LearningRx Trainers: A Labor of Love

“Love what you do, and do what you love.” The trainers at LearningRx find it easy to live by that quote.

Leaving work feeling not only good but even smarter is part of the job.

“Making a positive difference, seeing a child’s confidence improve along with their cognitive skills and IQ, it can affect all areas – it’s like a snowball effect,” trainer Shannon Terry said.

A 26-year-old, senior psychology student at the University of Kentucky, Terry has worked at LearningRx for 18 months.

She was impressed when she was introduced to the LearningRx philosophy, which is based on the principle that brain training can help students improve cognitive function and perform better in school.

“It’s unique,” she said. “It strays from the traditional idea of tutoring because it works on a student’s underlying cognitive skills.”

Terry is one of five trainers at LearningRx, working with students aged 5-28.

Terry, who currently trains one-on-one with four teenage students, was trained by Sheila Zink.

Sheila has been at Learning Rx since her son, Aaron, started the business five years ago.

A trainer for four years herself, Sheila now is the director of trainers.

As a grandmother of two boys and a mother who home-schooled all of her five children, Zink knows the significance of a child’s accomplishments to a parent.

“LearningRx helps kids who are struggling do better, have more confidence and that’s awesome,” she said.

“It’s also gratifying when parents come in excited because their child can do their homework on their own.”

Zink also trained Joanne Tyler, a 23-year-old graduate student in psychology at Eastern Kentucky University.

Tyler started at LearningRx a year-and-a-half ago and currently is training two students, 8 and 11.

“I really enjoy working here, it’s very rewarding,” she said. “The students tell me their improvements each session.”

By the end of a six-month program, students have transformed D’s and F’s into   A’s and B’s.

To show their gratitude, students give their trainers hugs, high-fives, drawings and flowers.

But Terry said nothing beats “seeing a child read a story and have a smile on their face.”