Improving students’ lives and education

MICHAEL BROWN has been a passionate educator and pastor for 30 years, and joined Tutor Doctor in 2011 to help make this his full time business.  Quite simply, he’s improving the lives of students and families through success in education.

And, by the way, he’s also helping to change the face of education in America.

Looking for the next step in his business career a couple of years ago, he teamed up with his wife Sandi and partner Blake, and evaluated a range of options.  They were intrigued with franchises of various kinds, and then discovered the field of education and tutoring.  Tutor Doctor came to the top of their list because of the company’s philosophy and values – not only for the service they’re delivering to customers, but also the culture of the organization and how they treat franchisees.

As I talked with Michael this week, it was apparent that he’s been continuing to discover his core values over the course of his lifetime.  It’s not like you have this figured out the day you graduate from school, or on your 30^th birthday, or even 50^th.  It’s a journey of learning and discovery.

Michael has discovered the amazing way he touches lives.  You’d expect that students’ parents would be pleased with improving grades and reduced struggles.  But he also talks about how he helps bring frustrated parents back from the brink of despair, and how students find a purpose for their lives.  Go check out some of their local success stories if you don’t believe me.

Because he himself had a wonderful tutor in his college years, this hits very close to home.

Tutor Doctor is a company which gets this as well.  Serving kids and adults with 232 franchises in 10 countries around the world, they have a deep desire to help families, not just individuals.  John Hooi founded the company in 2000 and began franchising in 2003.

The field of education is in a period of rapid change, and these kinds of companies play a crucial role in contributing to a brighter future.  As educational systems seem to leave more and more kids behind, personalized tutoring is essential to filling in the gaps.

I talked with Michael about some of the challenges that he faces which are specific to this kind of business.  One of the ones he’s facing right now is how to help more students during the summer.  This is a time when families work in vacations and take a break from school activities, but there can be a great loss of momentum.  The opportunity, of course, is to help kids take a great leap forward during this break, and to help them make great changes for their lives.

It’s all about being in service to the developing generation.  And their families.