Metro Detroit tutoring programs help students avoid summer brain drain

Aim4A Tutoring educators say several hours per week during summer break can help

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – A number of metro Detroit tutoring programs hope to help students avoid summer brain drain.

Rupa Sohmshetty started Aim4A Tutoring in Farmington Hills eight years ago. Her children were the first students.

"Initially, my kids were the trial kids. They started working on the worksheets. We developed on online system," Sohmshetty said.

The quiz-tutoring program paid off. Her daughter, Archana Sohmshetty, was able to skip a grade after she was tutored. She even wrote two books during her summer break in high school and had them both published. She now assists the tutors part time, helping other students achieve their goals.

"A lot of students who were struggling in school or doing pretty well needed some advice," Archana Sohmshetty said.

Archana Sohmshetty's love for learning started at a young age. She credits her parents for giving her the encouragement and the additional resources she needed to succeed.

"If we needed any specialized help, they could give us special teachers, private sessions for calculus as we grew older," she said.

Archana Sohmshetty is currently a student at the University of Michigan, studying industrial and operational engineering. She believes that continuing learning, especially through the summer months, will pay off in the classroom once school starts next year.

"So (even if) you are already doing well in class, it helps you get ahead," she said.

At Aim4A Tutoring, every student receives a personal assessment to help the tutors understand the student's academic levels.

"Any level that you're at, you can always find a way to improve," said Archana Sohmshetty.

Tutoring is available online or one on one in person. While the idea of doing schoolwork during the summer months might sound draining, students at all grade levels seem to enjoy it.

"(I like) getting to do math," said elementary student Emma Grace Bui.

"Just knowing that you're prepared for the test kind of helps you when you take it to feel more confident," student Taylor McNabb said.

From seniors getting ready to take the ACT to kindergartners at the beginning of their school age years, summer brain drain can happen at any age.

Rupa Sohmshetty and her daughter are proof that it doesn't have to happen.

"By continuing throughout the summer for both math and English, they would not only reinforce the concept but build a strong vocabulary," Rupa Sohmshetty said.

Aim4A Tutoring educators said just a couple of hours a week during summer break can help.

More information:
--Registration fees: $39.95
--Four classes/month/subject: $60
--Eight classes/month/subject: $99.90
--Discounts are available

Below are some other tutoring centers in the area: