by Gretchen | Dec 3, 2012 | Academic Coaching, Study Skills
The first wave of final exams are upon us, which means (drum roll, please!) it’s time to map out the final exam study schedule. This is easier said than done. I’m saddened that most teachers seem to pass out final exam review information *only* a week...
by Gretchen | Nov 26, 2012 | Academic Coaching, Study Skills
Happy belated Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope all you students got some much needed R&R. I’m taking this week off of blogging. However, for those of you who find yourself stuck with some homework, I recommend trying this person’s funny study incentive....
by Gretchen | Nov 19, 2012 | Academic Coaching, Writing
How do you go more deeply when you are writing a paper? It’s one of those catch 22’s, isn’t it. Don’t you think you WOULD engage in more critical thinking if only you knew HOW?! Today I was working with a college sophomore who had just finished...
by Gretchen | Nov 12, 2012 | Academic Coaching, Procrastination
So many teens come to me distraught about how much they procrastinate! They always reveal it quietly, shamefully, as if procrastination is a huge sin. But what if procrastination isn’t all bad?! What if — in fact — there are some gifts to be found...
by Gretchen | Nov 5, 2012 | Random Stuff
It’s college. You’re no longer living at home. Your time is your own to manage as you please. You no longer have to suffer under constant watchfulness from teachers and parents. Especially for kids with learning differences — many of whom received...
by Gretchen | Oct 29, 2012 | Academic Coaching
Sometimes my teenage clients crack me up so much I can hardly contain the giggles. Tonight was one of those nights. Allen was a mess last year. Total sportster, he couldn’t stand school. He had zero motivation, which translated to tons of zeros on he report...
by Gretchen | Oct 22, 2012 | Academic Coaching, Communication
A couple years ago I gave a talk called “Parenting for Academic Success” that I gave for Diablo Valley College’s New Horizons Program. It was the beginning of the school year (just as it is now), and these 50 parents were HUNGRY for help on how to...
by Gretchen | Oct 15, 2012 | Academic Coaching, Organization
My client Jasmine is in 7th grade, has ADHD, and is an organizational disaster. Last week I asked her to organize her accordion folder by class; this week she had failed to do so. Papers were everywhere, in all kinds of disorder. And then…I pulled out a tool...
by Gretchen | Oct 8, 2012 | Academic Coaching, Study Skills
Doing poorly on a test is not a failure: it’s a powerful learning opportunity! Students can learn so much by taking a close look at what they did well on tests — and where they went wrong. I love Cal Newport’s three pieces of advice for how to do a...
by Gretchen | Oct 1, 2012 | Academic Coaching, Organization, Procrastination
Homework. Blech. No one likes it. Especially on weekends. So how should students manage their time during their precious weekend time? When is the best time to do homework, and when is the best time to relax? In my experience, most students want to save their homework...
by Gretchen | Sep 24, 2012 | Academic Coaching, Study Skills
OK, that title might be a bit of an exaggeration. I don’t really believe that tutors do more harm than good — but I DO believe that there are some bad habits students fall victim to where tutors are concerned. Now that the school year has started, students...
by Gretchen | Sep 17, 2012 | Academic Coaching, For Parents, Procrastination
Every year when I meet with new coaching clients, parents complain that their kids don’t manage time well. I often ask: how do you model time management to your teen?! Parents can usually tell me what their personal method of managing their calendar is like....
by Gretchen | Sep 10, 2012 | Academic Coaching, Communication
I’ve just been communicating with a family who was shocked to discover that their son failed a college class last semester. Even the student himself was dismayed. What!? Failed? When we looked into it, we found out that he hadn’t realized that 30%...
by Gretchen | Aug 24, 2012 | Academic Coaching, For Parents
Now that the new school year has begun, I am having a number of intake conversations with concerned parents. Their teen struggled in school last year — last minute freakouts about projects, work turned in late or not at all — and they really think...
by Gretchen | Mar 14, 2012 | Academic Coaching, For Parents
Today I met with another adult client. What a surprising turn my business is taking: that I’m attracting more and more adult learners who are going back to school. It is so impossibly sweet to see these grown-ups sincerely wanting to learn and feel competent,...
by Gretchen | Mar 12, 2012 | blog, Organization
Last week one of my 6th grade coaching clients spontaneously started singing James Brown’s “I Feel Good” while we were cleaning out his binder: “I feel good! nuhnuh, nuhnuh, nuhnuh nuh… “So organi-ized nuhnuh, nuhnuh, nuhnuh!”...
by Gretchen | Mar 10, 2012 | Academic Coaching, Creativity & Edges, Organization
I just finished collaging the cover of a new spiral notebook, and now I can’t wait to write in it! Art makes such a difference in our lives. I often have my academic coaching clients decorate their planner covers for this very reason. Just yesterday a senior in...
by Gretchen | Dec 14, 2011 | Academic Coaching, For Parents
During my in-take interviews with new families, their child’s distractibility is one of the most common complaints. How do we get them to FOCUS?! Especially when they’re on the internet? I totally get it, partially because I experience the same distractability...
by Gretchen | Dec 11, 2011 | Academic Coaching, Study Skills
Several seniors with whom I work have recently been assigned their first nonfiction (read: non-textbook) book: The Future of Freedom by Fareed Zakaria. This is not light reading, and several of them feel lost. It’s a big jump to go from a textbook that force...
by Gretchen | Dec 8, 2011 | Academic Coaching, Study Skills
Many of my academic coaching clients have a devil of a time studying for tests. The reasons are varied, but one major stumbling block I’ve uncovered is this: students do not understand the purpose that homework plays in preparing them for tests! Our current...
