Testimonials
Testimonials
“Kelly has helped me so much with organizing my day-to-day life, setting goals, focusing in school, and managing my emotions. She has provided me with so many tools and helped me mature as a person and a student quite a bit. She has gone above and beyond, from helping me plan my daily activities to giving me tips on managing my ADHD. I have learned so much and improved academically in my grades and study habits. I can’t thank her enough and highly recommend her.”
Eighth Grade Student
“Hi, Coach Kelly! I am almost done with my first year of high school. I just wanted to let you know that all of the techniques I learned with you were really helpful this year, and I did really well adjusting and succeeding. I hope all is well on your end!”
High School Freshman
“I was reluctant to try EF Coaching initially. It was one more thing to add to my schedule, and I felt I already had the tools I needed to succeed. I did not expect the coach I would get to be so bubbly and friendly; I expected an older person who was set in their ways. Coaching gave me a set of strategies that I could take with me. Thank you for not having a set way you do things and for being open to listening to what works for each individual. And thank you for not saying, “Maybe we can try this and see if it works?” A lot of times, I feel like that’s a waste of time. If I didn’t have an idea, you came up with others besides the one(s) I didn’t find helpful. You didn’t push anything and asked me what worked for me. I am beyond grateful for the confidence and validation you gave me.”
High School Senior
“As far as we are concerned, Kelly performed a miracle. First, she was able to engage our high schooler in the coaching process, which was no small feat. He has Dyslexia, which causes him to struggle with organization. He knows this but thought this could never change and so was resistant to trying the coaching process. Her patience, persistence, and structured yet flexible process engaged him. Then the work they did together was transformational for both our son and us. Her coaching gave our son a set of tools that changed how he approaches schoolwork and she worked with him to develop the confidence and ability to use them consistently and independently. It has been such a pleasure to watch his skills and confidence grow. The added and unexpected bonus for us is that his work with Kelly took so much pressure off our relationship around school that we are not stressed and at odds around school assignments. What a joy!”
Parent – High School Sophomore
“Thank you so much for everything! While I am not involved in or privy to my son’s work, I have seen a remarkable transformation in his confidence. Most importantly, he has clearly regained his love of learning. He is happy and thriving, and in this day and age, that’s really saying something.”
Parent – College Sophomore at Brown University
“You really made a positive impression on him, and he’s come a long way in his confidence and in applying the tools you’ve given him. I cannot express enough how much we appreciate your kindness and support. This year has been a world of difference compared to last year because of you! Thank you!”
Parent – High School Sophomore
“You are amazing. I know he could not have done all of this without you. I can’t tell you how grateful I am. I am so happy for him. He is just loving learning!”
Parent – College Freshman at The University of Edinburgh
“Thank you so much for the many gifts you’ve given us over the years – with your time, patience, counseling (for student and parent), and friendship. I do not think this would have turned out as well without you. You have a gift, and I am thankful it brought us together. There are so many kids like our son who need someone like you.”
Parent – Graduating High School Senior
“Kelly helped my son develop strategies to get and stay organized. She has a toolbox of strategies and gave him choices so he could find what worked best for him. He continues to employ the tools they developed to stay organized and solve problems, and we have seen improvement in both his grades and his confidence in approaching learning.”
Parent – Eighth Grade Student
“Thank you for all you do. You are such a lifeline for her. You have been absolutely crucial to her progress and feeling of success, and your willingness to make time for her means more than you know. She thinks you are the best! She was talking yesterday about how much progress she is feeling in managing herself and that she is independently using some of the tools you have worked on with her on her own now. She says she is feeling more and more that she will be totally prepared to manage herself by the time she goes to college, which is such a wonderful thing. A true gift for life!!!”
