It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Running a marathon is an experience that will challenge more than your physical endurance.  Running a marathon is just as much mental as physical.  Anyone can do it, and for those of you who do not believe me; next time a marathon is nearby your hometown, take a look at the participants and tell me what you see. 

I run marathons for one reason… As long as my body will allow me, a marathon is the ultimate mind challenge.  To be able to stay focused for twenty-six point two miles without allowing your body to force you to stop is the true test of mental endurance.  For most, it’s not about how fast you finish, but it’s about crossing the finish line standing.  You train for months to give your heart and legs the endurance, but the mental endurance that is needed cannot be trained for. 

A training program includes working out throughout the week, and every weekend taking a dreaded long run that is preparing you for the big day.  Most training programs peak with a twenty-mile run or maybe even a twenty-two mile run, but what those programs don’t prepare you for is the “wall” that runners hit in the last six–mile stretch.  I would like to argue that the “wall” is purely mental; especially because everyone magically gets enough endurance to run that home stretch to the finish.  Then, once you have crossed the finish line, everything that happened in the last six miles is forgotten.

Everything in life can be related to running a marathon.  Think back to your experience in school.  Each year you train your mind daily with homework and class work, hoping that your training will prepare you for upcoming tests.  You take tests, turn in projects, and write reports hoping that in the end your grade will reflect your hard work.  Whether or not you have the tools or the know how to do well, at some point school becomes a test of mental endurance.

You hit a “wall” where you feel like summer will never come; however, in the end, on that last day of school before summer, all the pain of the school year is forgotten.  Just like a marathon, anyone can make it through school.  Some people believe that they don’t have the ability to complete high school, or college, or trade school; but to that I argue… school is purely mental.  You train day after day to give your mind the know-how, but the one thing you cannot train for is the mental endurance that it takes to finish the school year or years you need to earn a diploma or degree.

School is the ultimate mental test of endurance.  If you put your mind to it, you can finish, and when you walk across that stage at graduation, everything that happened to get you there is forgotten.

Some words of advice to all of you reading… Stay focused on the big picture.  Don’t let the day-to-day struggles get you down.  Everything in life is a mental test of endurance, and with the proper training, anyone can run a marathon.

Written by Lauren Fierro

July 20th, 2011 - Posted in Learning, Self Help | | 0 Comments

Building A Strong Foundation

Many people ask me what I do for a living.  “Well,” I explain, “I’m a private tutor.”  “A tutor?” they respond.  “So, are you like a teacher?”  That is where the conversation starts and from there it is endless.  I can go on for hours about my experiences in the tutoring field.  The first question I answer is “Are you like a teacher?” to that I reply, “Yes, but a private teacher.”  I do not hold teaching credentials or a state test that certifies me as an instructor, but what I do hold are the tools to help any willing student learn the subject matter more in depth, complete assignments, and improve test scores.  “Willing” is the key word here.  If a student, regardless of the environment, situation or inability, is willing to do what it takes, I believe that I possess the answers.  Many parents struggle day-to-day with getting their students to complete homework assignments, study for upcoming tests and juggle extra-curricular activities.  School has become increasingly competitive and the norm has become what we would have considered the “Suma Cum Laude” of last decade.  We used to ask, “What does it take for a student to get into a four-year university these days?  The question is now, “What don’t you have to do to get into a four-year university these days?”  In my experience working closely with students of all ages and abilities, the one thing I have noticed is that the expectations of the school system have soared far beyond the comfort of the parents helping with homework.  It has now created a situation where unless your student is a self-starting, over-achiever, you may be thinking… Where can I go for help?  Being a parent is hard enough when dealing with the day-to-day home situation, but adding into the mix weekend homework and research papers does not leave much time for family bonding.  That is what I love about my job.  I have had the pleasure of stepping into numerous situations where the parents are able to work along with me, as the tutor, to ensure that their children are not only keeping their grades up; they are learning to care beyond the current subject matter and think about their future.  Many of my “pre-algebra” kids struggle with the repetitiveness of the long division or multiplication of large numbers, but if I can get them to focus on the big picture they feel more at ease.  A word of advice for those of you that may find yourselves in this very situation… We learn pre-algebra because it is the building blocks on which all other math relies upon.  If we don’t have a strong foundation, the house will eventually crumble.

Written by:  Lauren Fierro

October 15th, 2010 - Posted in Fequently Asked Questions, Learning, Making Learning Fun, Our Program, Self Help, Teaching, The School System, Tutoring | | 0 Comments

Quote Of The Day

“In today’s world parents find themselves at the mercy of a society which imposes pressures and priorities that allow neither time nor place for meaningful activities and relations between children and adults, which downgrade the role of parents and the functions of parenthood, and which prevent the parent from doing things he wants to do as a guide, friend, and companion to his children.”

Bronfenbrenner, Urie

May 15th, 2010 - Posted in Self Help | | 0 Comments

Our Program

Expanding Abilities Tutoring is an in-home tutoring service based in the South Bay of Los Angeles.  Our focus is to help the individual to reach his or her personal goals.  Our students range in age from 4 up to adults.  We offer tutoring for basic reading and writing skills, basic arithmetic, English as a second language, Spanish as a second language, standardized test preparation, and most school subjects from elementary to college level.  We also offer help for organizational skills and time management.  Whether you are in need of a tutor to help you pass a class or are just interested in learning a subject for personal growth, our tutors can help.  Please contact Melissa at 310-720-1883.  We currently serve Torrance, Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Palos Verdes.

March 18th, 2008 - Posted in Our Program, Self Help | | 0 Comments