ATTENDANCE

The OakEdu curriculum can only be useful if completed. The optimal duration of attendance is a pool of 4000 hours over 5 years. Upon completion, OakEdu issues a Certificate of Education which summarizes the topics and knowledge learnt. OakEdu is very strict on attendance. This is because of the disruption it brings in our resources, opening hours, student learning and activities management. When you are unable to attend, at least 24 hours before the beginning of the missed session, please inform us (call anytime), ask somebody to contact us and clarify when you will attend again the next time. If, by any chance, OakEdu has not received your notice of non-attendance, then 1 hour at least is accounted as spent. If OakEdu is warned properly ahead of time, then those missed hours are just postponed to the next scheduled session. On OakEdu side, cancellation of classes will be done only in the event of emergency (tutor is sick, accident, extreme weather conditions, etc.). Arrangements are made at the end of the month to compensate and clarify exactly how many hours have been effectively used at OakEdu. Missed hours are rescheduled on the next month.
Please note that the efficiency of the teaching is jeopardized in case of repeated long absences. Please consider seriously your likelihood of attendance before registering. This a commitment from both side, the tutor and the student. Also, the student cannot pop up in the middle of a session without any previous notice because the disruption in the overall training can be inconvenient for everybody.

INSTRUCTOR EVALUATION

There is no instructor evaluation at OakEdu, simply because the only thing to evaluate is the knowledge of the student: is it improving or not? The student is there to learn. If the instructor is not appreciated nor popular, simply mention it the last time you talk to OakEdu's staff. This kind of trouble can be avoided before signing the contract if you just meet the tutor and verify the compatibility with your child. Prevention is better than cure. However, if it occurs, the situation might require an intervention or an adjustment in the way tutoring is provided and accepted. The teaching-tutoring ability is however much more important than the popularity of the tutor. Properly reframed and explained, the student can understand it is not relevant to evaluate the tutor, what is important is whether the topics is mastered, tasks are accomplished, attitude is positive, constructive... Usually, complaints from the student side are only an indication that the student is not yet in the proper attitude mind set and needs reframing from the parents-tutors. More explanations are to be given to parents-students about the overall frame in which OakEdu performs best. Complaints are a resistance to change from the student side, her/his system wants to keep balance and refuses to change. Essentially, it is a matter of student motivation, thirst for knowledge, attitude facing challenges, coping with bad results, parents support, etc. The curriculum can be adjusted to focus more on informal intellectual process, or more on academic content or taming limiting beliefs.

COFFEE AND SNACKS

Neither food nor beverage will be provided by OakEdu.

TAPE RECORDERS

All kinds of recording devices are forbidden, unless with tutor permission.

HOMEWORK POLICY

Homework is an extension of daily OakEdu's work. The more homework is done, the better will be the learning accomplished overall. Because the learning of the student depends on the particular setting of the family home layout and homework environment, parents, guardian, friends and relatives are welcome to help doing more homework with the student. As a rule of thumb, very simple support from the parents is enough to raise the learning level of the student, like helping the student repeat addition and multiplication tables, spelling words... If possible, stronger help in homework can be applied to writing assignments, allocating reading time, study-friendly homework room and supportive dialogs. Homework has to be completed on time and with quality. It helps build work habits, efficiency and dependability.

ITEMS FROM HOME OR OAKEDU

Traditionally, toys, games and calculators, etc. have a tendency to cause distraction. But at OakEdu it is allowed if there is an underlying educational value. However, books and other educational materials are preferred. On the opposite, some articles are best left outside OakEdu, like valuable jewellery, radios, dumb toys, purely distractive items or large amounts of money, beside illegal material. OakEdu cannot accept responsibility for such items. Please mark all personal items with the student's name. Any loss or damage is the responsibility of the student and the parents. Educational materials you bring belong to you. You can leave them on the premises or not. All other material has to stay in its place; it is not allowed to take it home. Some materials are really valuable, rare, sometimes impossible to replace... and fragile; consequently, extreme care has to be applied so that it will stay in good order and others will benefit from it later on. If the student is not enough careful in handling fragile material, to avoid any damage, then around 50% of the OakEdu's material cannot be used, unless the parents can vouch for all damage.

PARENT-TUTOR CONFERENCES

At OakEdu, it is very easy to speak to the tutor. You can always phone anytime, and you can even pop up anytime. No specific timing nor procedure nor anything you could have in the traditional school web of constraints. You can discuss the student's progress anytime. However, giving a phone call just before coming to OakEdu would assure you there will be an open door and somebody to welcome you. Also, beware not to abuse of this freedom because it usually disrupts learning activities. At last, there is no easy way to measure the progress of the student before at least 80 hours, because OakEdu has a long term approach to learning.
Oakedu's flexibility has to be balanced with disruption level. Too many disruptions can decrease the overall efficiency of the program. Depending on your constraints, we can easily adjust the curriculum to fit in your busy schedule.
Obviously, an atmosphere of cooperation and mutual support is necessary in order to maximize the learning level. Feel free to contact us giving your feedback and comments about your perception of the student's knowledge.

