Nearly 20 years ago, as I sat in a bookstore tutoring in biology and math, I watched student after student struggle with their grades and, in turn, lose confidence. So often, I heard “I’m just not good at math,” “I’m not smart enough,” “I’ll never understand science,” or “I studied for hours, but still got a bad grade.” In my high school classroom, I began to understand that emphasizing the PROCESSES and spending time teaching HOW to plan effectively translated into better grades and more confidence, almost immediately.
It wasn’t that the students didn’t understand the content, it was that they didn’t know how to study, learn, or plan. So many students had trouble self-regulating and problem-solving around obstacles. I knew there had to be a better way for students to feel successful and learn skills that would generalize to all subjects and really impact their ability to feel successful as a student (and person). So, I set out to help address those aspects and support students in effectively demonstrating their abilities.