S2E11: Benefits of Tutoring Beyond Academics: Interview with Ryan Long, Tutor & Founder of Learn Untethered
In this episode, we're joined by a special guest, Ryan Long, the CEO and Founder of Learn Untethered, a private academic tutoring business.
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In this episode, we're joined by a special guest, Ryan Long, the CEO and Founder of Learn Untethered, a private academic tutoring business.
Ryan's journey from a teacher in Santa Barbara to the owner of Learn Untethered is highlighted. His background as a wilderness education facilitator and passion for outdoor activities adds a unique flavor to his approach.
Learn Untethered offers individualized education support, both online and at home, catering to students of all ages.
Want to be a guest on our podcast? Apply HERE!
Key Highlights
The value of individualized attention in tutoring is discussed, emphasizing the benefits of meeting students' specific needs and misunderstandings.
Addressing concerns about tutoring being only for high-achieving students, Ryan argues that tutoring benefits students of all levels, providing additional support and understanding.
The significance of transitioning to middle school and high school is discussed, highlighting the role of tutoring in helping students develop executive functioning skills and adapt to new academic challenges.
The podcast also addresses common concerns about the workload and stress levels of students, emphasizing the role of tutoring in efficient learning.
Ryan shares his approach of making tutoring a support system that simplifies homework and provides more time for other activities.
Wilderness Education and Outdoor Learning
Ryan discusses his background in wilderness education, explaining his involvement in developing programs like Warrior Camp, which teaches wilderness skills and nature-based rites of passage to young adults.
Wilderness education offers opportunities for personal growth, decision-making, and overcoming challenges in a controlled environment, which can be an excellent extracurricular experience for college applications
The concept of exploring diverse interests and finding opportunities beyond one's comfort zone is discussed in relation to students' career and college admissions choices.
Ryan advises students to remain open to new possibilities and opportunities beyond their initial passions, keeping their eyes open to peripheral interests and fostering intellectual curiosity.
Related Links
Find Ryan online at learnuntethered.com. Also, check out Spirit Hollow Retreat Center in Vermont at spirithollow.org and Creekspirit Wildlife Foundation at creekspirit.org
About Thomas
Thomas is a parent and alumnus of the University of Pennsylvania. After earning his MBA at the Wharton School in 2003, he moved to Silicon Valley. For three years, he was director of admissions and financial aid at Wharton School. He worked closely with admissions professionals, students, alumni, and professors to create the best possible MBA class.
Thomas has been an entrepreneur his entire life in the fields of finance, agriculture, wellness, and sporting goods. As the founder of Global Education Opportunities, he works with diverse and underserved communities to help them become successful college students. Thomas started the podcast Admittedly because he is passionate about demystifying the application process for parents and applicants.
Related Links
Apply to be a guest: www.thomascaleel.com/apply-for-podcast
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TikTok: @admittedlypodcast
Instagram: @admittedlypodcast
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Thomas: Hello, and welcome to the Admittedly Podcast. My name is Thomas Caleel. I'm the former director of MBA admissions and financial aid for my alma mater, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. In this podcast, I don't promise easy answers or quick fixes, but I will use my decades of experience to help you achieve your education goals. Now, let's get started.
Today we have a very special guest, Ryan Long, CEO and founder of learn untethered. Full disclosure I've known Ryan for many years now knew him when he first moved to Santa Barbara as a young teacher, and really a pleasure and a privilege to call him a friend. Background Ryan is a tutor and academic coach and the founder of learn untethered, which provides in-home online and on-campus educational support for students of all ages. He's a former independent school educator who decided to move out of the classroom and shift to an individualized model of teaching.
Ryan is also a lead facilitator for Spirit Hollow Retreat Center, which provides wilderness education and nature-based rites of passage for children and young adults. Ryan received his BA in communication from Southern Vermont College and went on and got his master's of education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Ryan also is an avid hot air balloon er, and pilot or captain, yeah, pilot. Yeah, I actually saw you on a flight when you were flying out to get your pilot's certification. And he's just a very interesting outdoor kind of fellow. So we're going to have two parts today. Welcome. First of all, welcome, Ryan.