SIGN-IN SHEETS AND FINAL EXAMS

There is no sign-in sheets nor exam at OakEdu. Attendance procedures are very simple. The scheduled number of hours is worked as scheduled. The attendance is based on a long-term commitment basis.

MISBEHAVIOUR

1. the student has to stick to his/her word, including being on time when expected.
2. be prepared for the session (material, homework, attitude).
3. respect the rights, responsibilities, property and feelings of others.
4. clean, cautious and respectful behaviour is expected. No smoking, no drinking.
5. handle potential conflicts with others by talking things through, not by physical contact.
Because of the casual friendly atmosphere, it is easy to chat, but too much chatting is just helping tension or anxiety to get released, it doesn't help much in acquiring knowledge. This is why, if the student feels like chatting too much, a proper verbal reframing is applied, the tutor expresses clearly the advantages and disadvantages of chatting and how it might affect the overall objective of the student. If chatting is still going on, the parents are contacted. For more details, see misbehaviour.

SICKNESS

If the student is arriving at OakEdu already being sick, either because the parents dropped him/her or either when picked-up by OakEdu's staff, two criteria are evaluated. Either the student is motivated and physically able to learn or is not. If not able to learn, there is no point in keeping the student, although exceptionally the student can rest on-site if parents can't pick-up. The second criterion is to determine whether the student is contagious or not. If contagious then the student is not allowed to stay at OakEdu. In the worst case, his/her temperature will be taken to help determine if the illness is serious enough (100 degrees F) for parents to be called for picking up the student.

We are reluctant to give children medication. However, we recognize special cases do arise whereby students need to take prescribed medicine. If it is essential for children to receive medication during working hours, the following guidelines will be followed:

Only prescription medicine will be given.
The medication shall be supplied by the parent or guardian in a child- proof container, bearing the prescription, child's name, attending physician, the name of the medication, the amount to be given, the frequency of administration and any special instructions (what if, symptoms to look for).
No medicine for acute or contagious illness should be given in
the centre. Children should be home or hospital under these conditions.

GROOMING AND DRESS GUIDELINES

OakEdu is very flexible and tolerant in this matter. However, cleanliness, personal appearance and proper dress are important in any social interaction, and it is a good training to prepare for the future professional life of the student. Some people interpret the student appearance as an indication of attitude and behaviour.
Students should practice proper hygiene by being clean and reasonably well groomed every day. Excessive makeup should be avoided. The dress guidelines are as follows:
- Girls: Slacks, jeans, pants, skirts (fingertip length) and shorts (fingertip length or 4 inch inseam), collared shirts and t-shirts, dresses that cover the entire back, jumpers must be worn with blouses, tank tops with at least two inch straps, shoes must be worn and/or sandals with back straps.
- Boys: Long pants or shorts that are reasonable, appropriate length and fastened at waist, jeans, collared shirts and t-shirts, shoes, sneakers or sandals with back straps.
The following clothing should not be worn or brought to OakEdu: big hats, visors or other head apparel, cut-offs, clothing that exposes the mid-body, ill fitted pants, warm-ups or over sized shirts, beachwear, muscle shirts, spaghetti or narrow straps, tube tops or sheer shirts, flip flops, shower shoes, platform shoes (for safely reasons), jeans with holes, cuts or slits above the knee. Also clothing that promotes drugs, alcohol, or has language or illustrations of inappropriate nature or social controversy should not be worn.

PICK-UP REGULATIONS

A staff member of OakEdu is allowed to pick-up students from school, home or elsewhere if the option "pick-up" has been selected. In order to assure each student's safety on the dangerous roads, parents are asked to instruct and have the students to follow some rules.
The ride is only from/to OakEdu location. Students are expected to be waiting at their pick-up location five (5) minutes prior to the OakEdu car arrival time. The car cannot wait for those who are tardy (15 mn max). Students are to stand off the roadway in a protected area while awaiting the car. If the student has a cellular phone, the number has to be given to the staff. Students must conduct themselves in an orderly manner once inside the car. Highly emotional unnecessary conversation with the driver is dangerous. Refrain from carrying or eating food in the car. Large objects that interfere with seating and safety of others will not be permitted. Glass containers, sharp objects, balls, bats, cutting instruments, fireworks and other similar items are not allowed.

SUBSCRIPTION

Send an email detailing your name, age, phone number, address, email, how long you intend on following the training (schedule, feasibility), and what you are interested in exactly, what are your objectives. Because we are small and flexible, there is always a spot for new comers. We guarantee there will always be less than 3 students at a time. However, the first person to book will be the first to be served because the schedule can be prepared and organized in advance.

Feel free to so we can arrange a meeting if you want more information, please write us an email .