I wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation for Mike Shenk and his team at Learning Cycle Tutors. Mike's company was recommended to me by a friend after expressing some frustration (aka "mom venting") with my son's current level of progress and attention in math. My friend recommended Learning Cycle Tutors and mentioned the fact that they provide in-home services. As a dedicated mom of three middle-schoolers, but also a busy publishing professional, I appreciated the fact that I didn't need to add "one more thing" to our already hectic schedule.
I met with Mike for our initial consultation and was pleasantly surprised to learn that Learning Cycle Tutors only hires educators with either a Bachelor's or Master's degree and teaching experience. Mike was real, encouraging, and clearly passionate about his business. After discussing my child's particular strengths and weaknesses, Mike recommended a tutor (Paula M.) who might best meld with my child's learning style and needs. My own son, while bright, struggles with ADHD, and any caring parent who has a child with this issue, knows there are certain motivations that can affect the child's desire to learn. It's not that they can't learn, it's instilling within that child a "desire" to learn.
We've used "cookie cutter" academic support tutors before, but within seconds of our first session with Paula M. (our matched-tutor), it became clear that she understood the particular struggles of children who CAN learn, but perhaps need a bit of motivation to WANT to learn and actually DO the work in an organized fashion. After nearly five months of weekly tutoring, I am happy to say that these weekly tutoring sessions are not only welcomed into our home, but anticipated by my son!! Paula M. has become a family friend and truly an extension of the network of educators (ourselves included) becoming a positive influence on my child.
My son has not only shown tremendous gains in academic performance, he now "believes" he can do the work. He's developing confidence in his skills and passed all of the state examinations. At tutoring time, there is no gripe and no grumble. I am able to still parent my son, but my relationship with Learning Cycle Tutors has taken away the struggles we've had when it came to teaching / learning support at home. Best of all, my child looks forward to learning! As a parent, this is wonderful to witness. If you've ever experienced what poor self-esteem can do for a child's academic performance, you know achieving this level of belief in one's competency can make all the difference in that child's academic success.
I give Learning Cycle Tutors my FULL and heartfelt recommendation. They've become partners in education for my child and my family and we look forward to years of continued growth and success. read more