Ryan: Yeah, thanks for having me.
Thomas: Oh, appreciate you taking the time. There's so much to talk about here, really talking about the education journey, your perspective on education, how it's changed, you've really seen it change through the pandemic, and talk about the different modalities of learning you have in the classroom, out of the classroom and outside in nature. So
Ryan: Yeah, really glad to be here. I have always loved teaching it's something that I felt really passionate about coming out of college, and I decided that I wanted to head into the classroom and become a teacher. And I ended up out here in Santa Barbara, got a teaching fellowship at crane school, and really just fell in love with that experiential hands-on education, and really loved working with kids and a range of ages.
And a few years back, I was starting to feel like I needed to move out of the classroom, I needed to do something a little bit different. And I had been doing some tutoring on the side. Actually, since college, I had always kind of had this side tutoring thing going. And I really enjoyed that sort of the individual relationships and feeling like I could, I could build something with someone, you know, I could help them understand something better. I could kind of build that relationship there and ended up expanding that into a full-scale business and left my regular classroom teaching job and now spend my days working with kids one on one.
Thomas: And so when you think about classroom teaching versus one-on-one tutoring modality. What do you like about it? What do you think the opportunities are for you just as a person,
Ryan: I feel like you can be really mobile, and nimble when you are one on one. You can make those pivots based on what those students really need individually. You just feel like when you're in the classroom, you've got a whole group of kids that you need to kind of get through this material and you can work with them in the whole group and you have some time to do that individualized attention. But when you're tutoring one on one, you can really meet the kids where they are, and help them with what their specific misunderstanding might be or what their specific need is.
Thomas: So one of the questions that I get because, you know, full disclosure, I'm a big advocate of tutoring, I think tutoring is very important, but a lot of families will say, well, that's great if you're just one of these, like super Tiger parent kind of families, you know, tutoring your kids into the ground. How do you address that kind of perspective or lack of better-term criticism?
Ryan: I think that it's something that anyone could use at least a little bit of, you know when I was in school, I saw my teachers outside of the regular class to get some extra help. Sometimes there was a we had like the math center that was open and when I struggled with a concept, I would go and meet with that teacher, just a little bit to do that. You know, I didn't understand something you're working on, I could spend that extra time with them. And they could address, my direct challenge.
And I feel like everyone has some of those little things in some subject where they could use a little bit more support. And you know, whether that is getting a little bit of extra help from that individual teacher, whether that's going to a writing center in your high school or college, or whether that is seeking full tutoring from someone that's coming in, that's just focusing on you in the home. I feel like there's value there for everyone.
Thomas: And do you feel I mean, you're dealing primarily with kind of the K through eight demographic? Are you also working with high schoolers?
Ryan: Yeah, I actually, I've had everyone from my youngest is a second grader right now, all the way going up to a sophomore in college, and I kind of do a wide range of things. So when it comes to tutoring, it ends up being like 90% math, that's mostly what people tend to need, do a lot of algebra. Okay, that's what I find, at least. And then I also do sort of project planning and academic coaching, you know, helping people get organized, and, and make plans for tackling these projects. And I'll do that for all ages. You know, even for college students where, you know, I don't necessarily have the specific content knowledge to support them in some of those classes. Right, but I can give them that organizational support that they need.
Thomas: Do you find there are particular times or particular grades where tutoring can really you know, like, if you think about the transition into middle school, for example, or high school, are those key inflection points, or is it really just individually dependent on where the student is,
Ryan: I think when it comes to a lot of those sorts of academic coaching, the softer skills, where it's about organization, executive function, that's really helpful in late elementary school and early middle school because that's where you form a lot of those habits for how you approach a project, how you tackle those tasks, and how you get yourself organized.
