Chance Barkley is an educational specialist who earned his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at Pennsylvania State University. He is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work at California State University, Northridge. He has spent the last several years working at Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes in various roles, including as the Center Director in Westlake Village. As an Educational Specialist, Chance focuses on reading, writing, and math remediation for students of all ages. He is trained in many Lindamood-Bell programs, including Seeing Stars, Visualizing and Verbalizing, Talkies, and On Cloud Nine. He has extensive experience working with students with varied profiles and learning differences. Additionally, he is a skilled assessor and regularly reads and interprets educational testing. In addition to his work with Hayutin, Chance is a Social Work Intern at the Greater Los Angeles Veterans Administration. In that role, he does care coordination and leads psychoeducational groups on Anger Management and Transitions. His hobbies and interests include writing and recording music, watching movies, and doing yoga.

 

We Asked, Chance Answered 

  • What is one of your fundamental beliefs about education?

    I believe that education is a lifelong investment in oneself. It is a transformative process that is essential to growth and development. It inspires me to share what I have learned with each student. My process is to assess and then tailor each session to their specific needs. I use a lot of praise and positivity to try and foster their confidence throughout instruction. My overall goal is to help students become excited about learning, so they can have a better future.

  • What is your favorite subject to teach and why?

    Although I enjoy teaching in general, my favorite subject to teach is Reading/Language Arts. I believe that reading fluency and comprehension are paramount for student success in virtually all other subjects. Science, history, and even math may be affected. Aside from all of this, reading allows students to read for fun and to use their imaginations to envision characters and worlds all their own. I especially love helping non-readers discover the joy of literacy.

  • Share an anecdote about a time your student hit a wall and how the student overcame it.

    I once had a student who struggled with reading comprehension. After scaffolding materials up to the student's grade level, they really hit a wall. They began to struggle with picturing what they were reading and became very discouraged. They started telling long stories/jokes to avoid the material. This is not unusual, as people often avoid activities that make them uncomfortable. When it was clear that this was going to be a pattern, I developed a motivator to help keep them on track. We used a sticker chart to track how close they were to getting a reward and that helped curb the behavior. Their focus improved and it became clear that it was tough for them to picture because their reading fluency wasn’t quite up to grade level. We addressed this and both skills progressed.

  • What makes Hayutin different?

    Hayutin is extremely versatile and utilizes the best modalities to help each student find their unique path to success. Hayutin allows me as an educational specialist the freedom to use what I know to help students in the way that best works for them. It also provides flexibility in scheduling so that a student can meet with their tutor at a time and place that works for their family. I have worked in education for several years and with a few different companies, but I have never experienced such a high level of genuine empathy and compassion as I have with Haytutin. I am proud to work for a company that values its clients and employees as much as Hayutin does.

  • What is the favorite thing you've learned from a student?

    I learned that persistence is often the key to learning something new. I’ve been inspired by so many students who had a variety of challenges but overcame them because they were driven to succeed.
     

  • Other than education, what is something you are passionate about?

    I am very passionate about music. I was a choir and band kid throughout grade school and attended Musicians Institute in Hollywood. I earned certificates in both the Recording Artist Program and the Music Business Program. I still write and record music at home using Logic Pro X. My Spotify account is very eclectic with everything from hard rock/metal, funk, 60s French pop, soft rock, industrial, new wave, and electronic. 

  • What’s something you learned about yourself after high school that you wish you knew back then?

    I learned that people find my speaking voice pleasant. I wish I had known that in high school, as I would have spoken up more. I liked school, but I was a quiet kid. I did my best to fly below the social radar, which was tough being that I was in band and choir.

  • What is a stretch you experienced growing up?

    Growing up, I often struggled with perfectionism. I would painstakingly work on assignments and study for class. I always strived to do my best, which made me a very good student. However, it also caused me to belabor my work and feel very stressed out.

  • If you could tutor any historical figure, who would it be and what would your focus be?

    There are many historical figures that I would work with on empathy and compassion.

     

  • What’s the book on your nightstand you are dying to read?

    Being that I’m in graduate school, I don’t really have much time to read for fun right now. However, Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb is one of the books we are reading for my courses, and I really enjoy it. It’s a very funny and insightful memoir. I’ve had a hard time putting it down!

     
     

     

     
     
     

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