Parent – High School Sophomore
“Kelly has been wonderful in working with my high schooler who has ADHD. She is teaching him skills to stay organized through the use of a planner. She holds him accountable for his specific tasks and has shown him how to take larger assignments and break them into smaller, more manageable parts. He is learning study skills through note-taking and the use of flash cards. She has also met with his teachers to gain insight into the curriculum, to determine if assignments are missing, and to understand the overall classroom structure and learning environment. He scored his highest grade to date on his English/humanities mid-term, resulting in a solid B for the semester. His confidence is at an all-time high thanks to the work he has done with Kelly.”
Parent – High School Sophomore
“Kelly was an important part of my high-school writing career, as writing was always something that was a struggle for me. She provided me with a much better understanding of how to organize my thoughts and how to prepare for writing assignments. I never knew how to write out a proper outline. While working on writing assignments for high school and my college application essays, she helped me master an outline routine that I still use for every paper I write today in college. My writing skills strengthened in terms of grammar and punctuation, as well. I am grateful that Kelly was passionate about coaching me with writing even when I didn’t want to write. She helped me write the essay that got me into my dream school.”
Twelfth Grade Student
“My son did wonderfully during his first week of distance/ extended learning. They had no live/ synchronous class sessions this past week, so everything really relied on him showing initiative and follow-through to complete and stay on top of all of his assignments and deadlines. He was TERRIFIC, Kelly! He got up and cranked through his chores and then dived into homework with unprecedented concentration like I have never seen. He was usually done by early afternoon, not long after lunch. He stepped up to the task beautifully. I really feel like we have turned a serious corner on the executive function front, in terms of time management, focus and prioritization! I am so proud of our son and shared that with him every single day. Thank you again for all of your support and guidance, Kelly.”
Parent – Eighth Grade Student
“Kelly, Thank you for all that you do. I am grateful for the gifts you have for working with students. I had informal conversations with the boys this morning. My oldest chose to wake up and study this morning instead of playing basketball. When I asked my middle son what was important to him on our way to the gym, he said school. He wants to do a better job. I just thought I’d let you know. I’ll celebrate every win no matter how big or small. I think whatever you did together yesterday made them both more aware. Again, thank you. “
Email from a Father of a High School and Middle School Student
“It was wonderful to work with Kelly. She is very knowledgeable, compassionate and patient. She asked strategic questions to assess the individual needs of my child. She has many valuable tools and resources to share. It is obvious that Kelly cares deeply about kids and helping them grow both academically and emotionally.”
Parent – Fifth Grade Student
“…you actually took the time to listen to us, making us feel special.”
Student who recently tracked Kelly down 18 years later to share her memories of being a first-grade student in her class
“Kelly is an exceptional, inspiring and very likeable teacher whose enthusiasm never waned in all the years I worked with her. She has the highest moral character, and I am confident Kelly will exceed your expectations.”
Learning Disabilities Consultant
“Kelly has been tremendously effective in reducing the power struggles in our family around homework. She helped us better understand our son’s unique profile of executive skills strengths and weaknesses, and how they were contributing to the difficulties he was experiencing. She devised strategies to support executive functioning at home and at school, including a checklist for school assignments and tricks to make his most challenging assignments manageable. She taught us, and him, how to break down assignments, and how to begin an assignment that initially feels overwhelming. During weekly sessions, she practices these steps with him so that they gradually become ingrained. She helped our son devise routines to help ensure that he has better organizational habits for schoolwork and homework. After Kelly set up a chart to track and reinforce positive school behaviors (paying attention, contributing to the discussion, remaining seated), his teachers spontaneously commented on the improvement and his next progress report indicated that the problem behaviors were no longer a concern! Kelly also helped our son overcome his hesitancy towards writing. She is often playful in coaxing his best work out of him, but she also knows when and how to gently push him and how to keep him focused on a goal. His ability to begin work on his own has improved considerably and we believe that Kelly’s interventions have helped alter his own conception of himself and what he’s able to accomplish. Kelly has done all this while developing a wonderful rapport with our son. After one session early on, he asked us, “Why did you wait so long to find her?” To families of children struggling with executive functioning challenges, we recommend Kelly whole-heartedly.”
Parent – Fourth Grade Student