What Should You Look for in an Academic Coach?
By Kathleen A. Matchunis, B.A., M.S., CPC
Do you wait for your child to make low grades or fail or are you a proactive parent? Do you respond to your child’s academic progress or react when things go wrong? Most parents are busy working and making a living and find that it is tough to keep up with their child’s academic status, especially if they have more than one child.
If you have the time, patience, and knowledge to help your child academically, it can be a bonding experience, but many parents find it frustrating. Helping your child with homework can be like walking through a field of landmines. It is definitely not for the “faint of heart”!
If your child is simply having difficulty with a subject, a tutor may be your best bet. If you observe, however, that your child is capable of learning the material but not achieving, you may want to consider an academic coach.
A good academic coach should:
- Be a credentialed professional with a background in education
- Offer a complimentary initial consultation
- Be able to patiently work with students with ADD, ADHD, or learning disabilities
- Be able to access a child’s learning style
- Be familiar with the best study techniques for each learning style
- Communicate with both student and parent by providing written feedback on each coaching session
- Provide written action items after each session included in the feedback
- Make your child accountable for their action items
- Coach your child on how to optimize time management techniques to ensure success
- Address motivation and confidence issues
- Be able to coach parents on how to address their children’s academic needs
- Be able to refer you to other professionals to address needs beyond coaching
Having an academic coach can decrease the stress on both parent and child. An academic coach can offer a new perspective by offering options to the student and allowing him to choose which ones with work, thus giving the child some control over the situation.
Make sure that you meet the academic coach in person before beginning sessions. Check references from previous clients. Once your child knows how to study for his learning style, he will have the tools for academic success!
Original content by Kathleen Matchunis
Kathleen Matchunis is an academic coach who has over 30 years in the field of education. She has a son with ADD and learning disabilities and is adept at working with student of all levels. She also tutors Spanish, French, and English. For more information check out her website at: www.connectinginc.net or call her at 954 294 9708 for an initial complimentary consultation.