Mission
The mission of Academic Connections is to work with students to help develop them as thinkers, learners and
leaders which will take them beyond success in the classroom.
(Please see our Mission and Philosophy under the "What We Do" tab)
Speaker Bio
Donna Duffy, Speaker
Co-owner and Educational Consultant
Academic Connections Tutoring
Donna Duffy has worked in the field of education for over 20 years and lived in the Middle East for almost
two decades. During her time in Israel, she had the privilege of living among both the Israelis and
Palestinians. Her three children were born and raised in a small close-knit Arab neighborhood in
Nazareth, where in their early years, Donna home schooled them. Later she started a school in Nazareth
for Arab-American children which her own children attended as well. The school, Bridging the Gap,
continues to grow and is now in its fourteenth year.
As a mother of young children she was active in her neighborhood implementing community summer camps,
art projects, a library for the children, as well as an exercise group for moms. It was her life in
that neighborhood that helped to shape her thinking and values regarding community and “bridge building.”
Upon returning to the US in 2002, Donna worked as a tutor and education director in a private tutoring center.
In 2006, she and her business partner, Pat Howes, started ACADEMIC CONNECTIONS TUTORING.
It was during her homeschooling years that she developed and utilized the strategies for encouraging
young learners to embrace their learning style and to develop a love of learning that she continues
to use and teach to this day. It is embodied in our T.H.I.N.K. and Grow Smart Blueprint
TM which is the
basis of our philosophy and which our tutors utilize in their sessions.
Donna regularly writes education articles that can be found in
Ezine Articles; is an educational
consultant for parents; conducts parent and student workshops for a local high school dealing with numerous
educational topics that affect students today.
Along with her educational expertise, Donna is an entrepreneur at heart. She consistently seeks to
encourage and empower students to develop their unique gifts and abilities that will enable them to
succeed in the vocational arena. To that end, she and her business partner also co-own and operate
3E Marketing Solutions educating, equipping and encouraging small business owners with affordable marketing
solutions and strategies.
Speaking Style:
Donna has a warm and engaging, interactive and encouraging style that helps the audience connect with
her, allowing them to gather not only great content, but also to be motivated toward transformational change.
She always delivers much more than what you expect! To have Donna come and speak to your parents, teachers
or students, see the information below. In addition, she is also available to address other educational topics.
Speaking Topics for Workshops, Conferences, Teleseminars
- Creative and Confident Learners and Leaders
Our children have come to look for easy answers and a quick-fix approach, not only to their school work,
but life situations as well. Helping our kids develop as thinkers is one of the greatest gifts we can
give them. If they can think and learn then they can succeed. They will be able to not only make their
way in the world but make their mark on the world. During this workshop we will look at 7 ways to help
them develop as thinkers.
- 5 Success Strategies for Tackling Academic Challenges
Although your child may be doing all the right things, you find they still may be challenged in a specific
subject area or with organizational skills. In this workshop we will look at 5 tips to help your child
understand where they are having difficulty and practical ways to help them move past there.
- Let’s Get Digital - Building Bridges to Your Gen Y Kids
Do you have kids like mine who can text and IM their friends at warp speed and in a “foreign” language?
Most of our kids are techno savvy and cyber literate and we’re still racing to keep up. Understanding
how our kids think and learn is essential if we are to build bridges to them in this "Jetson" age in which we live.
In this workshop we will explore ways we can use the world of technology to our advantage and build bridges
to our Gen Y kids. Learning to speak their language will not only strengthen the connection we share with them
but will better equip us for life in the 21st century and in the end we may find that they have been trying to
build bridges to us all along.
- 10 Tips to Help Your Child Think, Learn, and Succeed
In this workshop we will highlight 10 tips for you to help your child think, learn and succeed. A worksheet
will be given to each participant that can be used to help you better understand where your child is and how
you can help them grow as a thinker and learner.
- Casting Vision for Your Child’s Future
This session is designed to help you encourage and guide your child as they are making decisions for their
future. Helping your child consider all of their options can be challenging to say the least. Whether your
child is heading to college or directly into the workforce, it’s important that we help them be confident
in their own giftedness and strengths; their individual learning style; as well as their preferences and
interests. We will talk about how to develop life your child as a lifelong learner, and the importance
of staying connected to a support team, to assist them to stay encouraged and on track toward lifelong success.
- Organization – "In/Out/Time/Stuff"
For many students organization can be a major obstacle to academic and lifelong success. A student may be
very bright and yet have a difficult time when it comes to organizing the information that they take in
during the day; giving out what they have taken in; keeping track of their time; or knowing where all the
things they are when they need them. Helping your child in the area of organization can be very challenging.
This workshop is designed give you practical ways to help you to help them become more organized.
- Summer’s More Than a Day at the Beach
We know that the time away from school enjoying the lazy, hazy days of summer often become an academic dead
zone for our kids. Not being actively involved in studies often means the skills that took months to acquire
can be lost over the summer break. Summer learning loss or losing the academic edge — certainly no parent wants
that to be part of his or her child’s summer. Join us as we look at ways to help your kids avoid the loss
that can occur during their summer vacation!
© ACADEMIC CONNECTIONS TUTORING 2010
For more information on these subjects or to inquire about our tutoring services, please
email us at info@actnowde.com or call 302-383-4325
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