Colette Hapi

Specialties: Thinking Organized’s Core Focus Areas: Time Management; Material Organization; Studying Strategies; Note-taking; Written Language – Emphasis on Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Calculus, Chemistry, Physics, SAT math, and ACT math.

Education: B.A. in Physics, French and Minor in Math from Frostburg State University; Will be pursuing a Master’s Degree in Physics from the University of Maryland

Experience: Colette joined the Thinking Organized team in 2016. In that time, she has helped countless students develop their executive functioning skills such as time management, planning and prioritization, organization, flexible thinking, note-taking, study skills, problem solving and working memory leading to better performance in school, work, and life. She is committed to guiding students with ADHD or other executive functioning challenges to implement successful and proven ways to overcome obstacles while accentuating their strengths to help them achieve their goals. Colette has helped her students learn organizational skills that allowed them to independently map out a week of regular activities with little support, and helped students reach a higher level of confidence and self-esteem. While also demonstrating how the same skills can be applied to seemingly daunting subjects, such as math and science, to improve their processing skills as well as their ability to remember and sequence a series of steps.

What do you enjoy most about working at Thinking Organized?
I truly enjoy the personalized touch that comes with working at an organization such as Thinking Organized. Working here allows me the freedom to give each student my undivided attention and provide them with tools and strategies to overcome their challenges. So what is it that I enjoy most about Thinking Organized? I enjoy the freedom and liberty to help and attend to my students’ needs without being bound by the constraints of time or a curriculum. Also, being able to provide each student with the one-on-one attention that they need to excel and with support that empowers them to achieve their full potential as they grow in confidence. Giving the student the time, the space and the reassurance they need to ask questions, to practice and make mistakes, and to slowly start to believe in themselves and to realize that they can do something; that they do have the ability to achieve. Doing this alongside the eclectic Thinking Organized team, from whom I’ve gleaned a lot of the knowledge that I’ve acquired over the years has made my time at Thinking Organized enjoyable and fulfilling.

What has been your greatest personal and/or professional achievement and why?
I feel my greatest success in teaching is my own growth as an Executive Functioning coach. The discovery of the different learner styles has humbled me to understand my own learner style and to always teach the student as they need to be taught. The art of instructing has fine-tuned an intuitive nature helping me view each and every student as a success in their own right. Helping students learn how to learn and how to always see possibilities, essentially removing barriers that only exist due to ignorance. When done properly, the students are far less dependent on others for knowledge as they can get knowledge on their own and know how to use it.  Having said that, I would consider my greatest professional achievement to be the moment I am no longer needed by my students.

What interesting fact would your clients & colleagues be most surprised to learn about you?
I recently started learning how to play the drums and started playing at my local church so a portion of my free time is dedicated towards perfecting the art of playing drums with the other portion being dedicated to staying active either by playing soccer, lifting weights or running.