August 2009
3 posts
Golf & Writing: A Worthwhile Combination
The week of August 3rd, Academic Impact partnered with Ancil Hoffman Golf Course to provide a four day athletic and academic camp for youth golfers. Four young student-athletes enjoyed golf training in the morning, lunch, and writing development in the afternoon. Brent Pottenger, Brian Geremia, and David Campos of Academic Impact facilitated the four day writing workshop in a small,...
Top of Their Class →
An interactive graphic from the New York Times.
High School Valedictorian Christian Monslave discusses the importance of self-esteem and self-confidence, expressing that too many students miss out on these aspects of development in schools.
Good work to all—there are lots of talented students out there.
July 2009
6 posts
Teachable Moments
Teachers are encouraged to be on the lookout for teachable moments, the narrow gaps of time when students are particularly primed for learning. In a classroom with 20+ students, these moments are highly unpredictable, and it takes a perceptive and talented teacher to identify them and capitalize on the opportunities.
One benefit of mentor-based learning is that a mentor is more capable...
The Mentorship Bridge
by Brian Geremia
Sir Ken Robinson is a noted education and creativity scholar; his brilliant 2006 TED Talk “Do Schools Kill Creativity” is foundational viewing for those interested in transforming educational practice. Robinson’s work focuses on helping individuals find their passion. He stresses that all people are tremendously creative and possess incredible capacity to...
Mentorship - The Missing Link in Mass Schooling
by Brian Geremia
Mentorship abounds.
Business executives mentor junior associates; elder siblings mentor younger ones; experienced teachers mentor student-teachers; and veteran athletes mentor rookies.
It is curious, then, why mentorship has not entered the educational conversation as a worthwhile pedagogy. Yes, some teachers do their best to mentor students (many don’t, though), and...
Factoring in Nutrition
by Brian Geremia
Fifth graders have a difficult time understanding factors. It is not their fault; the mathematic definition provides little assistance to a ten year old: one of two or more numbers, algebraic expressions, or the like, that when multiplied together produce a given product.
I prefer to use a more general definition as a primer, discuss non-math examples, then gradually work into...
Academic Impact's Nutrition Philosophy
by Brent Pottenger, MHA
You are what you eat. It’s a fact. Just ask some middle- or high-school students what they are made of (I do it regularly), and, their responses will likely be congruent: atoms! The fact that our bodies are built from atoms, molecules, and other subatomic components does not lead to a strictly materialistic perspective; but, what it does suggest is clear: we are...
May 2009
5 posts
Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson speaks at Game Plan... →
Brent’s latest piece in Sacramento Press.
The Voice You Hear When You Read Silently →
This awesome poem by Thomas Lux shows that reading is an interactive experience that triggers different perceptions for different people. This concept is empowering when reading for pleasure, allowing the reader to internalize content and create a unique experience.
It can be problematic, though, when completing reading sections on a standardized test. Here, test-makers assume that each person...
April 2009
7 posts
Photos from Week 6 at GPA →
Photos from GPA’s service work at the Sacramento Food Bank.
Photos from Week 5 @ Game Plan Academy (GPA) →
Game Plan Academy (GPA) Week 5 Update →
Academic Impact continues its GoDoGood project, Game Plan Academy (GPA).
Video and photos from Week 4 at Game Plan Academy... →
Four awesome weeks in the books.
Four more awesome weeks to look forward too.
Mentor-based education in action.
March 2009
6 posts
WatchAcademic Impact Co-Founder, Billy Downing, speaks to students at Game Plan Academy (GPA) about college admissions.
Mary Haviland's Blog from Senegal! →
Mary Haviland, one of Academic Impact’s awesome tutors, is blogging from Senegal about her experiences in the Peace Corps!
Game Plan Academy opens camp - Sacramento Press →
Today was a special day for Academic Impact’s mentor-based education model.
Where Have All the Readers Gone?
Culturally we applaud those who read, at least superficially. It is a high complement to be “well-read,” yet institutionally schools do very little to encourage students to read just for the fun of it. In the 1990s Independent Reading received a brief glance from the educational establishment and manifest itself as a school administered program called Sustained Silent Reading (SSR)—pretty poor...
