HOW CAN I HELP?

I work with struggling students (MS, HS, or college) who, for whatever reason, are not performing at their highest ability. I help students learn study strategies, effective time management tools, and organizational frameworks that can be applied to all subject areas to improve grades and reduce family stress about school. My methods work with all students and I have extensive experience working with twice exceptional (2e) students with ADHD.

MY BACKGROUND

For the past 15 years, I've taught general and organic chemistry at Austin College, a private liberal arts college in Sherman, TX. I earned a Ph.D. in Chemistry (2000) and an M.S. in Educational Psychology (2019). Over the course of my career, I've observed that many of my students don't arrive at college knowing how to study for long-term academic gain or how to change their study strategies when needed. As a result, part of my approach as a professor has been to integrate study strategies as I teach content, which provides my students with so much more than knowledge of chemistry.

My commitment to supporting student success in a much broader sense than just knowledge of chemistry is seen in all aspects of my carrer. I was recognized for my teaching in the Princeton Review's The 300 Best Professors. I was a co-developer and the first director of the STEM Teaching and Research (STAR) Leadership program at Austin College. This unique program provides all of our STEM students with intentional instruction in communication, problem solving, teamwork, foresight and planning, and acting responsibly. I currently serve as the Director of Mentoring responsible for all academic advising on campus.

When schools closed for Covid-19 in Spring 2020 these issues became much more personal as I worked along side my oldest son, then 14 years old. My son is a gifted thinker who was underperforming in all of his classes. It was easy to label him as lazy, and people did, but that label didn't provide him a path to sucess. I observed that he lacked the executive function skills needed to succeed. He was disorganized, easily distracted, and unable to create academic goals and plans. My observations of these behaviors led to an official ADHD diagnosis, and I learned as much as I could to help my twice exceptional student overcome the barriers to academic success.

I discovered academic coaching as a way to use my skills as an educator to help struggling students. My mentor, Gretchen Wegner, is the founder of the Anti-Boring Approach to Powerful Studying. Her approach is based on peer-reviewed studies about learning. I use her approach in my coaching, along with my experience as a college professor teaching a difficult subject, my design of the STAR Leadership program, and what I've learned about mentoring throughout my career.

Think academic coaching is right for you and your child? Email me for more information.