What Kind of Academic Coach Suits Your Child?
Take our quiz to find out!
Our kids are used to doing a lot–their schools are among the most rigorous, and they are passionate athletes and artists, committed volunteers and engineers. They are also very young and need help developing the skills that allow them to thrive, both in and out of school.
It’s the weekend! My child would love to:
A. talk about sports, play sports, watch sports, and maybe talk about sports some more.
B. rest, sleep in, nap, sleep some more.
C. text/chat/see/FaceTime friends–whatever is happening, socially, that’s where my kid is.
D. explore–art, the city, new ideas–you name it, my kid is curious about it.
Assignments are streaming in (it’s November, after all), which means my kid will likely:
A. get a game plan together, whatever it takes for the A.
B. hide…under the covers, hide the assignments, just hide.
C. organize study groups with friends and ask for help.
D. start with the interesting assignments and leave the least favorites for last.
A test comes back with a B- and it’s probably because my kid:
A. rushed and made careless errors.
B. didn’t prepare enough/didn’t know how to prepare.
C. wasn’t solid on the concepts, even with time to study.
D. spent too long on one aspect of the exam at the expense of other parts.
My child’s biggest challenge as a student is:
A. balancing school work with a very busy schedule.
B. speaking up in and out of class when things don’t make sense.
C. prioritizing school work when distracted.
D. managing difficult classes and tough teachers.
My child tends to like teachers who:
A. motivate, push, challenge.
B. notice, reach out, care without judgment.
C. encourage, relate, joke.
D. inspire, question, guide.
Your child needs a coach! A lot of our students thrive with the help of a coach–someone goal-oriented, focused and motivating–and we often hear kids tell our program directors that they want someone who will (kindly) push them.
Our coaches’ favorite study tool:
Practice makes confidence! Coaches focus on short daily drills that hone our kids’ step-by-step procedures to help them methodically approach their schoolwork (and test prep work) to minimize both errors and stress.
Your child needs a buddy! Oftentimes our more avoidant kids need buddies who show up without judgment, full of concrete tools to help them manage their academic work. Buddies know how to see the motivation behind the fear, giving them tools to manage even in the most difficult academic moments.
Our buddies’ favorite study tool:
Map it out! Buddies help our kids derive study plans to prioritize long-term memory retention and visualize and tackle their busy schedules. Writing out talking points and questions for the next day’s class discussion is a great way to gain confidence in speaking up in class and feeling comfortable asking for clarification!
Your child needs a cheerleader! Teenagers are acutely attuned to their peers, and particularly social teens can struggle to prioritize French over friends. Cheerleaders are relatable and enthusiastic, making sure sessions are lighthearted and kids feel heard and helped.
Our cheerleaders’ favorite study tool:
Fill that cup! Our cheerleaders make sure to build in short, effective breaks to help refill our kids’ cups amidst long days of schoolwork, studying, and extracurriculars–sometimes this is a step away from the work at hand and sometimes it’s as simple as switching between subjects. Using a little bit of distraction to our kids’ advantage keeps them happy and motivated to keep going.
Your child needs a professor! Our professors are here for those relentlessly curious kids who never stop asking why (but who also maybe don’t care for the less thrilling subjects).
Our professors’ favorite study tool:
Deep dive but switch it up! Our professors (some of whom are actual professors!) love to nerd out with our curious kids and deep dive into their interests. However, keeping our students on track is key, and by utilizing interleaving–switching between multiple subjects over a period of study–we can assure better recall, deeper understanding, and long-term memory retention in addition to making sure our passionate kids don’t focus on only their favorite subject.
