Coaching
SOS4Students has been a life-saver for my 6th grade son, who has ADHD, SPD, and Dysgraphia. Beth brings such enthusiasm, energy, and expertise to all of his sessions. My son responds very well to any suggestions or ideas that she has and taught us so much as well. She has an ability to collaborate and communicate well with the individual teachers regarding academics. During our recent IEP meeting, Beth presented a professional and knowledgeable demeanor which was well received by all in attendance. We cannot say enough good things about this awesome, much needed organization and all of their great coaches.
(Dan and Cris Silva)
I just want to thank you for the great work you’re doing with our son. He likes and admires you and takes what you say to heart. I chuckle when I see you giving him the same instructions I have over the years, only with far more success. I’m so pleased with the end result. Thanks again for helping my son begin to reach his potential.
(Jennifer Fish Wilson)
I so appreciate what you’ve done for our son and us as a family. It was so frustrating for us as parents to try to do what you could do as an “outsider”. You’ve given him some great tools and the knowledge that he can accomplish more than he was willing to admit previously. We so appreciate your help!
(Ellen Odza)
Within two months of working with (SOS4Students) my son is at the very top of his class. The change is miraculous. We are forever in (your) debt because we now have a child who is performing at this capacity, and who is liking school instead of hating it. We tried other tutors and alternatives to no avail. (SOS4Students) works magic!
(Lynne Brody)
After working with you last semester, (our son’s) grades improved dramatically, as did his attitude towards himself and us. You helped our son identify that he was an auditory learner and then to find ways to study using this learning style. The difference in grades and attitude from the beginning of the school year until the end was dramatic. Our son’s success in school last semester gave him back confidence. If he slips, we now have tools to help him. Our family life is much improved and we are able to enjoy each other again! Thank you for all that you have done and your ability to guide us toward a more productive, smoother road.
(A Grateful Parent)
SOS4Students is an amazing organization and I can’t imagine where my daughter would be if we hadn’t found you. We have recommended SOS4Students to several parents who have children with similar struggles as ours and will continue to sing the praises of your company. The work you do is important and we see the benefits of Shira’s work every day. Thanks so much for 3 terrific years of support.
(Eli Olson)
Getting coaching my first year of college was a game changer. The course work increased in difficulty and volume. I didn’t even know where to start. With the one-on-one support I received, my coach and I started strategizing and building a plan to tackle each class. I started to gain confidence in myself knowing I had all the tools I needed to be succeed. I knew I could be successful at a rigorous school, but getting coaching helped me unlock and reach my fullest potential! I never imagined I’d be doing so well, and it’s all thanks to SOS4Students!
(Saarah Shah)
Our daughter made the Maybeck HS honor roll. All A’s (including Geometry) and one B+ in Forensic Science. We’re thrilled. She worked very hard and has learned a lot about how she learns and how she needs to study in order for her test scores to more accurately reflect what she knows. Thank you and SOS4Students for your part in the heavy lifting that helped to bring us here.
(Amy Shutkin)
After years of socking away thousands of dollars into my daughter’s college fund, imagine how I felt when she started 8th grade with two Fs and barely passing grades on her report card. The thought flashed to me, that she may never attend college and worse, may not even graduate from High School. Then what?
My Tiger Mom tactics didn’t work. Our family was miserable. How could accomplished and sane parents produce such a brilliant yet disorganized, unmotivated and defiant teen? She didn’t need a tutor, she was perfectly capable of understanding the work. A psychologist? She was not mentally ill, nor even traumatized. A swift kick in the butt? It only made her butt harder!
I found SOS4Students online where they talked about helping kids with “executive function,” and that resonated with me. My bright daughter was having a personal management malfunction and needed a coach and confidant who could help her reason her way through her inner conflict and take action. She certainly didn’t take stock in what I had to say. Maybe a savvy outsider could win her trust.
I reached out to SOS4Students. It was not cheap. But I had that college fund which was in danger of never being used. I made the decision to tap into it to help my daughter get a grip on what she wanted and how to get there. The only wrinkle was that we do not live near the Bay Area, but when the option of a video session via laptop came up I knew this could work.
Once a week my daughter and her coach would spend an hour talking, and I’d get a detailed report about what was covered. Change is never easy, but slowly, as dread was overcome, and grades improved, my daughter established some momentum and began to confront her tasks rather than avoid them. I could see her initiating her homework rather than claiming she didn’t have any.
About ten sessions later, we started seeing results. Her last report card had an A in a high school level class, high Bs in two academic classes, and a high C.
There is room for improvement but the trend is in place. When she playfully got in my face threatening me with straight As this last trimester, I knew I had made the right decision.
The frequency of the sessions has tapered off with the vast improvements, but I plan on keeping my daughter in touch with her coach and SOS4Students to head off any problems before they get out of control as she navigates her way though high school.
(A Mother in the Pacific Northwest)
I can’t say enough positive things about our experience with our son’s coach this year. She has helped him hugely in organization, motivation, and confidence. Perhaps most importantly he really enjoys working with her. We are kept quite well informed on what was accomplished during each session and how we can carry through at home. We could not be more pleased by our experience this year.
(Mary Firestone)
(SOS4Students coach) Amber has been a great help to us and to Elijah. She is hard working, diligent, insightful and caring.