So I find working with fifth and sixth graders to be really rewarding in that way. Because it's where they move from the self-contained classroom into traveling to each of their classes, their academic subjects, and so they go from answering to one teacher, where they get all of that information, to having to split their attention and their time, to multiple teachers, multiple subjects. And so getting those habits and those skills built around fifth or sixth grade I find is really valuable.
Thomas: And, and I know a lot of our listeners are at are thinking about themselves. You know, this just seems like so much my kid is so busy. And do I really want to layer something else on, you know, if I don't want to send my child to Harvard or Princeton, do they really need this?
Ryan: Yeah. And I think that it can be just occasional, sometimes there are people that just need help once in a while when they have a project to work on. I've got clients that I only see maybe a couple of times a month, they have something going on, and they could use some additional support. They say, Oh, man, I've got this big project coming up, can you come help me set this up? Sometimes that's all people need. Occasionally, that can spit into additional work, you know, sometimes they realize the value of that tutoring, and they can say, you know, hey, I could use a little bit more of this now. So it's a, it's a good way in for families to test it out, you know, there are a lot of people out there that are happy to drop in and do some sort of consultation and show you what they can offer. And sometimes students only need it occasionally. And sometimes, you know, I meet with students multiple times a week.
Thomas: And that's a great answer. I mean, look, I'm extremely biased. I think that tutoring is very important. And you know, especially on what you do, and I think that you know, the nice thing is helping them build study habits and put skills in place. They're going to help them not just in school, but also out of school in internships, or work or life in general. And I've found that with my students. You know, you read so much in the newspapers that oh, man, these kids are doing five, six hours of homework a night, which is outrageous. There's just no reason for that. And I think that you know if you can help them manage that load and streamline that you're freeing up time for them to be children to go outside to spend time with the family. So yeah, I'm a big, big proponent of what you're doing.
Ryan: Absolutely. I feel like I can walk into a new tutoring appointment. And if I'm meeting someone for the first time, I can help them make a plan. And one of the things I say is that I'm here to make your life easier, I want to help you do this faster, feel like it's not such a struggle. So that you can, this homework doesn't have to become this big overwhelming thing. You know, if you can get it done a little bit more efficiently, you do have the time to do the other things you enjoy.
Thomas: Exactly. And, you know, obviously, for our listeners who are sitting there saying this is great, but I can't afford a private tutor like learning untethered, I think it's important. Ryan, you spoke about this earlier, just going in and seeing your teachers taking advantage of faculty at your school that's dedicated and loves to teach. And I think there's a lot of opportunity if you look for extra help at no cost or greatly reduced costs. And I don't know if you have any thoughts on that.
Ryan: Yeah, I think there are a lot of resources out there. I mean, even in the community here in Santa Barbara, there are free tutoring hours at Santa Barbara Library, if you need some additional support there, they're out there. And a lot of tutors that work in the community also provide some pro bono work. So that there are opportunities for people, I think, to get that support, even if they're not looking to dive into full tutoring, you know, that they might otherwise.
Thomas: Right. And I think too, you know, at the high school and college level, there are great student-run, support and tutoring and mentoring programs where the older students will hold for lack of better term office hours or one on one tutoring. So there, there are a lot of opportunities there. I think it's just incumbent on you to find them and reach out and figure out what works best for you.
Ryan: Absolutely. And you know, one of the great things that sort of came out of the pandemic actually is this real shift to remote tutoring. And so there are more tutors available to you. Because of this, the tools that are available now. You know, through Zoom, Google Meet, using Google jam board, you can really illustrate things, sending things back and forth, being able to work on the same document and handle docs, all of that. So I think it opened up a whole other world, of tutors so you can find someone that works really well for you, even if they're not right there where you live now, which I think is really been fantastic.
Thomas: And very liberating, and really allows you to get the best match the best person for you, you know, regardless of geographic constraints.
Ryan: Yeah, it's been fun. I get to work with kids from all over. I've, you know, sometimes when they're traveling, I'll be talking to a student and they'll say, Hey, I'm in Hawaii.
