Academic Life Coach

I had never heard of an Academic Life Coach until a few months ago.  An Academic Life Coach is so much more than a tutor.  A tutor is someone who helps a student succeed in a specific subject by reinforcing lessons, teaching topic specific information, and helping a student study for a specific exam or quiz.  An Academic Life Coach teaches a student how to study in general.   They teach organizational skills, time management, note-taking strategies, and general study stills.  An Academic Life Coach can meet one-on-one with student’s needing strategies tailored specifically towards their academic concerns. 

As a school counselor, I see it all of the time.  We have so many students that are capable of getting A’s and B’s, but are getting C’s or D’s because they forget homework, can’t remember when the exam is, have poor study techniques, or no study techniques at all.  Many of our students learn these skills on their own or through support from a teacher, but there are those students that really need a plan tailored for their individual needs. 

We have students who consistently forget to do homework thus getting zeros on numerous assignments.  We also have students that do the homework, but lose it on the way to school or forget it at home.  For these students some general organizational skills go a long way. 

Gretchen Wegner is an Academic Life Coach based out of Oakland, California.  She is the sister-in law to Barb Wegner our Art teacher.  Gretchen owns her own business and enjoys mentoring students through video chat.  Most of the clients she works with meet with her weekly or monthly for one hour sessions.  Video chat allows her to work with students all across the country from their home computer. 

To view a YouTube video about Gretchen and Academic Life Coaching, please click HERE. 

Gretchen created a quick quiz for students to take to see if Academic Life Coaching could be a fit for their needs.  It is below:

• I’m drowning in paper and my backpack and binders are a disaster
• I forget to do homework or forget to turn it in
• Studying doesn’t work; my test grades still stink or wait…study?  What is that?
• I hate having to choose between good grades and a personal life
• I’m scared I won’t get into a good college
• I’m tired of my parents (and teachers) nagging me to do better
• I sincerely want to do better, but I just can’t figure out how
• I procrastinate like crazy and struggle to motivate myself

If you answered yes to more than one item or are interested in what Academic Life Coaching can offer, visit Gretchen Wegner’s website at:  gretchenwegner.com