Enrichment Education, as opposed to test prep or homework help, is not always goal-oriented instruction designed to help a student ace a specific test or pass a course.  Rather, enrichment education, broadly defined, can involve activities or instruction simply for the sake of learning or enjoyment like taking an elective class in literature. It can also be a non-academic activity like learning to play chess or the guitar.

As our Mission Statement explains, “Our teachers and innovative curriculum go beyond establishing competitive test-taking skills and the pursuit of academic excellence to cultivate vibrant, intelligent minds.” 

Our enthusiasm for learning is especially evident in our Enrichment Education classes below where we draw on students’ individual learning processes and cultivate reading and writing habits and analytical skills that extend beyond the classroom and can lead to richer, more fulfilled adult lives.

Language Arts Group Class (grades 3-12)

This class emphasizes reading, grammar, vocabulary acquisition, and essay writing skills. Essentially, this is a weekly English class, but it is capped at no more than eight students. Through weekly reading assignments – mostly classic, age appropriate novels – students grouped by level strengthen and build skills in reading comprehension, study several genres of literature, and tune in to current events through newspaper and magazine articles. Additionally, students learn proper documentation and practice oral presentations. The materials used in this course have been especially developed by Mercer Education and offer each student a proven comprehensive learning experience. Each session lasts one hour and fifty minutes and is limited to six students. For more details, see Language Arts Group Class.

Learning Camp (grades 3-9)

This innovative Summer Camp course provides 50 hours (2.5 hours a day, M-F) for four weeks of focused instruction in language arts. Students grouped by level gain a lasting learning experience in which they develop language skills through a range of reading, writing, grammar, and vocabulary activities and exercises. Students read a book per week and engage in regular discussions focusing on reading comprehension and age-appropriate literary analysis. Students also participate in frequent “writing workshop” sessions and complete essay revisions to hone their writing skills. The curriculum changes each session and alternates each year so that students can attend for consecutive sessions and/or consecutive years without repeating the same materials. For more details, see Learning Camp.

Private Classes

A significant portion of the classes held at Mercer Education are for private, one-on-one instruction. While most of those are for tutoring or test prep, some are for students working on areas of their own interest.  Math and Literature are the most common, though we have had students pursuing varied interests, in one case writing a novel and in another working towards publication in a prestigious History periodical.  Do you have  a field of study that you would like to delve into or something in mind that you would like to work on? We are blessed with a multi-talented staff of professional teachers and would always be interested in working with an engaged, enthusiastic student.

Read more about private classes at Mercer Education.