Thomas: The most Santa Barbara thing ever. Yes, we escaped Santa Barbara to go to Hawaii.
Ryan: Exactly. Yeah. So and you know, I traveled as well. So you know, sometimes I'm out in Vermont, and I could say, Hey, I'm in Vermont today, you know, what are you up to? And my students are somewhere else they're in Aspen, or is it you know, it's always interesting.
Thomas: Well, and that's great, you know, I love that you bring up Vermont because you know your background, and you can talk about this, but you do have this very kind of like outdoors, you know, practical hands-on learning, kind of background and love for nature and adventure. Tell us how that has kind of informed and infused your approach as a teacher and a tutor.
Ryan: Well, so I actually came to teaching through my experience working at a wilderness retreat center in Vermont. When I was in college, I had a professor that taught a class called Environmental Literature, and really loved this course. And this professor happened to also be the executive director of this wilderness retreat center in Vermont, and she invited me to come out and do an internship there. And initially, when I was in college, I studied communication. And I sort of expected to go into public relations or journalism, something along those lines.
So she invited me out to do communications for them on social media, kind of helping with their promotional material, right? And I went out there and was so enamored with this beautiful place in the Green Mountains. And, through my conversations with her, she ended up inviting me to develop a new program. They're called warrior camp, which is all about wilderness skills. And it relates to nature-based rites of passage.
So it's about bringing people out into the woods, giving them some skills to feel really competent and confident out there. And then having them feel like they're, they're stepping into a new way of being through their experience in nature. And like Bear Grylls was like, Yeah, we do like knife skills and knots and fire and shelter building, and all that kind of stuff.
Thomas: So, if I'm a practically-minded parent, right? And I'm thinking about that versus Harvard Summer Institute, why? Like, why would I send my kids out to play in the woods,
Ryan: I think it can be really confidence-building. And, you know, just being able to feel like you have what you need to survive in the woods. If you ever were put in a situation like that, you could do some foraging, you could build a shelter for yourself, you can make a small fire. And I also, think it offers an opportunity for people to push themselves out of their comfort zone a little bit. Yes, one of the parts of the program is that 24 hours solo, so people that come out there spend 24 hours alone in the woods. And that's really frightening to a lot of people. It's, it's challenging.
Thomas: Yeah. How old are they, when they do that?
Ryan: So it's, it's young adults, so teens and young adults. So you know, starting at maybe 13, and running up to sort of the end of college 22, generally. So you have a couple of different programs that run throughout the summer. But it's really, for young adults, and people that are feeling like, they don't exactly know what they want out of life. And they don't feel like they necessarily know who they are, right? And putting them in a situation where they can overcome something. They can live in a community with this group of people you can really feel seen and heard in this space. And just spending that time in nature. It's just so valuable. I find it's really healing for me as well.
Thomas: Exactly. I love that. And certainly, you know, I've spoken about this on the podcast before. But these students these days are so protected, and so kind of marched from thing to thing. And they get to their senior year when they're applying to college. And they've never really had to make decisions, they don't know themselves. And so when it comes to essay writing, everything starts to kind of collapse inward on itself. And so I love the idea of this program where you have to make decisions, you have to take actions, right, and then leading up culminating to this 24 hours on your own. Putting them yes, in a position that's outside of their comfort zone, but also building this track record of you know, what, I can make a decision? And if it's right, great, if it's wrong, I know how to deal with it.
And, and I think, you know, when you look at a lot of the issues that young people are having right now, in making the transition to higher education to college, university life, it is this kind of like the umbilical cord just being severed abruptly, and they're unprepared to just, like better term deal with existing day to day in, you know, a university environment, which is extremely protected.
Ryan: Yeah, it's true. have, you know, we've had students come from all over, really, they come from all over the country. And they, they end up out there in Vermont, some people have never been there before. You know, we've actually had students come from California from Florida, they arrive on a plane, they get off, and they're in the woods of Vermont. And it can be really frightening to a lot of people, but it's just an opportunity, to sort of push the boundaries in a safe way. So, you know, we do have, we have some constraints, you know, we know where they are when they're alone, you know, all those things. So it's sort of like that, that bit of risk, but also in a controlled environment that I think can be really valuable. Great.
