Student Success Stories

The Success Story Part Two

Carolina is a student who suffers from test anxiety. She is a freshman involved in sports, so her schedule is very busy. Carolina is a good student who does all of her homework, yet when the test comes, “it looks like it is written in another language.” That is exactly what happens with test anxiety. You take great notes and pay attention in class, complete all of your homework, and yet, when the test comes, it is as if she did nothing to prepare.

Test anxiety can be very stressful and frustrating. I did not think, originally, that her test anxiety was that serious because of the notes she took and the work she did while I was working with her. It turns out that it was extremely bad!

The anxiety comes from years and years of failing when it matters most. It becomes a wet blanket that is very difficult to get out from under. When dealing with extreme cases of test anxiety, parents need to be patient. Test taking is all about confidence in one’s self. That confidence needs to be grown and fostered so that it is sustainable when the student is working on their own, like working on a test.

With Carolina, it took extra tutoring sessions where I gave her additional work. Carolina hated to have to do extra work but it definitely paid off. Carolina had to do the extra work on her own. I would correct it when we met and she was forced to see the errors she was continuously making. Carolina needed to think her way through the problems, come up with her own conclusions, and be confident about them. Because she did the extra work on her own she had ownership over her work. She took pride in her work and it made her more determined when she did something wrong. It focused her to correct the mistakes she would make. Eventually – and this happens at different times for different students – she eliminated her mistakes. This process, long as it may be, really allows a student to build the confidence in themselves that they need.

Now I am happy to say that Carolina has a solid B in her class. She still has some tests where she doesn’t do as well as she should, and that is ok. This is a continuous process.  Carolina is a completely different student when it comes to math, and she is bound and determined to get better each day.

I am so very proud of the strides she has made to better herself. Good things come to those who work hard for them. Carolina is a success story because of her tremendous battle with test anxiety. It would cripple her and now she faces it with confidence. Carolina’s success will become even greater as she continues to work towards her goals.

The Success Story Student

Karlee is a junior at one of the local high schools. I started working with her in late November. At that time she hated math, was super frustrated, and her grade reflected that. Karlee was referred to me by a friend, and we started working together, meeting twice a week.

Several changes needed to happen so that Karlee could start to experience success. First we needed to get out all of the negativity. Second, we needed to focus on not only completing homework, but doing it correctly. Lastly, we needed to build confidence when it came time to take the test.  To give you an idea of where Karlee was mentally on test days, she would tell me that she would “run out of the classroom!”

Karlee did amazing, however because we started late in the semester, it was just too much to overcome to the poor grades throughout the semester leading up to that. She ended the semester with a passing grade but she was clearly upset that the grade was not better.

Then the magic started to happen. We bumped the tutor sessions to three to four times a week. The first test of the second semester was the highest grade she had received all year. From there, the success Karlee experienced was truly a great thing to witness and be a part of. Karlee leads her class, is involved in discussion during class, and is on her way to earning that A she desperately wants.

Karlee makes it a point to come to tutoring just to make sure that she understands the concepts. Karlee never misses a tutor session, and is particularly focused on earning an A. I call her the success story because when we started she had an F in class and all hope was nearly lost. With just a little extra effort she has been able to be one of the strongest students that I currently work with. Way to go Karlee! I am so very proud of your efforts.

The Division 1 Athlete Who Does NOT Need Tutoring

Many students who I work with are involved with something outside of the classroom, whether it is sports, music, drama, or some type of club. I find that any activity outside of the classroom always makes a student a better individual, and the rewards from their interactions and activities can teach many valuable things. However, activities outside of the classroom can also be very time consuming as well as very demanding. Most students involved in athletics, probably know that high school sports will be their final chance at playing on a competitive team. They might not receive the chance or have the desire to continue playing their sport in college.

Lauryn S. is not that type of athlete. Lauryn is a highly sought after athlete and will most likely get some sort of scholarship to play her sport in college. The reason I wanted to share her story, with such a strange title, is because her athletics is a singular motivation for her. Lauryn’s goal of earning a scholarship to college will benefit her and her family, so Lauryn is very driven to achieve this goal.

Lauryn comes to see me when she doesn’t necessarily need to. Lauryn comes to get extra help so that she can make sure that nothing jeopardizes her chance of getting the best scholarship she can.

So is this profile about Lauryn or her teachers? The profile is about both. Lauryn speaks very highly of her teachers, but the reality is that she is sitting in a classroom with sometimes 40 other students who do not have same priorities as Lauryn. There are students who can be very disruptive in class, or students who require more attention from her teacher so she receives less. Basically, there are external factors that all students face in the classroom environment. These factors can have an impact on retaining and learning concepts. For example, a teacher is explaining something and the student next to her gets a funny picture sent to them over the cell phone. It is so funny; the student feels that it is absolutely necessary to share it with everyone around. Lauryn takes a look and also finds it funny, so she laughs. While she is laughing and distracted, Lauryn missed the most important part of the lesson.

It can happen that fast, a moment, a minute, something which diverts attention from the teacher to something else, and an entire concept doesn’t make sense anymore. I have seen it, and dealt with it in the classroom. Lauryn does everything she needs to do and then some to make sure that she alone understands her math lesson.

Lauryn is very proactive and if she feels a need to get tutoring we set up a session. Lauryn is a very responsible student and focused on maintaining the highest grades. To Lauryn tutoring is essential and she pulls the most out of every session.

Lauryn is that Division 1 college athlete that demands the best out of herself. Tutoring her is very different than tutoring the struggling student. I enjoy working with Lauryn because I am like a rudder on a boat. I simply make small adjustments to keep her on the correct path. I look forward to hearing where she commits to as all her hard work has opened many doors to great universities all across our nation.