FOUNDER, EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONING COACH, 504 & SPECIAL EDUCATION ADVOCACY

AURA exists after the culmination of a career teaching special education and leading schools that was cut short after a run in with Lyme Disease. The fall before the pandemic, I medically resigned from my position as the director of a private school and focused on healing up and finding ways I could still contribute in education despite a barrage of neurological difficulties.

When the pandemic occurred and school had to drastically change, I grew concerned about the outcomes for many students. This left me with the burning question- what is it that education truly needs?

As ideas like asynchronous learning were popularized, the answer became obvious- executive functions supports and coaching for teens as well as supports for parents and schools so that we better understand and support this crucial development of adolescence that is so challenged by our modern world.

Executive Functioning Coaching is uniquely supportive for students with ADHD and all teens in general because it’s the time of life when our executive functions are rapidly developing. At AURA, we believe that through the AWARENESS of what the executive functions are and how they operate, and the UNDERSTANDING of who we are with and exciting and achievable vision of who we want to be, we find the RESPONSIBILITY necessary for the ACTION to accomplish it.

Want to know more about how Executive Functioning Coaching can help support your teen and family?

Schedule a free inquiry call and let’s discuss how Executive Functions Coaching can help your teen.

~Paul M. Benton

MATH TUTOR & STUDY SKILLS SPECIALIST

A student's experience of Math can profoundly influence their self-confidence and family relationships.

Will saw first-hand, during 8+ years of math instruction, the difference between staying ahead of Math and falling behind.

Students who stayed ahead felt calm, competent, confident.

Students who fell behind felt anxious, depressed, or even angry. They lost the drive to engage with school overall; they would engage in negative self-talk. "I can't do this," became "I'm bad at this," became "I'm stupid."

And once those limiting beliefs take hold, they're difficult to shake.

On the bright side, Will also saw that positive, proactive interventions could make incredible and rapid turnarounds. Working with students to get ahead, keeping them on the virtuous cycle, the effect was more than mere learning: students quickly improved their mood, their orientation to school, their self image... and even their family relationships: removing the friction around Math performance even helped to heal family strife in the home.

Witnessing those positive outcomes and striving for them is what motivates Will to work with students and parents.

To achieve those results, Will excels at pacing a student's growth. He has a natural talent for communicating complex ideas, combined with an easygoing style and a sensitivity to students. That allows him to give each student exactly what they need, moment by moment, to grow as quickly as they're able.

Will has a BA in Psychology from UC Berkeley, with a minor in Child Development. He grew up in Los Angeles and moved to Texas in 2020. He is an avid outdoorsman and Eagle Scout.

If you'd like to learn more about working with Will, click below to schedule a free inquiry!