Mindful Solutions Consulting

01/12/2026

Still time!!

Sign up by January 23.

01/07/2026

Busy busy busy.
Prepped ACT prep binders for eleven students for the February exam.

The curriculum and materials are carefully chosen and hand-curated to provide students with a thorough overview and practice for the exam.

01/05/2026

Students need to be pushed to be academically prepared to face the rigors of college. Since Covid and before,my collegiate colleagues have been sounding the alarms of unprepared students. When I left the classroom in 2018, I actively battled kids who cheated, cut corners, turned in incomplete work, and had parents who allowed all of this, making every excuse for not meeting basic standards— in regular OR in AP classes.

This is not acceptable. It’s time to return to strong academics (without grade inflation) while pushing our students to understand they can do hard things. To persevere. To persist. To work and not expect a magic wand/easy way out. Even if they do not attend college, they need to be prepared to work well, to lead, to follow directions, to use communication, to do their best in whatever job path they pursue.

This is a thought-provoking article from my NTPA colleague. I would love to know your thoughts.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2026/01/05/opinion-college-admissions-sat-act-test-scores-unprepared-students/?share=up0tgcteb2aeuwwpmtei&fbclid=IwZnRzaAPJEI5leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEesfu2fNO06z-jG6Vy2SF5B4TbhH8BVRnlC5R9hdmZc1AaBl7Zpgh0D7KS_ys_aem_jsd7UcgkDlrz1Jxw9BBEhA

We are seeing the consequences of SAT- and ACT-optional admissions policies at schools such as the University of California San Diego.

01/05/2026

Important test?

CHEW GUM, preferably mint gum.
Additional studies also show that chewing gum while studying and then chewing gum on the exam triggers recall of what was studied.

01/03/2026

Be sure to hire a test prep tutor who knows how to create and sequence a lesson plan for success to help you REACH your goals.

01/02/2026

What every parent needs to know.

A look ahead at the federal policies taking effect in 2026 that will shape how students and families pay for college.

01/02/2026

This new ACT is no joke, now.
It makes a student WORK for their score.

If you are not studying formulas, methods, strategies, and the content, you are very likely to not hit your scoring goals.

Be prepared to be persistent, to prepare, and to persevere through more than one exam.

01/02/2026

I am an active member of NTPA and have been since 2019.
This is shared from a fellow NTPA colleague.

I cannot stress this enough—
the recent updates and changes to both ACT and SAT are tremendous.

If you are using a cheap, side hustle tutor or college admissions person, you get what you pay for.

There are actual full time professionals who put in professional development time WEEKLY to know the insides and outs of every question, every section, etc.

Using a professional who is held to STANDARDS is also part of the equation. NTPA’s Code of Ethics is one of the few out there. Case in point:

————————-

Reason number 1,039,017 why the NTPA is awesome: our code of ethics.

I just talked with a lawyer about ethical college admissions practices for a court case her firm is litigating.

The documents are public record, so I'm not sharing anything secret, and, wow, the allegations are egregious.

The law firm might use our ethical code in its suit to show that the tutoring and college counseling company was not following the industry-leading ethical practices (that's us!).

https://nationaltestprep.org/code-of-ethics/

If families aren't using an NTPA tutor, then they can't be assured that the tutor is held to the highest ethical standards.

Our guiding principles designed to promote and maintain the highest standards of professional service and personal conduct among NTPA members.

01/01/2026

Claiming this fortune I received tonight for all my current and future students/clients going into 2026.

🎉🎉🎉 Happy 2026, everyone! 🎉🎉🎉
Much joy, success, and health to you all.

12/31/2025

ACT has begun releasing December test scores! How did you do?

If you are ready to up your game on the next exam in February or April, contact me for a consult on how I can raise those scores.

12/26/2025

Yes! This is exactly why my ACT curriculum is by hand and why I highly encourage students to take the paper version of the exam over digital.
Science is not wrong.

𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘀!
Thanks to The Parenting forvthis excellent post!

Handwriting is not simply a nostalgic skill. Studies show that writing by hand strengthens learning, memory, and comprehension far more than reading or typing on digital screens.

The act of forming letters engages the brain in unique ways. Motor movements used in handwriting reinforce memory pathways and help encode information more deeply than passive typing or scrolling.

Research demonstrates that reading text from a physical page is absorbed more profoundly than reading the same text on a screen. Paper allows focus, reflection, and better retention, while screens often encourage distractions and shallow processing.

When children or adults take notes by hand, copy passages, or journal, they are not just writing—they are installing knowledge into the brain. This physical connection with learning improves recall, understanding, and critical thinking.

Even in an age dominated by screens, handwriting remains biologically superior. Integrating paper-based reading and writing into learning routines ensures stronger memory, deeper comprehension, and more effective brain development. This simple practice provides lasting benefits that technology alone cannot replicate.



𝗗𝘆𝘀𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗵𝗶𝗮 & 𝗗𝘆𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗮 𝗧𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀: https://tinyurl.com/2st3wzkr

12/24/2025

December ACT scores will start coming out December 30th.

Regular registration for the February 14 exam is January 9.