Game Plan Academy (GPA) →
Jonathan Mendick at Sacramento Press wrote a nice article on Game Plan Academy (GPA) last week. Academic Impact’s co-founders, Dave Campos, Billy Downing, Brian Geremia, and Brent Pottenger partnered with former NFL players Gio Carmazzi and Alex Van Dyke to launch this exciting program.
Mentorship: Guardian Scholars Program at UC Davis →
This insightful quote from one of the Guardian Scholars program students speaks to the power of mentorship:
“It’s definitely the rock I’ve been standing on since I got here,” said Grant, who is studying political science with a minor in psychology. “When I graduate soon, hopefully, it will be because of the program, because they were here to support me and keep me going.”
Academic Impact...
February 2009
2 posts
January 2009
1 post
Mentor-based education
Mentor-based education is what Academic Impact is all about.
Mentorship is the most local level of development. In an increasingly global world, as technology progresses, the importance of meaningful interaction between people becomes ever more critical. In short, you cannot outsource mentorship; it’s a local, human relationship.
Mentors provide a constant presence in people’s lives,...
December 2008
2 posts
To Good Health ... and Good Grades
by Brent Pottenger
Good health and good grades are highly correlated; research shows that students in good health perform better in school, in general, than students in poor health do. Therefore, promoting health in students’ lives represents a positive educational goal. Here are some tips for how best to maintain good health in order to perform well as a student: First, time is limited!...
Our Role Models - Part I
by Brian Geremia
Paolo Freire: A Refreshing Educational Role Model Too often we hear stories of teachers who are frustrated with rigid, pre-determined curriculum, and students who have learned “the system” and do just enough to memorize the proper material for the upcoming test. Unfortunately, this has been mistaken for learning. Paolo Freire is a refreshing educational guide who shows us that...
November 2008
1 post
WatchBen Joseph showcasing his talent at a Kaiser hospital. He is one super talented student that we are thankful to work with here at Academic Impact.
October 2008
2 posts
September 2008
4 posts
Educational Consulting →
Here is a great New York Times article on Educational Consulting.
Consistent presence
Upon learning about our tutoring model, a UC Berkeley professor replied, “Here is your core business: rigor, relevance, and relationships.” This trio of R’s is very accurate; in fact: our tutors have excelled scholastically at our nation’s top universities, so they provide the high-level academic rigor needed to teach their subjects. Then, because our tutors are dynamic,...
Academic Impact Web site →
Version 1.0 of our Academic Impact Web site is now live!
Check out our splendid tutor profiles; our tutors are awesome!
To good tutoring and mentoring,
Brent Pottenger
academicimpact@gmail.com
Academic work: an example
Here is a link to my recent publication (in collaboration with two exemplary physicians) in the prestigious Annals of Emergency Medicine medical journal, “Regionalization of Care for ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction - Is it Too Soon?”:
http://annemergmed.com/webfiles/images/journals/ymem/bcpottenger.pdf
- Brent Pottenger
August 2008
6 posts
Math tutor needed in SF
We are looking for a highly qualified tutor in San Francisco for Math. Please let us know if you can work for us.
Email us at: academicimpact at gmail dot com
High-quality mentors
There is an enormous need for high-quality, responsible and professional mentors for youth in our contemporary society. Kids of all ages need exemplary, dynamic role models to interact with and look up to in order to reach their full potentials.
So, how do we pair high-quality and high-achieving mentors with grade, middle, and high school (even college) level students? Simple: we leverage our...
The essence of what we are doing . . .
I work with a very bright kid, Ben Joseph, and I received the following feedback from his perceptive mom that speaks to the essence of what we are doing with Academic Impact:
“Ben looks up to you. We want to retain you as a tutor for as long as possible because I want Ben to be in your position in ten years.” - Jeanette Joseph, J4 Systems.
Our high-achieving, exemplary tutors have gained...
Giving Disorganized Boys the Tools for Success -... →
Great article on private tutoring that Brent sent me!
A new era of educational services. . .
We created not just a tutoring company, but a educational consulting firm that believes we can enable our students to achieve the best possible results through highly personalized tutorial sessions with the right teacher.
“Our goal is to inspire each student to achieve the unthinkable and pursue their...”
– Billy Downing, ESM Founder