The Shafter Learning Center is now taking appointment requests for Bakersfield College Advising hours. To request an appointment at the Learning Center please click here: www.shafterlearning.com/bcadvising
Mock SAT in May /
A great SAT can open doors and win scholarships. Taking the Mock SAT at the Learning Center can help you get there. MSAT will quickly tell you what you need to practice to do your best.
No fees. No waivers. No waiting.
Mock in May so you can master the SAT.
May 19, 2018
8a-12p
Snacks and pizza provided!
(MmmmSAT)
Sign up early to get a special commemorative T-shirt!
New Course at the Learning Center: Intro to Information Technology/IT Support /
Summer 2018 Registration Opens April 3rd /
Summer 2018 Internship Opportunity /
Interested in interning with us this summer? Click here for more information!
New Course at the Learning Center! / ¡Nueva Clase en el Centro de Aprendizaje! /
Students are invited to join us during Scholar Hour to participate in fun, interactive activities that help strengthen their independent and cooperative learning skills. On Tuesdays and Thursdays students will work with Mr. Ruby to complete non-math homework and discover new ways to make learning fun. On Mondays and Wednesdays students will work with Kern County Library staff on academically enriching activities like chess, mancala, and other games that incorporate math, literature, art and science.
Estudiantes están invitados a nuestra Hora Académica para participar en actividades que son divertidas e interactivas y ayudaran con su aprendizaje. En los Martes y Jueves, los estudiantes trabajaran con Mr. Ruby para completar tarea no relacionada a matemáticas y descubrir nuevas maneras para aprender con diversión. Los Lunes y Miércoles estudiantes trabajaran con los empleados de la Biblioteca de Kern County en actividades académicamente enriquecedoras como por ejemplo ajedrez, mancala y otros juegos que incorporan matemáticas, literatura, arte y ciencia.
Spring Break 2018 Courses /
We are now open for Spring Break Registration!
Bakersfield College Advising /Consejeros del Colegio de Bakersfield /
Colours Children's Art Workshop/ Talleres de Arte Para Niños con: Colours /
Early Readers Club/Grupo de Lectores Principiantes /
Bakersfield College Courses at the Shafter Learning Center begin January 2018! /
More Bakersfield College Courses are Coming to Shafter! /
College Student Survey - Shafter /
The City of Shafter would like to expand college course offerings in Shafter. You can help make that happen by taking this survey which will helps us understand the experience of Shafter Residents who currently attend college.
SAT Prep Time /
Summer Scholars Challenge is Back! /
The Shafter Learning Center: A Parent Perspective /
As a parent, the after-school opportunities for kids today can be overwhelming. Do we stay in town or drive 20 minutes to the larger neighboring city with seemingly larger opportunities? Do we pay for expensive lessons or go with more economical options? And then, most importantly, what kind of environment should our kids learn in? Do we value success and trophies or skills and character?
In our family, we have tried to simplify the process of choosing with three key questions:
1. Is it local? We love Shafter and want to support local options whenever possible.
2. Is it affordable? We want to save money, but also value being in programs that are open to families across the financial spectrum.
3. Does it encourage a growth mindset? We want our kids, and the kids in our community, to learn that growth is possible and that it’s ok to take risks, even if you fail. Mistakes happen when you try hard things.
Thankfully, there is a local option that meets each of these criteria! The Shafter Learning Center (SLC) is one of the best after-school opportunities around. The fact that our Shafter kids have a local option, within walking distance for many, to learn and grow after school is thrilling. The course offerings are interesting, the atmosphere is inviting, and the place is fun to be in. Courses are only $5! This space is quickly becoming one of our greatest city assets.
The fact that the Shafter Learning Center is both local and affordable is reason enough to support it, but what sets it apart is the emphasis on growth. The Shafter Learning Center encourages kids to take risks--even if they fail! As kids take classes they are encouraged to try new things and as they do, their mistakes are viewed through the lens of growth, not failure. This growth mindset culture is what most attracts our family to the Learning Center. Our kids are being taught how to challenge themselves and are celebrated in the process. The potential of each child who walks through their doors is valued.
The Shafter Learning Center is reframing the after-school activity conundrum.
Engaged kids, happy parents, educated community. Win-win-win.
Katie Wiebe
Shafter Parent & Resident
Learning Center Instructor
Failure...A Speed Bump, Not a Stop Sign by Melissa Bergen /
I walked into my Bakersfield College Introduction to Writing course, my first semester of college in the Fall of 2000. We were going to get our first papers back in this class period. I had done well in high school writing courses. I was looking forward to getting my first official “good grade” in college.
Papers were handed back to us and I can still remember that grade in red ink.
