COVER FEATURE
A Passion for Education
Education has always been a huge part of Ann Myers' life, both as a student and an educator. Five years ago when she heard that Sylvan Learning Centre was for sale, she knew it was a perfect fit!
“Starting a business on your own is not for the faint of heart! You need to believe in yourself 150 per cent,” says Myers, “It can be very overwhelming as your learning curve will be huge, especially if you have never owned a business before.” Myers feels fortunate to work with incredible teachers who have a real passion for helping children. At Sylvan, students are as young as four and go all the way up to and including university and college. “Many of our students are struggling with more than one subject and some may be several grades behind. Our first step is, always, to build a relationship of respect and trust.” explains Myers, “It’s an incredible feeling to see a child’s confidence grow and to be able to try new things or succeed in an area that has been a real challenge for them. I know that I am being completely bias, but we have amazing kids!” As a junior high teacher, Myers didn’t have a lot of parent contact other than a few parent teacher conferences. At Sylvan, she gets to have genuine conversations with parents when they reach out looking for help with their child’s needs. That contact continues on a weekly basis as parents are in the Centre dropping off or picking up their child. Progress meetings are another contact point where she can celebrate successes and
focus on upcoming skills to master. "It’s a pretty great feeling when a parent reaches out and you can offer them the help they are looking for. Our Centre is very welcoming with parents often feeling more like friends than clients. " Myers has grown the business in several aspects over the five years, including working with children who have been diagnosed with a learning challenge or who are on the autism spectrum. “Another area of growth has been with enrichment and STEM. Students love the Lego® robotics and coding camps that Sylvan offers. We’ve also seen growth from our immigrant families; many are looking for help with their child’s English proficiency and others are looking for SAT help to get their children ready for school entrance exams.” Advice for women entering the business world? “Setting realistic goals is key. My personality is one where I want to know everything right away and that is just not possible. Take on only as much as you can handle and then add on as you can," says Myers, “Talk to other people in business, both similar and different to yours. They can offer a wealth of experience and support for you.”
ANN MYERS, Owner Sylvan Learning Centre 18A Superior Crescent, Charlottetown 902.367.3678 www.sylvanlearning.com
WORDS BY: Jacqui Chaisson PHOTO BY: Story Sheidow
SPRING 2019 www.pei-living.ca
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