Values Based Intervention.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Conscious Tutoring
At Conscious Tutoring, we are deeply committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and welcoming learning environment where all students feel valued, respected, and supported in their academic and personal growth.
We celebrate diversity in all its forms, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, socioeconomic status, and ability. We believe that each student brings unique perspectives, strengths, and experiences to our community, and these differences enrich the learning process for everyone.
Our mission is to create a safe and affirming space where every student can explore their identity, build confidence, and develop the skills they need to thrive academically and beyond. By emphasizing equity and culturally responsive teaching practices, we aim to address individual needs, challenge systemic inequities, and empower students to embrace their authentic selves.
Conscious Tutoring is a place where all voices are heard, all stories matter, and every learner is encouraged to shine. We are committed to continuous growth, dialogue, and action to ensure that our practices align with these values. Together, we can cultivate not only academic success but also empathy, understanding, and a better future for all.
These values are helpful to understand before joining us.
Expression:
✅ Families that join Conscious Tutoring can expect a wide range of social topics and viewpoints to be expressed on calls.
✅ I often find that students are more motivated to write when they are allowed to explore topics and write narratives that interest them—even if these topics aren’t typically encouraged in school.
✅ The meets held for teenagers and preteens can sometimes feel “edgy” because students may explore religion, gender, race, or other personal and societal issues in their writing.
✅ I believe it’s important for students to express themselves. Through public school and the Internet, students encounter countless ideas. If no one talks to them about these concepts, it can lead to anxiety or fear. By openly exploring these topics, we can help alleviate those feelings.
✅ A powerful part of basic mental health is the ability to express feelings, beliefs, and identities through writing, art, speech, and movement. If we want our students to feel successful and self-regulated, self-expression must be the cornerstone.
If you agree that academic settings should be a place for personal expression, this is probably a great fit for your family!
If you would prefer to be the only one having these conversations with your child, it might not be a good fit.
Technology:
✅ We often explore and discuss our personal relationships with gaming, screen time, and technology in class and through projects.
✅ We acknowledge that technology can be amazing (collaborative online work, digital learning tools, gamified assessments) but also sometimes harmful.
✅ Students often feel relieved to have a space to talk openly about these issues.
✅ Understanding your own values around technology and screen time—and being honest about its impact on focus—is central to executive functioning coaching.
✅ Ongoing, open-ended conversations about online life support focus, attention, and self-regulation.
If you agree and want support in having these conversations, this is probably a great fit for your family!
If you want to be the only one guiding these conversations, it might not be a good fit.
Rigor:
✅ While I encourage reading and creating graphic novels for fun, we ultimately aim for greater rigor and stamina in reading and writing.
✅ My role includes moving older students toward more complex texts beyond graphic novels, so they can keep up with grade-level reading expectations.
✅ We strive to lessen dependency on graphic novels and simplistic projects and help students tackle more challenging texts and tasks.
✅ Students are expected to read and write rigorously in school and during tests. I am hired to support them in reaching their full potential so they can feel good about school and be prepared for assignments.
✅ A test score doesn’t define a student, but consistently performing below one’s true capabilities due to motivation issues, habits, or solvable learning problems can limit future opportunities.
✅ My goal is to ensure that any future path—college or otherwise—is open to the student. With the right support, every child can have that choice.
If you want your student to keep all future doors open, this is probably a great fit for your family! If you know for certain that your student will never need to meet public or collegiate academic or testing requirements, it might not be the right fit only because that is a core part of our goals.
This is a parent essay that was sent in January of 2025:
How We Build Lifelong Readers & Thinkers at Conscious Tutoring Using a Culturally Responsive Approach
I wanted to share a bit about the deeper approach we take to reading and writing here at Conscious Tutoring. As someone who had the privilege of studying under Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, a leading voice in culturally and historically responsive literacy, I’ve woven her methods into every aspect of our work with students.
At the heart of my approach is the belief that learning to read and write is not just about mastering technical skills—it's about connecting to one’s identity, building intellectual confidence, and learning to think critically about the world. Without these deeper connections, many students struggle to reach the reading and writing levels expected for college and beyond.
But the challenge doesn’t stop there. In today’s digital world, we are constantly exposed to media filled with bias, misinformation, and faulty logic. If students aren’t equipped to notice these patterns, they risk misunderstanding or misapplying the information they encounter. We are living out the consequences of media biased and historically low comprehension levels in America right now. This is why we focus not only on reading and listening comprehension but also on cultivating criticality—the ability to analyze, question, and form reasoned arguments.
Our work integrates identity, intellect, skills, criticality, and joy—the five pursuits of responsive literacy. This means your child will explore their interests and experiences through reading and writing, while also developing the tools to engage with texts on a much deeper level. I believe in the Science of Reading and I am trained in OG methods, but reading with an eye primarily on decoding just isn't enough to keep up with curriculum standards after around 7th grade. For many students the gap shows up much earlier.
My goal is for every student not only to excel academically but to walk away empowered to think critically and independently in any setting. The ability to read an article or watch a news reel filled with rhetoric and sensationalism and immediately recognize it is a rare skill—yet it may be the most important one our kids need.