THE TUTORING CENTER

Introducing New Owner/Center Director, Jason Schoenholz

By Jason Zasky

Jason Schoenholz has been the new owner of The Tutoring Center location in Berry Farms for just a few months, but he has already settled in nicely, thanks in part to his longstanding experience working with kids.   

“I was a full-time minister for 20 years, still preach on a regular basis, and have history interacting with and teaching kids through church,” he offers. “When I was preaching in Arkansas, I led the church’s afterschool program, taught martial arts classes, and helped kids with their homework.” 

Schoenholz’s management style is also well-suited to the Tutoring Center. 

"I tend to be process-oriented; I don’t like to beat around the bush. I’m a ‘let’s get done what we need to get done’ type of guy, and let’s do things in the best way possible so we achieve the best results,” he continues.

Schoenholz says students come to the Tutoring Center for one of three main reasons. First, there are the those who “are struggling or behind in one or more academic areas,” he begins. “The second reason students come to us is for help preparing for the ACT or SAT. We also do a lot of tutoring in the upper math’s,” he continues, referring to Geometry, Algebra II, Trigonometry and Calculus. “We’ll often get a student who says, ‘I’m not sure I am grasping Trig. or Calc. and they will come to us for a semester,” or until they get through the class.

Of the students who come to The Tutoring Center to prepare for the ACT, approximately seventy-five percent have already taken the test. 

“They will come in with a composite score of 20, 21, 22, 24—something like that—and they say ‘I want to score higher,’ explains Schoenholz. “Our head instructor, Jonathan, will meet with them and say, ‘Let’s look at your test and see where you did really well, where you could use some improvement, and let’s start there.’”

For those who haven't yet taken the ACT or SAT, the Tutoring Center offers a free practice exam (on Saturdays)—a three-hour test that provides a baseline and an indication of strengths and weaknesses. 

As to how the Tutoring Center helps ACT and SAT test-takers, it’s a multifaceted approach. Naturally, a big part of it is working on the relevant subject matter, but “part of what we do is talk about strategies,” says Schoenholz. “Some of the (ACT and SAT) questions are meant to be difficult to understand or lead you down a path when that path is not right. So, we say, ‘If you see a question like this, here’s how you need to look at that question.’”  

Schoenholz also takes care to emphasize a few of the ways the Tutoring Center is unique.

"The thing I love most is that we have one tutor for every two students,” he says with pride. “I don’t know of any place in Middle Tennessee that has that small of a ratio. If a parent wants as much access with a tutor as possible, then the Tutoring Center is definitely the place.”

Another differentiator is the Tutoring Center’s patented Rotational Approach to Learning. 

"It means that every so often, the kids will either get up or take a break from what they are doing. Generally, it’s 30 minutes, then a break, then 15 minutes, and then take a break, and then finish. It resets the brain and allows you to ‘freshen up’ before getting back to work,” he explains. 

As to how much time lead time is needed for the Tutoring Center to prep a student for the ACT or SAT, Schoenholz says three to four months is close to ideal, though six months is even better.

And while coming to the Tutoring Center can be an investment, Schoenholz says the financial investment is oftentimes recouped later. 

"With the ACT and SAT, the biggest way you recover the cost of tutoring is in scholarships. If a student scores a 21 or 22 when they first get to us, and then a 25, 26, 29, or 30, they become a much better candidate for a scholarship. A $1,700 investment could mean a $5,000 scholarship,” he concludes. “If a student scores 30 or above on the ACT and 1200 or above on the SAT, they get into some significantly sized scholarships.”  

CONTACT:

The Tutoring Center 

5021 Hughes Crossing, Ste. 160

Franklin, TN, 37064

615-721-8844

https://www.tutoringcenter.com/center/franklintn