Parents see all sorts of things on their kids’ Christmas lists: a new XBox, Legos, the latest iPhone, maybe even a new puppy. But what we’ll never see on that list is confidence.
Fact is, many kids struggle with that on a daily basis during the school year. Usually silently. They’ll accept that B or C in a class because their focus is on just getting through it and putting it in the rearview mirror. As parents, we’ll look at it and say “Hey — why isn’t my kid getting an ‘A’?”
Sometimes it takes another parent to recognize that there’s something that can be done for kids who struggle for that A — or even just to get their head above water.
Enter Maryam Sayyed. Maryam started All Topics Tutoring with the goal of building confidence for kids who might not be getting it elsewhere. It’s a small company that focuses on the child’s needs first, how to help them the way they need, not force-fed a curriculum.
Maryam isn’t a teacher. She’s not a school administrator. She’s an attorney. She’s a mom. She simply saw a need that wasn’t being filled and stepped up to help give kids a better way forward. Her own kids were among the first clients.
It all started with a family in need who couldn’t find the right way to help their kids. For families like that, their access to resources can limit what their kids might otherwise rise to without quality tutors. With that in mind, Maryam keeps things affordable. Confidence shouldn’t be only available to the highest bidder.
“It’s about flipping the switch for your child so they have these tools, and over time they will need tutoring less and less as they grow and gain more confidence,” according to Sayyed. “This isn’t a big lesson factory. We deliver custom lessons that work for your child - literally. We’ll come to you, so we don’t add yet another trip to your schedule. Or you can come to us. Or we can do virtual. We do group sessions, which sometimes work for some families.”
“The critical piece is that we take the time to get to know your kids, what works for them as people, and how to set them up to be confident and successful, not just to jump a letter grade or two. We get to know your kids. It’s a lifetime commitment.”
It’s easy to see when your child is struggling with schoolwork and needs more help. If they’re carrying D’s up and down their classes, it’s pretty obvious that they’ll benefit from tutoring. And those “tiger moms” who come pre-programmed with excellence demands will already have multiple resources on speed dial.
For the rest of us, these can be uncharted waters. Kids are already pressed for time, so this isn’t about adding work to their already stressed lives. This is about giving them the gift of confidence. And let’s face it, it’s just as hard to wrap as a puppy.