Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Sasha Gooray. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Sasha, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you tell us about a time where you or your team really helped a customer get an amazing result?

Success Story: 2nd Grader in Math

One memorable success story involves a 2nd grader who was struggling in all areas of math, consistently receiving the lowest grades on his report card. His parents reported that he disliked learning and had difficulty sitting still, often becoming frustrated easily.

Upon assessing him, I realized he was very bright but would get upset with himself for not achieving perfection, which led to anger towards others. Despite being gifted in math, his lack of focus and low self-esteem caused him to disengage and not care about his grades or learning.

To address this, my primary goal was to help him recognize his intelligence and foster a desire to succeed. I discovered that he loved fishing, so I asked him to share his experiences, knowing it involved a lot of math. As he talked about fishing, I highlighted the mathematical concepts involved, such as using geometry to create a hole for ice fishing. I consistently reinforced that he was a “math superstar” because of his passion for fishing, and this connection helped him come alive in our sessions.

To enhance his social skills, I encouraged him to teach me the strategies he uses while waiting for a fish, emphasizing patience and applying that skill to sitting still in school. To tackle his perfectionism, I developed a unique strategy to help channel his frustration. When he encountered a difficult math problem, I reminded him that it didn’t define him. We would rip up the paper, crumble it into a ball, and throw it across the room while laughing and saying “bye!” This approach allowed him to release tension and refocus.

Another challenge was his belief that using pen and paper was “cheating” or a sign of failure, as he preferred solving problems mentally. I used the fishing analogy to explain that sometimes we need tools like nets or poles, just as writing down math problems is a useful strategy. Once he understood this connection, he felt more comfortable slowing down and writing out his work.

With these behavioral and emotional challenges addressed, we diligently worked to help him catch up academically. In just three months, his grades improved from all 1s (the lowest score) to 2s and 3s, demonstrating significant progress towards his success in math!

This transformation was incredibly meaningful not just for his academic progress but also for his confidence. He went from feeling overwhelmed, angry, and disengaged to efficiently and correctly solving math problems and enjoying the learning process. It was rewarding to see him embrace his abilities and develop a love for learning.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Sasha, and I foster a love for learning in K-6 students, especially boys. I’ve always been passionate about investing in people and our future, and there’s nothing more valuable than our kids. When my daughter was three years old, she was diagnosed with several disabilities. I was told many things she wouldn’t be able to do, including talk, read, walk, or hug. Like a stereotypical mama bear, I didn’t take these “no’s” as the final word. I began passionately seeking resources for her. We had a variety of providers, caretakers, therapists, mentors, and teachers who rallied for her and supported us well.

However, when she reached school age, despite our success in overcoming many of these initial challenges (she could now walk, talk very well), she struggled academically, and the social engagement in school was very difficult. She repeated kindergarten and, by the end of first grade, remained a year behind, falling even further behind in reading. That’s when I realized something had to change. So, I quit my job and began homeschooling her full-time.

I was weary of constantly advocating for her to be taught in a way that suited her needs and decided to take matters into my own hands. I took a risk, quit my job, and invested it in my daughter’s future. Everything worth anything in life comes with a risk, and it’s something I will never regret. I then did what I set out to do—I taught her the way she is designed to learn.

Now, four years later, she is no longer behind in her schooling, and no longer has noted developmental delays. She is at grade level, and in reading, where she was once 1.5 years behind, she is now a year ahead! We had a great team of people supporting us on this journey, and I learned so much from them, from classes I took, and most of all, from my daughter. She is awesome!

Before homeschooling, I climbed various corporate ladders working in retail management, HR, as an Executive Assistant, and in the finance industry. What I learned from all these roles is that people work with people for people. How we embrace our talents, handle our failures, work with others, and understand our goals and tasks can make an office, an industry, or a nation either a success or a failure. If I know that our future success is inside our kids, then our children’s academic progress matters more than anything.

So, in conclusion, from my personal journey as a homeschool mom, I realized there are many parents out there wanting the same success for their children. For our next generation to thrive, it’s so much more than our kid getting an A on their next test. It’s teaching them everything I learned is important in the corporate world: time management, handling failure, staying on tasks, being curious, engaging in positive ways with others. Elementary school is the best time to begin working on all of these. It became clear that I have been gifted with a talent to stand in the academic gap. So, here I am, standing in the gap with fellow parents for kids, especially boys, who need it most.

Why Boys?
In my business, I specialize in working with boys, which may raise some eyebrows since I have a daughter! So, why do I focus on tutoring boys? Well, after working with all kinds of kids, I noticed something important: highly energetic, super smart, or struggling boys often get overlooked, or disciplined more severely. While there are increasing opportunities for girls with inclusion efforts, boys also require specialized support. I’ve got a knack for making learning fun, especially for boys. I celebrate their natural drive to provide, protect, and lead, all while embracing their endless energy.

What services do TRY Joyful Learning Center provide?

I am an Academic Coach & Tutor that provides one-one-one online support in Math and Language Arts. I’m dedicated to empowering learners, especially boys, K-6 to overcome academic and social challenges, fostering a robust foundation of self-confidence and self-awareness. I believe in making learning an adventure filled with discovery and growth. By identifying each student’s unique needs, I develop personalized action plans that not only enhance academic performance but also nurture essential life skills, setting them on a path to lifelong success and a love for learning.

