As a former student of 5 years and current teacher/teacher's assistant at Steps, I've definitely had an overall positive experience with the afterschool. I attribute much of my foundational knowledge in math and English vocabulary and grammar to what I learned at Steps. It seems tedious to kids, but repetitive practice in math is important to build the foundation you need for future algebra and calculus classes. Once you have that, you're able to spend time learning new topics. As a fifth grader, I was learning algebra and trigonometry, which is what I liked about Steps; I was never limited by grade level to what I could learn, and it was very encouraging to get yellow pages and physically see the progress I was making. As for English, vocabulary, proper spelling, knowing grammar rules, reading comprehension, and critical thinking are all important not only in school but also in the real world, and those are all topics that Steps teaches. From a teacher's perspective, in my 4-5 years of teaching at Steps, I will say that my fellow TAs and I try our best to be kind and understanding to the students. We get that most of them have just come from six hours of school, and I myself have been in their position in the past. At the same time, we try and make sure that the student's finish their school homework for the day and that they're not disrupting each other from their assignments. We also give plenty of attention to students, spending hours grading their work and proofreading their essays, while also answering any questions they have and teaching them new material for the week. In my opinion, the knowledge learned and study habits built while at Steps will make for an easier and smoother experience in school in the future, when students reach high school and college.
