Academic Support Services
“It is our pleasure to recommend [our specialist from Mindful with Children]. He is an outstanding teacher, mentor, coach and advocate for his students and their families. The balance, sensibility, and enthusiasm he brings to what can be sometimes a trying or scary time for a family, is so very valuable. We first met [our specialist] when our son was a freshman in high school recovering from a vision issue that had put him behind in reading and visual learning. He needed some help in not only getting caught up, but relearning organizational and writing skills that his vision challenges had made impossible. More importantly, our son needed to gain confidence in his abilities. [Our specialist] understood this immediately and developed a thoughtful, individualized learning plan to support our son’s specific needs and personality. To achieve this, [our specialist] spent a great deal of time talking to both my husband and me to understand what we were seeing and to get a full appreciation of who are son is. He also spent time getting to know our son and what his concerns and goals were before diving into a strategy. Through his work with [our specialist] our son gained confidence in himself and in his academic abilities. He developed a solid organizational and note taking system that worked for him and he enhanced his writing and communication skills significantly. The sessions [our specialist] held with our son were casual, calm and kind. [Our specialist] made sure to dedicate time to the person our son is, not just the student. He listened to our son not simply out of kindness, but with the intention of helping him identify any obstacles he might be facing and to promote ideas on how to resolve [them]. [Our specialist] also took the time to communicate with us. He was patient with our impatience. He continuously shared strategy, progress and suggestions with us so that as a team, we could all work together to support our son. In so doing, he helped us as anxious parents. In a matter of a few short years, our son went from not being able to see the words on a page to being accepted to a major university with a scholarship. [Our specialist’s] dedication, encouragement and persistence was very much a key contributor to our son’s success. We are forever grateful.”
Amy and Mark D.
Parents of a 15-17 year-old student
“[Our specialist] has tutored our son Brandon for the past three years. I can say without any hesitation, that [our specialist] is the most dedicated, caring and effective tutor we have ever had. [Our specialist] works with our son on a variety of subjects ranging from English to Science three to four days a week. He works with Brandon on a variety of specific tasks including homework, test preparation and self-study skills. Furthermore, [our specialist] spends time with Brandon on developing organizational and time-management skills. He is an extremely patient teacher and has a deep knowledge of effective methods for teaching children with different learning styles. I have seen tremendous academic growth out of our son over the years that [our specialist] has worked with him. [Our specialist] has made a huge difference in our son academic life. He has helped Brandon to develop skills to manage the workload and academic challenges of a rigorous curriculum. Over the years, we have used a variety of tutors but as I mentioned before, [our specialist] is by far the most effective tutor we have encountered. What separates [our specialist] from the others is his level of dedication to his work. His work goes well beyond the hour or two he spends with Brandon during his sessions. [Our specialist] is extremely proactive and invested in our son’s academic progress. He is in regular contact with the school’s learning specialist and he always keeps my wife and I updated on issues and Brandon’s progress and challenges. He has accompanied us on meetings with the school’s learning specialist and has provided invaluable insight, suggestions and techniques that undoubtedly have benefited our son. In closing, I cannot more highly recommend [our specialist] as a tutor. He truly has made a huge difference to our family and we are very grateful for his efforts.”
Steven C.
Father of Brandon, a 15-18 year old student
“My son worked online with [our specialist] throughout the pandemic. As for many students, the transition to online school was very challenging for my son. [Our specialist] helped him with organization, identifying systems to keep up with homework and time management, writing and generally with homework completion. [Our specialist] is extremely patient, clam and makes a genuine effort to relate to my son. His relatability is very helpful when coaching a somewhat reluctant writer as he is able to help students make connections between assigned writing topics and their interests. I would highly recommend [our specialist] as an executive function and mindfulness coach, as well as for tutoring.”
Randi C.
Mother of middle school student
“We were directed to Matt Aborn [and Mindful with Children] along with other tutors by our educational tester/consultant, Dr. Ken Stefano. After reaching out to several of the reading tutors, we wanted [Mindful with Children] to work with our son. After a test trial, we saw how much our son enjoyed working with [our specialist]. Making sure that a little boy does not get turned off from reading, but rather looks forward to meeting with [our specialist] made it even more worthwhile. We also have found that is is important for boys to have other male teachers, sometimes, to work with. Our son looks forward to his sessions with [our specialist], even wanting to continue them through vacations. Another feature we enjoy is the team work [our specialist] brings to the table. We yearly bring our son’s various teachers, therapists and tutors together, so we can foster teamwork around his individualized education. Insights are shared by all and [our specialist] has been completely on board with this team approach from day 1. I am happy to answer any questions anyone may have about [Mindful with Children’s] ability to interact and engage with students.”
Mercedes M.
Mother of an 8-10 year old student