By Amanda B., ERG Coach

From a young age, most of us are taught that we can do anything if we just “put our mind to it”. But what does “putting our mind to it” mean? If I put a calculus book to my head, I cannot magically know how to derive a function. If I stare REALLY intensely at my guitar, I cannot miraculously play “Free Bird”. All skills must be acquired through learning. Some people say their skills just came “naturally”, and this may be true. However, every single person has a skill that is not yet obtained or can be improved. To improve in a skill, you must work through the frustration and keep practicing until the task becomes manageable.

Since I began working at the Educational Resource Group, I have had the pleasure of gaining a great deal of knowledge on executive functions. Executive functions, located in the frontal lobe of the brain, help an individual process, remember, and organize information. This part of the brain develops over a long period of time and needs to be worked out in order to stay strong just like the muscles in a body. For some individuals, executive function skills come fairly easily. For others, it takes practice, but it is very possible to gain strength in areas of weakness as long as they are worked out and proper strategies are put into play.

Working at ERG, I have had the privilege of understanding and improving on my own weak areas. One thing that has improved greatly since I began training at ERG is my time management. I have never been great at being places on time. As I grew older, I saw the importance of being prompt. I said quite a few times that I was going to change, but it never really panned out how I expected. I just figured that this was who I was and it was never changing. After working at ERG and learning what I need to do to be certain that I would be on time for my students, I realized it was possible to be on time in all aspects of my life. I just needed to put the same strategies into play. This was hard work. I had to set multiple alarms on my phone. I had to remember to take traffic into consideration and if I needed to stop and get gas on the way, etc. The little things that I had never put much thought into before were corrected through planning and a lot of practice. This is just one example of the topics coaching at ERG covers.

The same idea comes into play with the students that come to ERG. School is tough, and for people who struggle with learning disabilities and executive functions, gaining an education can seem impossible. The difficulties students face can lead to problems with anxiety, depression, and other disorders, and all this starts because they struggle with processing information or have a tough time reading at the level of their peers. The good news is struggles in school can become easier to handle as long as strategies are put into practice. At ERG, students work on their weaknesses and gain a sense of pride in their ability to succeed. I’m not going to sugar coat it and say that as soon as you come to ERG all the problems miraculously go away. What I am saying is, I have seen my students slowly and steadily improve through hard work and dedication to their program. I have personally seen how ERG gives hope to students, and changes their outlook on education.

Through understanding and practice, every individual has a chance to gain the education they desire. While it takes time for these processes to strengthen and grow, anything is possible with hard work and dedication. I have seen firsthand the amazing results the Educational Resource Group has to offer, and I am proud to say I am a part of a group that gives hope and encouragement to all who walk through the door!