The purpose of education should be to furnish in each learner a desire for knowledge, growth, and self-reliance to fuel a lifetime of learning. Our goal at Boulder Academic Coaching is a 3-part mission:
Self-Advocate
Arguably the most important part of our job is to foster the student's mindset of independence. The ability to take charge of one's own duties and responsibilities goes far beyond the academic world. Self-advocacy is:
Speaking up for yourself
Making decisions about your own life
Identifying who will support you and when to reach out for help
Gaining information necessary for determining what's important to you
Knowing your own rights and responsibilities
Understanding self-determination
This particular skill set is imperative and invaluable not just in academia but in life. Improving self-advocacy in our students is the cornerstone of our approach to academic coaching.
Organize
The second part of our mission is to provide students with the proper organizational techniques and skills to maintain success in a world full of due dates, practices, and household responsibilities. Some examples include:
A planner/calendar/organizer
Creating a proper study space
Regular de-cluttering (backpacks, study space, lockers)
Managing time to balance work and play
Tools to avoid procrastination
Manage Stress
A study from NYU examining 'High School Students' Stress and Coping Mechanisms' from August of 2015 found that although "academic, athletic, social, and personal challenges have been regarded as domains of 'good stress' for high school aged youth... there is a growing awareness that many subgroups of youth experience high levels of chronic stress, to the extent that it impedes their abilities to succeed academically, compromises their mental health functioning, and fosters risk behavior. Furthermore, this chronic stress appears to persist into the college years and... may contribute to academic disengagement and mental health problems among emerging adults."
We believe that self-advocacy, organization, and stress management are the tripod that creates a stable base for student success. These prerequisite skills translate into high achievement not only in the academic world, but also in the career world. By providing tutoring, academic coaching, and test prep, we seek to close the gap in the traditional educational system between what is taught and what is expected in terms of academic and personal performance. These three principals play a pivotal role in our approach to helping students navigate the educational landscape in order to help them achieve success in their own personal pursuits.