Meet LaQuisha Chester, the CEO of Inspired Learning and Above LLC, a dedicated tutoring company offering personalized learning solutions to students of all ages and abilities. With over a decade of experience as an educator, LaQuisha has taught in various settings, including Headstart, private institutions, inquiry-based schools, and public schools. LaQuisha spent three years teaching second-grade students, and in her second year, she faced a pivotal movement that changed her career forever.
LaQuisha’s commitment to making a difference was evident when she noticed some of her mixed class of kindergarten and first-grade students struggling to meet the standards. She took it upon herself to start free tutoring sessions after school, and the results were nothing short of remarkable. As the students’ performance improved, their parents took notice and requested that she start tutoring services for their other kids, too. This overwhelmingly positive feedback eventually led to the inception of Inspired Learning Above LLC, a company that is transforming the way students learn.
Supporting Students of Various Ages and Abilities
At Inspired Learning, LaQuisha Chester provides exceptional support to their students through innovative personalized education plans. Each student benefits from individualized goals and tailored instructions, which ensure their unique learning needs are met. The organization structures its programs around comprehensive frameworks for reading and math, utilizing a range of resources to create effective learning plans. This emphasis on individualized learning is not just a strategy, but a philosophy that inspires the team at Inspired Learning.
Inspired Learning focuses on specific goals and plans developed for each student during each session. The organization periodically tests its students to ensure continuous progress, assessing their growth and identifying new objectives. This process allows both LaQuisha Chester and her team to adjust the learning plans as required, fostering ongoing success and development.
“The last 14 years of teaching experience have prepared me for my present endeavors by helping me to realize how important it is to look at each child as an individuals. Even though students are in the same grade or age, they have different educational needs, support, strengths, and growth areas. No two students are the same and should not be compared to each other. If we respect the differences in others personally, the same should be with their educational life as well. We must respect the whole child, including how they think, process, and learn,” explains LaQuisha.
Flexibility is the Key
Inspired Learning and Above offers flexible learning models for students who need a different learning environment, tutor, or style. LaQuisha Chester feels it is essential to place students with the right tutor. Depending on a student’s personality and struggles, placing them with the right tutor can make or break them.
Inspired Learning provides both group and private sessions to cater to different needs and preferences. While many parents initially seek private sessions for their children, group sessions offer unique benefits, including improved focus, independence, and collaboration skills. These sessions foster a supportive learning community that enhances academic growth to a large extent, which results in growth. Therefore, LaQuisha and her team determine the most suitable tutor and session type by thoroughly understanding each child’s individual needs. This personalized approach ensures that every student receives optimal support and an environment in which to thrive academically.
Tackling Challenges
One of the most common challenges and reality checks LaQuisha has encountered while providing primary tutoring services is getting parents to understand this is a team effort. Tutors and school alone don’t help student growth. It all starts at home, and Inspired Learning is just an extra support and resource to support what’s already happening at home. However, most of the time, nothing is being done at home, and all the work and pressure is put on tutors because they are being paid for a service to provide their child support. Paid or not paid, parental support and help at home is essential and needed. LaQuisha and her team address this by providing parents with the tools and resources to help their children at home as well. Some just don’t know how to help their child or what to do; therefore, LaQuisha Chester shows them and gives them the tools to do so. When this is being done with the extra support of tutoring, one can easily see growth and confidence in students. It’s a team effort, but most importantly, it starts at home.
Future Roadmap
Being a primary tutor, LaQuisha Chester plans to continue supporting individual students with their goals to be successful. She also plans to be a support system for parents to inform them about their child’s education and what additional resources their child might need to be successful. There will be workshops and other support systems to help and guide them. The ultimate goal of Inspired Learning is to transition into its own school to support students even further beyond the online tutoring support.
