LPLC Quarterly eNewsletter (Fall 2023)

Executive Director's Update

Dear LPLC Community —

Football season is in full swing and, like many fall sports, provides plenty of opportunities to appreciate the value of good coaching. Coaching connects people in ways that other relationships do not. Good coaches are respected mentors and trustworthy confidantes; they inspire us to uncover and act upon our best selves.

The theme of our newsletter this quarter is coaching – coaching educators in the classroom and coaching students toward academic independence. Coaching services at Lee Pesky Learning Center reflect the values of our founder – Alan Pesky – described by his friend and coauthor as “a generous person who believes in a greater good, focuses on possibilities, is not afraid of obstacles, and sees the potential in people” (p. 188)¹. Seeing and believing in a person’s potential is what we do and is needed now more than ever. In the post-pandemic educational milieu, teacher job satisfaction is at its lowest level in five decades², and three in twenty students report significant levels of depression³. Yet, all it takes is one person, one coach, to change the trajectory of someone’s life. I can name at least one coach who did this for me – can you?

In partnership,

Lindy Crawford

Lindy Crawford, PhD

Executive Director

[email protected]

¹Pesky, A., & Aulum, C. (2021). More to Life than More: A Memoir of Misunderstanding, Loss, and Learning. Skyhorse Publishing, New York.

² Kraft, M.A., & Arnold Lyon, M. (2022). The Rise and Fall of the Teaching Profession: Prestige, Interest, Preparation, and Satisfaction over the Last Half Century. Annenberg Institute at Brown University.

³ Reinert, M, Fritze, D. & Nguyen, T. (October 2022). “The State of Mental Health in America 2023.” Mental Health America, Alexandria VA.

LPLC Board of Directors

Greg Pesky, Chair

Gregory Byron, Secretary

Buck Harris, Treasurer

Jim Foudy

Lisa Gabel

Mark Hamachek

Dana Herrman

Will Hughes

Rebecca Hupp

Nathan Katsuki

Barbara Morgan

Alan Pesky, Co-founder

Decker Rolph

Robert Sanchez

Jerry Sturgill

Matthew Weatherley-White

William Young

Click the button below to learn more about LPLC's board members.

Meet LPLC's Board of Directors

Recommended Reads

This issue, we invite you to peruse recommended reads focused on coaching:

Atomic Habits, written by James Clear, provides a framework for improving - every day. James Clear reveals practical strategies that will teach you how to form good habits and master tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential, written by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare, provides easy steps to identify your child’s strengths and weaknesses.

Focus and Thrive: Executive Functioning Strategies for Teens: Tools to Get Organized, Plan Ahead, and Achieve Your Goals, written by Laurie Chaikind McNulty, is full of practical tools to help teens uncover strengths.

Tier I Spotlight:

Lori Johnston

LPLC Training Specialist Lori Johnston has been sharing her talents with Lee Pesky Learning Center since 2018. Lori’s focus is to provide on-site training and mentoring to teachers as they hone their skills in literacy best practices.

This fall, Lori has been spending time coaching educators in the Jerome and Idaho Falls areas. Her work has taken the form of coaching new teachers, supporting grade level teams with their curriculum and standards, and training early childhood educators. Additionally, Lori has provided Best Practices in Literacy training and conducted walk throughs with principals to ensure they know what to look for with literacy instruction inside the classroom.

Lori has also played an instrumental role in the newest online course that Lee Pesky Learning Center is launching for educators—Building an Inclusive Early Childhood Environment. This course, poised to launch in December, will provide early childhood educators with research-based strategies for creating safe, developmentally appropriate, and nurturing environments.

In Lori’s words, “I am fortunate to work with so many educators! I enjoy coaching and encouraging educators to be reflective when implementing evidence-based practices while creating an impact.”

LPLC's 2023 Impact Report is Here!

As the African proverb states, "it takes a village" and we are grateful to the LPLC community for all that you continue to make possible! Click the button below to learn about the difference you made last year in the lives of young learners.

Read About Your Impact

This week, LPLC is celebrating GivingTuesday--a day that encourages people to do good and give back!

You are invited to join the generosity movement with a gift in support of children and educators overcoming obstacles to learning. And thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor....

Every gift made to LPLC today through Tuesday, November 28th, will be matched dollar-for-dollar up to $2,000!

Scan the QR code to make a gift or click the button below. Your gift will fuel our counseling, coaching, academic intervention, and professional development this fall season!

CLICK HERE TO MAKE A GIFT & DOUBLE YOUR IMPACT

Counseling Corner: Benefits of Coaching

Individuals with learning and attention challenges often demonstrate patterns of need with executive functions, including inefficiencies in planning, organizing, strategizing, attending to details, and managing time and space.

At LPLC, our Academic Coaching services are designed to help students navigate these inefficiencies by helping them develop strategies, skills, and habits that influence how they approach and manage academic demands.

When students have underdeveloped executive functions, parents may notice that they have difficulty planning ahead, monitoring progress, or thinking flexibly, making it difficult to follow through with goals (Meltzer, 2010a). Underdeveloped executive functions may also present as difficulties with attention, working memory, and inhibition, resulting in inefficient task completion and/or compromised test performance (Meltzer, 2010b).

For some students, additional support from a licensed counselor may be beneficial in helping them overcome the challenges of navigating life with underdeveloped executive functions. Counseling appointments are currently available at LPLC. Please contact Lee Pesky Learning Center for more information or to schedule an appointment.

References:

Meltzer, L. (2010a). Executive Function in Education: From Theory to Practice. Guildford Press.

Meltzer, L. (2010b). Promoting Executive Function in the Classroom. Guildford Press.

Sending Gratitude to LPLC's 2023

Running for Learning Marathon Team

All of the staff at Lee Pesky Learning Center would like to extend gratitude to LPLC's New York City Marathon Running for Learning Team!

They ran 26.2 miles in support of LPLC on November 5th, and raised over $35,000 for children and educators overcoming learning obstacles.

Meet the team and learn more here.

Alumni Spotlight: Share Your Highlights or Updates

We Love Hearing From our Alumni and Alumni Families!

Click the button below or email [email protected] to submit quotes, stories, updates, and pictures. We look forward to hearing about the adventures you have embarked on and challenges you have tackled since your time at LPLC!

Share Your Updates Here

LPLC Launches Planned Giving

If you have visited LPLC's website recently, you may have noticed it has grown with a brand new planned giving program! If you are interested in learning more about supporting LPLC in this way, you can do so here or sign up to receive our bi-annual planned giving newsletter here. Your gift today empowers tomorrow's children!

Lee Pesky Learning Center works together with individuals, families, schools, and communities to understand and overcome obstacles to learning.

www.lplearningcenter.org

Sending Gratitude to LPLC's 2023

﻿Running for Learning Marathon Team

Running for Learning Marathon Team