly take steps to help your child do better the next time around. After figuring out what the issues or causes may be, you can collaborate with the child and teachers to create a plan for the expectations that you and your child agreed on in the first stage. Plans can include extra reading assignments or adjusting certain things, such as how concepts are explained.   You can also assist with homework and studying. Figure out a method for studying that works for your child. Some children simply need extra care and attention, so you could seek outside help, like extra after-school hours with the teacher or a personalized learning program at the nearest JEI Learning Center.   You may have to get creative, as well as revisit previous stages to figure out what works. Be patient, trust in the process, and communicate! -- If you want more in-depth help, feel unsure about the problems to address, or would like to see a better report card, you can always visit the nearest JEI Learning Center. We have a whole system for helping children find the study habits and environment that work for them. With us, your child can improve study habits, build fundamentals, refine weaker skills, all while working at their own pace. Your child can take a Diagnostic Test and you can talk with the Director about what steps to take based on the results. Otherwise, remember to stay calm and show encouragement toward your child as you both figure out a way to be happier with the progress report or report card in the next quarter! There is nothing to stress or feel discouraged about. Once you get a good handle on what you need to do, you can trust that your expectations will eventually be met. Say farewell to stressful report cards!

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JEI Mercerville receives 2019 'Best of Hamilton Township' award

HAMILTON, N.J. - December 11, 2019 - JEI Learning Center of Mercerville has been selected for the 2019 Best of Hamilton Township Award in the Learning Center category by the Hamilton Township Award Program. Nina Vukovic has owned and operated JEI Mercerville as Center Director for over five years and is proud of the impact the center has made on the community. “I love to see the kid’s eyes light up when they get a concept that previously they didn’t understand,” she stated, “I can see their entire demeanor change from insecurity to confidence.” Each year, the Hamilton Township Award Program identifies companies that it believes have achieved exceptional marketing success in the local community and business category. These are local companies that enhance the positive image of small business through service to their customers and our community. These exceptional companies help make the Hamilton Township area a great place to live, work and play. About JEI Learning Center JEI's Self-Learning Philosophy believes that the creativity of an individual can be unlocked when infinite potential and one’s natural abilities are combined with the right educational environment. The individualized Self-Learning System, combined with JEI Instructors who motivate and engage students, as well as the parents that continue to encourage students at home, create the triad that supports students in the Self-Learning Method. Through state-aligned curricula, children can succeed in math, reading and writing, English, and critical thinking. Learn more about how JEI helps improve children’s study habits by visiting our programs page. ## Media Contact Jaime Hatzelhoffer (201) 567-0677 jhatzelhoffer@jeilearning.com

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