I was speaking on the phone with a parent from McLean, Virginia a couple weeks ago about her son. Mom called me in a panic because her 9th grader was looking to finish out his freshman year with two D’s in core subjects. A bright student, who’d pulled a solid A/B average in years past with minimal effort, struggled through much of his 9th grade year and the fourth quarter was proving to be no different. Worried about less than stellar grades reflected on the college transcript, mom was sure her son had blown his shot at college. How could such a smart boy who understands the material so well be finishing his first year of high school with a paltry GPA?
Who Needs an Educational Coach?
As we continued to delve into her son’s academic history, it became clear that this student was struggling with the logistics and the transition to high school, rather than the content of his challenging course load. He fully grasped the material presented in his geometry course and (with a lot of prompting) could write an excellent essay for honors English. But like so many students, he did not know how to study, lacked innate organization skills, and struggled to manage his time and break down complex assignments into manageable chunks.
Mom let out a sigh of relief as I assured her that her son was like many students we work with across the Washington, D.C. metro area and we could help him finish his freshman year on a positive note. This boy needed a plan of attack; he needed a coach to help him organize, break down, and plan for end of the year assignments and missing work. He needed to learn how to study and how to take an active part in test preparation and make the most of use of his time in the fourth quarter. We discussed scheduling and teaching styles and I was confident we could select a terrific coach to help.
How Much Does an Educational Coach Cost?
As I reviewed our billing procedures and cost for Educational Coaching, mom bristled at the $80 hourly rate. She was hesitant at first questioning if her son would really benefit from working with a coach. As I explained my role to hand select a perfect coach match to come right to the home, and reviewed with her the qualifications of coaches, her mind was put at ease.
About Educational Coaching
Our Educational Coaches are professional educators bringing extensive classroom and one on one experience to your child. Our Educational Coaches complete our in house training on how to best work with students on organization, time management, and study skills. Created by Ann Dolin, President of Educational Connections, our Educational Coaching program was developed with Ann’s twenty plus years of experience in the field of education. This mom was eager to get started and was excited to learn that I would be back in touch with her in just a few days with information on a coach match for her son.
Fast forward a couple weeks and it was time to check in with mom post first session. I emailed her to make sure her son and his coach were off to a great start. Mom called me raving! The first session could not have gone better – in her words: a “game changer”. The family plans to continue working with their coach this summer and looks forward to a successful sophomore year in the fall.