Thomas: And I don't want to put you on the spot here. But I'm going to anyway, so we're doing this mean, you have this very interesting background, right? And I've spoken about this on the podcast before where you're, you know, you're studying communications, and next thing, you know, you get invited out to do communications for this unique wilderness program. And then they're having you build this program, and it gets kind of expanded from there, right?
So I love that process. What's next? You've built this, successful business, you've established a good reputation. You're working on the outdoor wilderness project, where do you go from here?
Ryan: Yeah, that's a good question. I love building relationships. And so I'm always trying to find ways to sort of expand that and one of the things that I'm working on right now here in Santa Barbara is the creek spirit Wildlife Foundation. Okay, I'm on the board there and trying to develop some educational programs for people of all ages as well there.
So they've done some school programs in the past about wildlife education and trying to expand to some more adult programs and you know, how we understand our relationship with the woods with the animals with this space here. So that's sort of a coming together of my tutor interest to have an interest there, you know, have the wilderness education and the sort of more classroom academic education and so kind of pulling that together and working on that project.
Thomas: And so for my parents that have college students or high schoolers preparing to go to college, I think that was a really interesting way to kind of, you've been able to take something you're passionate about, right and blend it with something you're doing real life, right and, and make a very interesting career that speaks to all aspects of your personality. And it's something that I've spoken a lot about before that it doesn't matter what you're passionate about, right? Be passionate about something.
And certainly, we have listeners that are saying, Oh, my God, I would no, You never catch me dead out in the woods, or I live in the middle of a big city, you know, with 15 million people in China, for example. And, so that's just completely outside of my reality zone. But I think it provides a really good example of discovering what you love, and then working, you know, around and within that, so thank you for any last words of wisdom for students, maybe around anything around the outdoor part around the tutoring,
Ryan: I would say, Leave yourself really open to possibilities, because it's easy to feel like, this is what I want to do. Let's go for that. 100%. And you can do that. But it's also, I think, important to keep your eyes open to these sorts of peripheral opportunities, these things that call to you the saying, that sounds kind of interesting, I'd love to explore that.
Because that's really, it's pulled me all over. And as my life has unfolded, I'm finding more and more ways to be sort of pulled in on these threads. So it really leaves you open to possibilities. Even if you feel like this is your passion, you're going 100% In this one way. Think about all of the different ways that could serve you and how you could serve others in that capacity.
Thomas: I love that answer. Thank you, I did not pay you to say that answer. And you know, again, because I have to just add a little bit of admissions advice on that. Ryan's advice is absolutely spot on. Right. If and, we do get students who their junior year of high school, discover that something they thought they loved, they love something else a little bit more that came in off their peripheral vision. And I love that phrase. And that's totally fine. Right?
Don't stick with something you don't like, if you realize you don't like it, as long as you just explain that in the application. If you tell the admissions committee, hey, I thought I wanted to do this. This came up, I interacted with this other thing. And I realized that's the direction I wanted to go. And so I've made the shift. And I realized my shift was a little bit late. But that's informed now why I've chosen your school and this major, and how that path looks going forward. And Ryan and I are both sitting here smiling because we both know that. Of course, when you get to college, you're going to change again, right? That's the beauty of being around smart, interesting people you're constantly challenged and exposed to new ideas. And it really continues to bring more and more and widen your peripheral vision.
Ryan: Yeah, absolutely.
Ryan, thank you very much. We're going to put the links to your to learn Untethered and your various organizations in the show notes and encourage people to check that out. Yeah, great. Thanks for having me.
Thomas: Appreciate it. Thank you. Thank you for joining us today. Please take a moment to subscribe to my Admittedly Podcast and download this episode. I welcome you to share your thoughts and questions with me. You can find us on social media at @admittedlypodcast. I look forward to continuing our journey together.