“D”
So many thoughts instantly started spinning in my head:
“What?! D?!”
“I am going to fail college.”
“If I can’t write a paper, how am I going to pass this class.”
“If I can’t pass this class, how am I going to reach my goals of transferring out of BC and finishing college?”
I tried to quiet all the thoughts and tune back into class as my professor was addressing the class.
“The majority of you did not pass this assignment. That’s normal. There’s a lot to learn about college level writing. We will work at this together, and please, if you got a grade that you did not expect, I want to help you. Come see me after class or during office hours.”
As class ended that day, I had two thoughts--I could go run and hide, disappointed in myself and ashamed of my D or I could listen to my professor and ask for help. I remember taking a full minute once class was dismissed thinking about my options, watching others students either leave the class or stop to ask for help from the professor. The line to speak to the professor was actually blocking my way out of the classroom. I decided to stay in my seat and listen. Other students were saying the same things that had been spinning in my head moments ago. Knowing that I was not alone gave me the strength to ask for help. I joined the line of students waiting to speak with the professor.
My first reaction when I saw that “D” was that I was a failure. Asking for help was incredibly difficult. My hands were shaking as I held my paper out to my professor. My voice was shaking too. And, I was trying to hold back tears as I told a complete stranger, my professor, that I failed.
I spoke to the professor that day and a number of other times that semester, after class and during her office hours. I worked hard. I took every bit of advice the professor gave me.
I did struggle through some courses and obtained some grades that were not ideal; however, the big picture is that I did not "fail" at college. I met challenges but I learned to work through them. The shock of seeing "D's" and "F's" made me feel like I was a failure. The reality is that I just needed to work through those challenges to ensure that I succeeded in college. I needed to ask for help and work hard.
For some of us the challenges of college work may mean spending a little more time at the library or with our professors and for others it may mean changing course of study. I think the real failure would have been giving up on my dream of obtaining my college degree.
I graduated from Fresno Pacific University in 2004 with a 3.2 GPA.
I started school again last Fall to pursue a Master’s degree in Community Leadership and Transformation and I still ask for help from my professors and spend lots of time working hard in the library.
Melissa Bergen
Pastor, Iglesia Compañerismo Cristiano
Local Missions Director, Shafter Mennonite Brethren Church
Master’s Graduate Student, Fresno Pacific University
Born and raised in Shafter
Top 5 Mathletes of the Week /
Check back regularly to see who has mastered the most skills on Khan Academy
1st David Diaz (22)*
2nd Elizabeth Garcia (16)*
3rd Benito Martinez (11)*
4th Dulce Calderon (7)*
5th Alexa Flores (6)*
Earn your way to the top! Click here to find out how.
*indicates number of skills mastered
Top 5 Mathletes of the Week /
Check back regularly to see who has mastered the most skills on Khan Academy
1st Alexis Lopez (11)*
2nd Benito Martinez (5)*
3rd Tie!! Dulce Calderon, Ernesto Guerrero, & David Saenz (4)*
4th Tie!! Alexa Flores & Dayana Gil (3)*
5th Tie!! Marion Mejia, Hazel Solis, Elias Ochoa, & Maricarmen Sandoval (2)*
Earn your way to the top! Click here to find out how.
*indicates number of skills mastered
SLC Students Join Millions World Wide in Hour of Code /
The Shafter Learning Center is in its third year and provides many academic opportunities to students and families in Shafter.
Approximately 30 Learning Center students participated in a global event called the Hour of Code. This event is sponsored by Code.org, a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding access to computer science, and increasing participation by underrepresented populations. Their vision is that every student in every school should have the opportunity to learn computer science, just like biology, chemistry or algebra. Code.org increases diversity in computer science by reaching students of all backgrounds where they are — at their skill-level, and in ways that inspire them to keep learning.
Shafter Learning Center students joined millions of students around the world in over 180 countries solving puzzles and writing lines of code. Students worked on puzzles with themes from the current Disney movie Moana. They helped Moana solve challenges from the tribe of Kakamora that she encounters on her voyage. Other students were able to solve puzzles in Minecraft, Star Wars and Angry Birds. The Keyboarding and Computer Programming Courses at the Learning Center along with Hour of Code help students learn programs and languages similar to those used in computer programming, animation and other similar fields.
As students progressed through the lessons they were actively helping each other and celebrating all of their successes. The Hour of Code is just one example of the fun and educational climate that exists every day at the Learning Center. Shafter residents can be proud of the fact that this place exists as an asset that provides families with opportunities for academic enrichment and individual growth.
John Ruby
Shafter Resident & Learning Center Instructor