Let’s talk about Tutoring with special guest Helen Panos of Dynamis Learning Academy

Welcome back, parents. Hey, today I have a special guest with me. Her name is Helen Panos, and she's an accomplished educator and instructional specialist with over 25 years of experience in the public school system. Helen began her K-12 nationwide tutoring business called Dynamis Learning Academy just five years ago to help children reach their full academic potential.

She listens to what a parent needs and then matches their child with the right type of tutor. And recently, she launched her new book called Mastering Test Strategies, a simple, successful guide to enhance your child's grades. So welcome to the show, Helen. So happy to have you here to talk all things homework and virtual learning.

But before we get into some of those, some of the topics, how about you share with our listeners a little bit of background about you and Dynamis Learning? Okay, well, thank you so much, Jackie, for inviting me to your show. I really appreciate you leaving me the opportunity to be able to help discuss these topics with parents. So I am an educator of 25 years, and I have actually previously been a middle school teacher.

I have my own business now, a K-12 tutoring business. We also do SAT and ACT prep. So what got me into this business is I noticed that children have been, even pre-COVID, not just COVID times, but have been suffering and struggling with a lot of the skills that they do not have. that, you know, rightfully teachers don't have time to really teach. So that's when a tutor, I felt like tutors are an awesome benefit to children. And that's when I felt like it was time to reach out to all my resources. And I have a lot of them after 25 years to be able to help parents. And what we do is we listen to what a parent needs and match them up with the right type of tutor. And that tutor then customizes a program that will help meet the child's needs.

and we have various specialties such as, you know, now we're tutoring virtually or at home. And we are in Atlanta, Georgia. So if you're out of state from Georgia, then it would be done virtually. And we are doing that. And or a library for those who are here in Atlanta as well. So right now libraries are not open. So when they are open, we can go back to that. But mainly it's been homes and virtual, I'd say. And I've acquired a lot of degrees, master's, a specialist degree, I have certifications in gifted ed. So recently I've been actually tutoring myself using my skills in helping children get into a gifted program for their state and in their county. So I'm working with a couple kids right now to do that. And I have several years of experience in gifted testing.

So I know all about the different tests. And I also know about managing section 504. So I've sat in meetings to help children get into IEPs for special ed. I also have other contacts in my company that I can reach out to that have that experience. I also do myself 504 plans, RTI, SST programs. Those are all programs that are help with accommodations for kids when testing, things like that, or RTI, SST, and they may be called different things in different states.

Those are things that help modify curriculum for kids and try to see if they need to go to special ed, let's say. So I'm currently writing a book, Mastering Test Strategies. Speaking of test strategies, A Simple Successful Guide to Enhance Your Child's Grades. This guide will provide children with important test-taking strategies in the classroom and tips for high-stakes tests as well, such as, like in Georgia, the Georgia Milestones.

um iowas a lot of people take iowas even for um gifted programs they'll give them achievement tests so any high stakes tests such as the sat act as well and this book will be launched uh april 2021 in a couple in a month that is so that's a lot of stuff so you're like a one-stop shop for uh for all things grades and accommodations for kids in school and testing and, and, and now really you've, you've been doing virtual for quite a while, but you've seen an increase in that. And so talk about the effects of, of that and, and, uh, maybe some of the skills that kids have are learning out of this virtual, um, the virtual learning now.

So I just, uh, was reading something that a friend posted on Facebook that the kids in one County here in Atlanta finally went back to school this weekend, um, for the first time. And I said, well, you know, COVID's kind of been a blessing in a way. So it slowed everything down so parents can really rightfully see what's going on with their children. So what they're noticing are skills that they're missing out on, right?

So it could be writing skills, a lot of just gaps in different things. So they're noticing that more because they're at home with them. Overall, lifelong skills that children are learning from this whole virtual blessing, I call it, is number one, time management, right? Because they're used to a structured schedule at school.

