EDWARDSVILLE - With all of the uncertainty surrounding E-learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic, with many school districts opting for online classes to get the 2020-21 school year started, many parents are turning to services to help them and their children cope with keeping up with the schoolwork and other issues that may arise during the current crisis.
And that's one of the reasons why Dr. Harvey Chiles created The Homework Doctor, an educational service based in Edwardsville, in order to help families in the midst of confusion and chaos at both home and school during the pandemic.
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"Living in the world today is like being a juggler on America's Got Talent," Chiles said. "Just when you think you have all the balls in the air, two more are tossed in without warning, Then you drop one, and they toss in four more. All the while, you are waiting for the Golden Buzzer or an X from one of the teachers. We help you juggle all of those priorities by creating and monitoring a plan of action, overseeing homework and project deadlines and providing additional support in any areas where you or your student are struggling."
Chiles, who created the service along with manager Christine Simone, is a veteran of over 40 years experience in both education and business. A graduate of Bowling Green State in Bowling Green, Ohio, he earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees from BGSU, and his doctorate from Nova Southeastern University in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. He has both taught and been an administrator at schools and colleges across the Midwest, and also was headmaster of a school in Angeles City, Philippines. He also formerly taught at Southwestern Illinois College in Belleville and the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
Simone is a very experienced manager and administrative coordinator. She and Chiles are longtime friends, and also runs her own company, The Administrative Guru, which specializes in administrative solutions for both individuals as well as small businesses.
When a parent comes to Chiles with their issues, the two work together with services that include weekly E-mail updates concerning progress, grades, upcoming assignments and other information from teachers, weekly Zoom conferences involving parents to discuss the reports and implement strategies, and weekly Zoom meetings with the students to discuss stress, get feedback and formulate upcoming strategies on tests and learning.
"We are fully focused on serving the complete online educational services of families, students and teachers," Chiles said. "Our services are individualized and tailored to each family and their unique circumstances. All of our services are confidential, and are designed with your success in mind."
While Chiles serves as the teacher and coach in helping students achieve at a high level, Simone serves as the administrative hero, gathering data on each client, doing the research and supplying Chiles with all the information needed to plan out the strategy.
"We make a great team, the Homework Doctor and the Administrative Guru," Chiles said.
Both Chiles and Simone have enjoyed tremendous professional success in their respective careers. Simone has worked for over 30 years with the same company, and is very focused, detailed and creative, dealing with people and various processes and details. Chiles holds various degrees in many subjects and his teaching experience has helped create successful strategies and solutions for students in person, on stage and online.
"Our combined credentials demonstrate success with a variety of people in demanding settings all over the world," Chiles said.
Chiles listed five keys to their success: Great respect for their clients, superior listening skills developed over the years with hard work and listening to clients' needs, a work smart and hard ethic that balances life on all sides, developing a tremendous sense of humor that's been developed over the years by working with different people, and the fact that both Chiles and Simone simply love their work and helping others.
"There is nothing that I would rather be doing at this stage of my career and my life than helping more students be successful," Chiles said. "It inspires me."
For more information on the services and plans offered by Chiles and Simone, please call or text Chiles on (314) 322-6806, E-mail him at harvey@thehomeworkdoctor.com, log onto the company's website, www.thehomeworkdoctor.com, or log onto their Facebook page, www.facebook.com/homeworkdoctor.
