Being capable of doing the work and being able to manage the work are not always the same thing.
A student may understand the material but struggle to begin assignments, remember deadlines, estimate how long work will take, prepare effectively for exams, or keep several classes organized at once. When these difficulties accumulate, school can become overwhelming—even for a bright, motivated student.
I provide individualized study-skills coaching to help students understand what is getting in their way and develop practical, sustainable ways to manage their academic lives.
More than “try harder”
Students are often told to focus, stop procrastinating, manage their time, or become more organized without being shown how to do those things.
Executive functioning includes the mental processes we use to plan, begin, organize, remember, prioritize, monitor, and complete tasks. These skills can be taught, practiced, and strengthened.
How I can help
- Keeping track of assignments and deadlines
- Organizing materials across multiple classes
- Breaking large projects into manageable steps
- Deciding what to work on first
- Creating realistic daily and weekly plans
- Estimating how long tasks will take
- Beginning work when a task feels confusing or overwhelming
- Developing more effective study routines
- Preparing for tests and exams
- Learning active study methods instead of simply rereading
- Taking and organizing useful notes
- Managing long-term assignments
- Improving time awareness and time management
- Reducing patterns of avoidance and last-minute panic
- Recovering after missed work or a difficult academic period
- Maintaining attention and returning to a task after distraction
- Balancing schoolwork with activities, responsibilities, rest, and free time
- Communicating with teachers and asking for help when needed
Finding the actual problem
A student who repeatedly misses deadlines may not have a reliable way to record assignments. A student who procrastinates may not know how to identify the first manageable step. A student who studies for hours without improving may be using methods that feel productive but do not lead to real learning.
My greatest strength as an educator is identifying the point where a process is breaking down. Once we understand the actual difficulty, we can work on a solution that addresses it directly.
A personalized system
There is no perfect planner, schedule, or study method that works for every student.
We will not build an elaborate system that looks impressive but is impossible to maintain. We will experiment with practical tools and routines, pay attention to what genuinely helps, and adjust what does not.
The goal is to create a system the student can increasingly use without me.
- A paper planner, digital calendar, or simple assignment list
- Visual schedules and reminders
- Weekly planning meetings
- Checklists for recurring tasks
- Timers or structured work periods
- A step-by-step process for beginning assignments
- Different study methods for different kinds of material
- Planning backward from deadlines
- Routines for checking, completing, and submitting work
Skills for every subject
Study-skills coaching is not limited to English or humanities courses. These strategies can support students across all subjects.
We can use the student’s real assignments, classes, schedule, and responsibilities as the material for our work. Rather than discussing organization in the abstract, we will apply new strategies directly to what the student needs to manage now.
Experience and training
My own education included a four-year study-skills course at boarding school, giving me unusually sustained experience thinking deliberately about how students learn, organize their work, and manage academic demands.
I later studied learning, executive functioning, and effective teaching practices extensively through my professional pedagogy training. I am also an experienced college professor and have taught and tutored students from middle school through college.
Coaching for different ages
Middle school is often the first time students must keep track of several teachers, subjects, assignments, and expectations at once.
High school students may need help balancing demanding courses, long-term projects, tests, extracurricular activities, college preparation, and increasing independence.
College students are expected to manage large amounts of unstructured time and complete complex work with much less day-to-day supervision.
Sessions and scheduling
For students under 18, I will communicate directly with a parent or guardian before beginning. A parent or guardian must be aware of and involved in arranging the service.
- Online
- In person at a public library convenient for the student
- Regular ongoing support or a shorter period of focused coaching
- Flexible scheduling when possible
Pricing
My standard rate for study-skills coaching is $25 per hour, with flexible pricing available based on individual circumstances. I intentionally offer this service at a lower rate because I believe this kind of support is widely needed and should remain accessible.
The number and frequency of sessions will depend on the student’s needs and goals. We can discuss the current difficulties during a free initial consultation and decide what kind of support would be most useful.
FOR MY FORMER STUDENTS
Former students from the Double Discovery Center, Columbia University, or Hampshire College are always welcome to pay what they can afford.
It pays to be my student!
FREE INITIAL CONSULTATION
Let’s build a system that works
For students under 18, a parent or guardian should be involved in the initial contact and arrangement of services.