The bells are ringing at a certain time. They know when their class begins and ends. So when you're virtual and you're having to do this, and some school systems here in Atlanta are going to offer up a permanent virtual academy in the school systems. I don't know if they're doing that in every state, but I would not be surprised because a lot of kids do thrive in that type of environment.

But some of the skills they have to have, and I think that they're learning that they probably never would have gotten in the public school or otherwise, is number one, time management, right? Because like I said, you now have to form your own structure. Yeah, there's still a bell schedule, but now you've got to be self-motivated to set the timing of when you do your work, when you need to reach out to your teachers for some help because they probably have some private sessions going on.

Hitting the submit button to submit the work you've done, right? So a lot of the accountability falls into this, right? So that's why tutors can help in that situation, why we've been called for some of those kind of things. If children are, they're learning some interesting skills.

So time management is definitely one. And habits related to organization, that's a biggie. So, right, knowing how long do you have to get this project done. Whereas before, if you're in school, the teachers probably keep reminding you every day, every day.

And they're probably reminding them on virtual. But so now they've got to do a little bit more of that on their own. So the habits related to organization is great. Like, for instance, finding a good location.

I went to a quick story about a sixth grader. I went to his home to see what he was doing and why he seemed to be failing his classes. He was doing it virtually. And I get there, and he's kind of sitting in the dark on this ottoman.

He's got the laptop on an ottoman, and it's dark, and he's sitting in this chair. So there's no paper around. There's no pencil around, so no materials. And he's just listening to the math teacher, but he's not writing anything down.

I don't know about you, but when I learned math a long time ago, I had to write everything down. My math teacher did step by step. And that really has not changed over time. Right.

That's one of the subjects where you have to have a pen and paper handy while you're. Well, it was dark. I couldn't believe I said to him, can you see in here? I said, I'd like for you to get up and move to the table.

This is going to be your new school desk. he's working with my tutor and he's working at the dining room table let's say and he's much getting much better since November I'd say well and that's one of the things that parents that are concerned about their their kiddo especially if you have two three four kids in the home but really trying to move that spot in the house that's the school spot you know during the day this is where your work zone is kind of thing and and sometimes that can be tricky when you have multiple kids you know yeah working in the buyer but it's really important to move it not just in the bedroom it's fine if it's in the bedroom as long as there's you know some sort of desk or tv tray or something in the bed trying to do their work right right so what kind what skills would you say the kids are learning now with this with virtual learning that are going to move them forward in their academic years, because hopefully, fingers crossed, many schools are opening up already. You know, we'll get back to that in-person learning. What kinds of skills are they learning now that you think are beneficial or you're seeing? I would say that and being just on top of their work, all the things I just mentioned, time management, like habits, consistent habits that they need to have a very structured day, you know, from beginning to end.

And goal setting is one. I know I'll talk about at the end, my offer is a goal setting planner for kids. And the goal setting is important no matter how old your children are because they should set goals for the semester. I always have them setting that when I was teaching in the first semester, what are your goals, and I'd let them pick.

The older ones can pick three. Like I would let them pick. sometimes they'd ask me, well, what about sports? I'm like, okay, you could pick one personal goal, but I want the other two to be academic goals. You know, it could be, you're going to make all A's in all your classes, or, you know, there's one class that gives you the hardest time, let's say math, and you want to get an 85 in that class. And that's reasonable. So, but this planner will have them go through the details of asking questions like what, what obstacles do you think you might, you know, meet in trying to get to this goal and reaching your goal? And then who do you think you can reach out to to help you reach your goal if you get stuck? So my planner has a lot of great things in there. And I think goal setting is awesome. Probably the last two people that have just joined as students, exactly that the parents said to me, I could probably help them, but they're not listening to me anymore.

