What's new at PLE?
Click here to find out what's going on at PLE, including...
- Founder and director, Candace Sahm, presents on Overcoming Obstacles in the IEP Process at the 2008 International CHADD Conference in Anaheim, CA! More...
- Positive Learning Experiences hosts Yoga classes three times a week - open to students, families and the public. More...
- We're working hard to GO GREEN and create a better learning and working environment for our students and tutors. More...
Our Mission
We support our students in two-fold mastery of
academic content, concepts, life skills and strategies that will support them in the long-term. We believe in our
students and in their power to self-advocate and succeed in whatever goals they
set for themselves, now or in the future. Our role is providing the
individualized support, guidance and coaching they need along the way.
What Makes Us Unique?
- PLE Director and Founder, Candace Sahm, MA
Ed/HD, applies her ADHD Coaching for LIFE approach to tutoring, test
preparation and skills mastery for our students. Ms. Sahm works closely
with the tutors and students to ensure that every session is a success
and our students reach their full potential.
- We are devoted to our students. Our
tutors are not only experienced; they are committed to supporting their
students and helping them to succeed. We measure our success by
the progress our students make, and their improved self-confidence and
motivation.
- We pride ourselves on being warm, loyal and caring, and of course on the progress and success of our students.
- We are strong advocates for improving the
implementation of IEPs and 504 plans. We work closely with
students and their families as they navigate the IEP and 504 plan
process.
- We know that many students struggle with
getting their assignments in on time. Therefore, we will scan and
email completed work to a student’s teachers. We also
encourage and coach our students to become more autonomous and get
their work in on their own.
- We know the importance of brain food, so we have healthy snacks available to eat before or during tutoring session(s).
- We know how important exercise is for proper
brain function, which is why we encourage exercise as part of our
students’ lives and can even provide the opportunity for some
light exercise before their tutoring session(s) here. (For more
information about the benefit of exercise, please see Spark by Dr. John
Ratey, or his website: http://www.johnratey.com)
- We are GREEN! We reuse and recycle
whenever possible. We also provide billing services by e-mail, to
reduce paper waste.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
WHAT SUBJECTS DO YOU TUTOR?
We tutor in all subjects, including all levels of Math, English,
Reading and Writing skills, History, Social Studies, Science and
Foreign Languages. We also provide SAT/ACT Prep, as well as academic coaching and
support to help our students improve their study habits, organizational
skills and become autonomous learners.
WHAT MAKES PLE’S APPROACH UNIQUE?
We take a coaching approach to tutoring, which means we focus on accomplishing two things simultaneously:
- Student’s mastery of academic content and
concepts as well as improvements in test prep, test taking skills and
paper writing
- Acquisition of skills that are beneficial for a
lifetime, including learning how to organize, how to approach a task,
and how to remain focused.
WHAT IS A TUTORING SESSION LIKE?
In each session, a student works with a dedicated tutor/ topic specialist. PLE
Founder and Director, Candace Sahm, MA Ed/HD, supervises every session
as well as an overall learning plan. This gives a student the benefit
of both subject-specific tutoring as well as coaching.
WHERE DO YOU TUTOR?
We serve most students at the Learning Center, located in Cabin John,
MD. Alternatively, one of our tutors can come to your home or school.
WHAT ARE YOUR HOURS?
We are open 7 days a week, during school breaks, and on most holidays. Generally, we see students after school and on weekends.
WHAT SERVICES DO YOU PROVIDE?
We provide assistance to families navigating IEPs and 504s, we will
scan and send student’s work to their teachers, and we offer
healthy snacks at the center as well as the opportunity for light
exercise. We also provide online tutoring, coaching, small group
tutoring, and a quiet place to for students to complete homework
assignments.
HOW DOES A STUDENT START AT PLE?
Call or e-mail to schedule an initial intake visit, during which we meet
with parents and students to discuss needs, goals, learning styles and
just to get acquainted.
HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS?
We check our student’s grades online before every tutoring
session to track their grades, overall as well as assignment by
assignment. By looking online we can also see if students are
getting their assignments in on time, and getting better grades on each
assignment or test – a sign of improved study habits.
Because our ultimate goal for our students is not just improved grades
alone, we also make sure to get regular feedback from the tutors, the
teachers, the parents and the students themselves to make sure we can
measure success in other areas such as organizational skills, behavior
and attitude about school and learning.
|
