BIG NEWS: Message from Strive to Learn Founder
Updated: Nov 8, 2022
To all of our wonderful families,
I’d like to personally share some exciting news. First off, I hope that you are all healthy and well, and that you have found new joys, special moments, and perhaps some clarity during these extraordinary circumstances. Although these have undoubtedly been difficult times full of uncertainty and stress, I hope that each and every one of you has been able to find a kernel of goodness within all of this.
For us at Strive to Learn, this has most certainly been true. We closed our in-person doors on March 17 and continue to serve our students diligently via our very interactive and hands-on online model. We developed pay-what-you-can classes to support underserved communities - especially parents working full time who needed to find a way to bring creativity and learning into their children’s lives. We developed an entire array of virtual summer camps that allow students to create innovative projects at home, with the guidance of our incredible instructors.
As we geared up to re-open, the number of COVID-19 infections continued to rise to unprecedented heights. I started making lists of what we needed to change to ensure the safety of our students and tutors: install plexiglass in all rooms and reception, stick to mask mandates for students and staff, maintain 6 ft distance in all tutoring rooms, place portable air cleaners in all rooms, ask students to wait in their cars and only come in once we’ve texted them, designate a staff-member to constantly wipe and clean all surfaces and door handles, eliminate all snacks and drinks from the waiting area. This was only the beginning of a Very. Long. List.
Our services are unique because we focus on personalized tutoring, on developing mentorships with our students, on going above and beyond the run-of-the-mill approach and truly engaging with each unique individual we work with. How can we give our students the customized attention they deserve if we can’t see their faces, if we have to talk loudly through plexiglass and over the whirring sound of air cleaners, if we can’t look into the same book or computer together because we are on opposite sides of the room? The simple answer is: We can’t. Not by reopening our physical location, at least.
To continue to serve our students and stay true to our mission, I have decided to close our brick-and-mortar location and move our services into two alternative realms: From now on, Strive to Learn will offer interactive and personalized tutoring both online and in-home. We are so excited to continue to bring personalized, face-to-face education to our students, be it through their computer screens or at a tutoring session in their yard. Our utmost priority is to keep our instructors and students safe while fulfilling our mission to foster empathetic, curious, and critical individuals who take on the future with confidence and courage.
Thank you for continuing to support us as we work diligently to provide you with the most customized educational services. Some of the exciting things we are rolling out include:
In-home tutoring outside - either individual or group! Get your friends together so one of our instructors can help you make sense of the online instruction
Tutoring in the park - if you don’t have an outdoor space at home, our tutors are happy to meet you at a public outdoor space! We bring portable whiteboards everywhere we go :)
Online one-on-one tutoring or group sessions - highly interactive virtual tutoring/test prep/college counseling
Extracurricular workshops that are pay-what-you-can to enrich students’ creative learning process throughout the school year
Please let us know what else you’d like us to do to help alleviate stress for our students and families during these times! We are open to suggestions, and would love to engage with you to bring joy and learning to your home. Your opinions matter - to make your voice heard, click here and take our short 4-minute survey regarding the upcoming school year.
Click here or head to our Instagram to view a video announcement with more background information, and stay tuned for more news via email and social media in the weeks to come.
Sincerely,
Josefine Borrmann
Strive to Learn Founder