Right. They've tuned their parent out. So again, I would definitely, as a parent, make sure you have a good space for them that's well lit, that they know that's where they should report every day, regardless. Some of them might try to move to the floor, and that's okay if they want to do something like with a beanbag and set up an environment for that type of child that wants to sit down, but they're not going to fall asleep while they're sitting down.

they might want to shift you know environments but not too much because it's about consistency so having a good environment for them to work from i have like a a desk that goes up and down because i i don't like sitting the whole time right so these kids that are on virtual for a long time they might need to stand up some so parents that you want to create a calmer environment and and this has happened even when i can think of two boys at the very beginning of the school year the lady was just outside you know she's gonna lose her mind so she's like they will not do anything and again the same tutor stepped in with these two boys and he's there like three hours a day and he has really shipped that whole scenario around um to the point that they'll pay him to come in and play with them sometimes like on the holidays because they like him so much oh that's awesome so he's got a good connection with them and he's brought he's gotten them interested again in in learning and so it's about like and the parents have sent me a great uh review about that and said basically you know you have brought peace back into our home we actually now spend time as a family together instead of battling them over homework and then this takes hours minutes minutes turn into hours and you're still going okay i just had a conversation with a parent about this just a little while ago before I'm doing this interview that she's like, oh, she won't do it.

When I asked her to do it, she won't do it. And this is a junior. And yeah, your older kids are probably not going to listen. Well, I think part of it is they spend so much time when they're older on their homework. They get frustrated if, you know, it's piling up. And the last thing they want to do is admit to their parents that they're behind in something or that they don't know how to do something they don't remember. Parents can't do everything, right? You guys have a lot on your plate yourselves. You're working from home virtually right now, or even if you're going in the office, but kids need support from others to stay on track. It's just, you know, just like the analogy of using the trainer. Yeah, I could go to LA Fitness and work out and I do,

but I can easily talk myself out of that too. And I do sometimes, but you know, parents, I think children see a parent as the person that supplies them with the clothing, the food, the water, the necessities of life that they need. Right. Not necessarily the keeper of their homework, calendar and assignments.

Yeah, for sure. Well, I love that you help prepare kids for college. Basically, you're helping them with the SATs, the ACTs, all those kinds of things. You have tutoring for that to help take that stress off of them a little bit, too.

Just the anxiety around whether they're going to pass or not and how great a score they're going to get. And I want to make sure before we go that you have an opportunity to share with our listeners how they can get in touch with you. If you go to my Dynamis Learning Academy website, it's www.dynamislearningacademy.com.

On there, there'll be a pop up that talks about smart goal planner kids. and it just it's to help your children basically uh set their goals stay focused because that's a big part of it is staying focused and people can reach me at my email if you want to have a conversation and you want to discuss your child which is how most people do it it's my email helen at dynamis learning academy.com and dynamis is d-y-n-a-m-i-s yes learningacademy.com yep great all right well you gave us some great pointers some tips just and tutoring is not uncommon we used to think that oh you only get a tutor you know if you're struggling in one in one class or you only get a tutor if you're failing you know it that's not the case is it not at all just have that same conversation just a little while ago with this parent about you know she probably thinks a tutor means she's she's not smart but that's not the case at all it's about getting you accountable and getting you structured and focused and about time management,

all these things I just talked about habits. Yeah. Great. I love it. Well, thanks so much.

I'm glad you're a resource for, for everyone, especially with virtual learning. Some people locally here in Minnesota might say, why did you have a guest on from Georgia? And it's because, you know, the virtual world has brought us together and there's so many resources out there, you know? And so it doesn't matter what state you live in. You can get a tutor from wherever you're at and we are uh act prep virtually actually all right thank you so much for joining me today helen be sure to check helen out at dynamis learning academy.com or find her on facebook at dynamis learning academy and join me next time where we're going to stick with the school theme and i'm going to interview another guest kelly ratty where she's going to share with us about her new book, Out to See, a parent survival guide to the freshman voyage and a go-to resource for parents as you navigate the high school to college transition. See you next time.

Thank you.