The Transition Into Uncertainty

By General Education Advice

“David left feeling so much better!”  Kristen, David’s mother, exclaimed.  “And now I feel so much better too.”

David had been listless.  He was going through the motions at school.  He was naturally bright and thought “pandemic school was a joke.”  So he had not really worked all that hard since March 2020.   As the work during junior year piled on, David became stressed.  He then became anxious.  Fear prompts fight, flight or freeze.  David froze.  He was just not getting his work done.

Since the pandemic, our role has become as psychologically as practically valuable to our clients.

When I started working with students in the early 2000s, our work distinctly tilted towards the practical.  The Learning Consultants helped students get better grades, score higher on the SAT, and provide college counseling to help gain admission to first choice colleges.

My attempts regarding the more abstract, often under the label of “Student Mastery”, were usually redirected by parents:

“help my child get an A, so that (s)he can get into a good college and get a good career.”  Not as crass.  Not as direct. But something like that.

As the years progressed, perhaps after The Great Recession in the 2008-2010 range, we started being retained to help our students in holistic ways.

Gradually, it’s likely what made The Learning Consultants grow into the largest private education consultancy in Connecticut.

But this work wasn’t necessarily why parents would call.

This has changed. In the last few years – even pre-pandemic – parents throughout the country, perhaps even in and especially the affluent suburbs of Connecticut, have realized that the world is less certain.  This uncertainty, coupled with a host of other societal changes, has led to an epidemic of anxiety among both teens and parents.

Now our work, even if helping with school subjects, test prep, and college admission, seems to bring peace and calm to our clients.  Many leave our office “feeling so much better.”

We know it’s tough.  We are happy that we can help.