(David M.)
SOS4Students was the missing link for my son’s academic success and a positive boost for his self confidence! Cameron’s coach was a great match for him, he helped him get organized, provided him with skills to break down big projects, assistance with writing essays or reports, working on complex problems, being on time, controlling emotions, and planning for the future. As a parent, I was not only interested in immediate results in his grades but also building skills to help him as he moves into young adulthood. SOS4Students provided this and more – I highly recommend this organization. Definitely a life saver for my son and our family relationship.
(Tammy Appling-Cabading)
Our son received excellent help in an environment that he loved. SOS4Students also provided expert advice to us as parents on how to help him throughout the week. We learned a lot, as did our son. I feel all students, with or without learning challenges, could benefit from SOS4Students.
(Terry Riggins)
Workshops
Beth conducted a student-parent workshop that focused on learning styles at our middle school. Students and parents greatly increased their awareness of how differences in style affect their approach to school work, and Beth helped them understand how this could be used to turn homework battles into effective collaborations. Beth’s knowledge, communication skills, energy, and sense of humor made for a fun and productive session. This workshop laid the ground work for many useful discussions and insights about how students, teachers, and parents can help kids better reach their potential as learners.
(Sally West)
This (workshop) was really worth getting up for…I’m definitely going to keep and use the stuff they gave me; I’m actually rearranging my backpack to make this easier.
(David S., 16)
Dear SOS4Students,
Thanks for letting me join the workshop and giving me learning tools.
- Thanks for helping me understand my learning strengths, figuring out my learning style and study strategies. Helping me figuring out my learning strengths helps me see what I need to work on and improve.
- Thanks for helping me make the best of my learning space and understanding how to organize. Helping me stay organized makes sure I have everything in place so I don’t forget.
- Thanks for teaching me to time my work and track my due dates. Teaching me to keep track of my due dates helps me not to forget my work and I don’t get an F.
- Thanks for teaching me to plan out my longer term projects. Teaching me how to plan out my long term projects helps me make segments of the work and makes the work easier.
It was a great help for 6th grade.
Sincerely,
Raiden, Student
Yesterday (my son) had a paper to write. He used the suggestions from the (workshop) binder as a way to help him format a cogent, well-articulated paper. The (workshop) materials are excellent and really made the process much easier for him than it has been in the past. Thank you for giving him an invaluable tool that he can use for the rest of his life.
(Heidi)
Jayne took your high school workshop in the fall and loved it – I mean, loved it. Somehow it hit a chord with her. Thank you for the fabulous class.
(Jayne’s Parent)
Writing Rx™ was pretty cool. The class gave me a lot of useful stuff I hadn’t thought of and they got right to the point. Plus there were a lot of great snacks!
(Ryan K., 16)
You should be thrilled to know that all three boys really liked the (Nailing Ninth) workshop. They said it was “pretty good” which is like a perfect 10 coming from a 14 year old boy! Thanks for running such a cool and effective program.
(Nancy Katz)
One thing Graham repeated over to me about his experience last weekend was how cool and great the teachers were. Their warmth and interest in the kids being successful came across to him loud and clear.
(Donna Hays)
Presentations
Thank you for the informative presentation last night. Loved your reality check, humor, and presentation style.
(Donna Hays)
I just attended the Brown Bag meeting on Student Time Management and Organization at WCI. (Beth is) a great speaker and presented so much useful information. I am so happy I took time off work to attend. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to you.
I hadn’t figured out exactly what my parent involvement should be with my 6th grader in regards his school work. Being a mom, you naturally want to be in your kid’s business and the next thing you know you are micro-managing them and what comes next is that everyone is frustrated and then there is yelling and tears.
And yes, I was using those words or phrases such as “focus, get organized, be responsible” and checking on him and asking those questions, “how’s it going?” and “Are you sure you can listen to your iPod and get your homework done? Do you have it all under control?”
Thank you for clarifying so many things for me and pointing me in the right direction. I look forward to working with my son and family to implement many of your ideas.
(Roxie Hooke)
SOS4Students has been an invaluable resource especially during our new world of online learning. The Zoom seminar that Beth gave for parents to better understand the world our kids are in was eye opening. I walked away with an ability to have a conversation with my kids about what they are learning and how. And more importantly, SOS is there to help the students directly which is so helpful given the fact that my kids don’t want my help at this teen age. I couldn’t recommend SOS4STudents highly enough. As a one time seminar or better yet a series of meetings for my kids, it has made our lives much more enjoyable and our kids less stressed in a very uncertain time.
(Liz, Parent)
As a parent of a three, I have attended innumerable presentations on communicating with your teenager, engaging your teenager, jumpstarting your teenager, etc. (Beth’s) sense of humor, straightforward materials, and message of mutual trust and respect really resonated with me.
On behalf of the Bishop O’Dowd Parents’ Association, I would like to heartily thank you for introducing some very honest and intuitive techniques to use with our teenagers in creating a supportive learning environment. Your materials and strategies could have easily taken up several sessions for adequate absorption by our atrophying parent minds. Thank you many times over for providing an educational and enjoyable evening.
(Mara McGrath, VP Programming, Bishop O’Dowd Parent’s Association)