I believe that a child’s success in life not only depends on their academic strength, but also on their character strengths, their moral values and ethical principles. In today’s world, it is vital to educate the “whole child”. The world is changing in such a fast pace, that the education they get in schools today may become redundant by the time they grow up. Therefore I believe that it’s vital to teach them how to learn and more importantly to love learning.

At The Banyan Kids, I am committed to providing the optimal learning environment for our children to experience the sheer joy of learning and the delight in understanding the world around them. More so than passive learning, an active participation in learning makes the learning process empowering. I want the kids to realize the beauty behind subjects like Math and Language Arts rather than memorize and rote-learn procedures.

Each coaching session is structured around four central goals of The Banyan Kids:

MASTERY LEARNING

In a traditional classroom, the teacher leads and the student follows. Each lesson has a set time allocation and regardless of each student’s understanding of the concept, the teacher – and the class – moves on to the next. In mastery learning, the student leads. I will provide the children with the resources and the support to set and reach their goals at their own pace. This personalized learning approach will help to eliminate “gaps” in learning. I believe that mastery learning is a superior instructional strategy as it helps retain the learning as it is the result of deep understanding and not just rote memorization.

CHARACTER EDUCATION

I also believe that character education is essential and must be incorporated in a child’s curriculum as early as possible. In today’s culture, there is a huge emphasis on developing our childrens’ cognitive skills and not enough importance is given to the development of their non-cognitive skills (also known as character traits). These character traits are not innate, but they are learnable skills.  Numerous research has shown that personality traits such as persistence, curiosity, grit, optimism, etc were better indicators of GPAs, SAT scores, annual incomes and just overall personal success in life than IQ scores. Our children need a strong educational base, but they also need to know about commitment, self-respect, caring for others, leadership, etc. I hope to bring these values to our children through books, real-life stories, games and different activities.

SUPPLEMENTARY EDUCATION

At The Banyan Kids, children are provided with an enriched learning opportunity outside of their schools. Not only do we reinforce the education they receive in schools, but we also introduce them to concepts not taught (enough) in schools. From exploring the arts to creating ideas, from doing experiments to playing brain games, we challenge the children in novel and engaging ways to stimulate their imagination and to help keep their minds sharp. Creativity somehow takes a back seat in our current education system. At The Banyan Kids, we bring creativity to the forefront and incite creative thinking skills such as generating ideas, showing imagination and originality, etc.

HELPING EACH CHILD ACHIEVE THEIR FULL POTENTIAL

Some children may not be achieving their full potential due to behavioral problems, lack of motivation, attentional issues, improper learning habits, etc. Our low teacher-student ratio ensures each child to receive individualized instruction based on their needs. I have helped children achieve more than they ever thought they could achieve. The Banyan Kids also encourage peer and cross-age tutoring, both of which allow for more learning and understanding at both ends.

Learning should not be a chore. We need to empower our students so they can further engage in learning. I hope to challenge your child, inspire your child and make these coaching sessions a useful experience for your child. We should be proud of our children but more importantly, our children need to be proud of themselves!