Here’s a list, although not exhaustive, of those we serve:

• Boys in K-6 who view learning as a burden or struggle with it due to various reasons.
• Young learners who display problem behaviors as a mask for their difficulties, sadness, or past traumas.
• Children who are shy, quick to anger, or have had early exposure to inappropriate content, affecting their behavior and learning.
• Boys diagnosed with high functioning autism and/or ADHD, whose potential for love, strength, and intelligence is yet to be fully realized in their academic and social lives.

What problems I solve for clients?

The problem I solve is getting kids to fall in love with learning. I believe that is the answer to fixing all academic challenges. How does this begin? Many parents come to me because their child is struggling in Math and/or Language Arts. They often notice this issue after receiving a poor report card or feedback from their child’s teacher indicating problem behaviors. Many times, they seek to solve these immediate problems, but my approach goes deeper because we want to address the underlying issue: they no longer love learning. When we see a problem, it tends not to be the root but rather the overgrown weed. If I just fix the weed, the problem will return and potentially worsen, like with weeds, more problems will come.

My focus is to find the root of the problem, identify when the student started struggling in that subject, and go back to that point to close the gap. For instance, I had a student who struggled with long division and suddenly started failing her math tests. The issue wasn’t long division itself; it was that she never memorized her times tables the previous year and made numerous errors when subtracting large numbers. Early on, she could take her time on tests and count slowly, but as math became more complex, she couldn’t keep up. That is why the problem wasn’t recognized until later. There was also social pressure—she was always the last to finish her tests, which made her feel insecure and discouraged.

To address her issue with long division, we worked on her multiplication and division skills, addressed her need to compete with others, taught her proper time management, and provided strategies to manage anxiety. By focusing on all these areas—social, life, and academic skills—we solved the overall problem: getting her to love learning. Once children love learning and enjoy being curious, learning becomes easy!

What sets me apart?

I don’t see myself merely as an academic coach or tutor; I view myself as a bond of peace. As a parent, I understand that when a child faces challenges, it’s easy to identify which key player isn’t helping—whether it’s a grandparent, another parent, a teacher, or even the system itself. While recognizing what isn’t working is important, it doesn’t always provide a solution. What sets me apart is my goal is to help parents see that each person plays a vital role in the puzzle, and we need to bring it all together. I’m not here to point fingers but to focus on the future.

Standing in the gap means being the glue—not just a bridge from the past to the future, but also connecting the child to their parents, teachers, and the school system. My ultimate aim is for children to love learning and, in turn, appreciate their family and school more. As a bonus to my one-on-one service, I provide parents with comprehensive progress reports, including in-home recommendations. I also send kids letters and care packages in the mail to encourage them and let them know I care. Moreover, my unique method of teaching stems from recognizing that every child, family, and season is unique, so I personalize goals accordingly. For example, while it’s often suggested that a child needs a quiet space to study, that’s not always possible. I once worked with a child in a small home with many siblings where the TV was often on, and a baby was crying. I had to teach him how to thrive in chaotic environments, meeting him where he was instead of trying to fit him into a mold.

Another way I stand out is that I strive to work myself out of a job. My aim is to teach each student how to identify root problems and develop self-advocacy skills, so they can handle future challenges independently, without needing ongoing tutoring. I want kids to enjoy their childhood—playing outside with friends and spending quality time at the dinner table, not being consumed by extra work with a tutor.

Finally, I incorporate a lot of movement engagement into learning. I discover each child’s interests and create engaging activities around them and provide a lot of activities that include movement. Being online tutor doesn’t have to restrict us to our seat: we can jump while counting, march while reciting a poem, and much more.

What I am most proud?

It’s incredibly rewarding to see the kids look forward to our sessions and eventually “graduate.” Parents often share that through the integration of social, life, and academic skills, they’ve witnessed positive changes in their child’s behavior and self-perception, which also brings me so much joy.

What’s been the most effective strategy for growing your clientele?

The most effective strategy for growing my clientele has been to be MYSELF! Consistency is key, and we can’t maintain consistency if we’re trying to follow someone else’s lead. I started by marketing myself in ways that felt natural and easy, such as setting up vendor booths at events. Each quarter, I set a stretch goal to step outside my comfort zone. For me, social media was my stretch. I remember making my first YouTube video—I researched how others did it and tried to emulate their styles. Thankfully, before posting, I asked my daughter for her opinion. After listening for a few seconds, she said, “Mom! What is that voice? It sounds awful!” Hahaha! I ended up rerecording while being myself, which felt so much easier—I didn’t even need a script. By reminding myself that I started this business to create my dream job and have fun, I’ve been able to relax and find ways to enjoy the process of growing my clientele.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn is the pressure to get it right the first time. While I can easily come up with creative business ideas, executing them was a whole new challenge for me. Growing up, I was taught that it was crucial to achieve accuracy from the start, influenced by family leaders who excelled in math and worked in industries where precision was vital. They are fantastic role models and successful leaders, which led me to believe my success had to mirror theirs. As a creative person, I realized I needed to shift my mindset and be more flexible. Early on in my business, when I made small mistakes, I often felt discouraged, but I had to practice what I teach my students: that it’s okay to fail. As entrepreneurs, we’re pioneers forging new paths, and making wrong turns is part of the journey. Embracing this risk and pursuing my dream is absolutely worth any struggles or setbacks. The key is to get back up quickly!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.tryjoyful.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tryjoyful.learningcenter/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sasha-gooray
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@TRYJoyfulLearningCenter-d8m