From Broken Chairs to Break Through Moments

When Joel first came for tutoring, he was a force of nature—loud, intense, and often hard on everything he touched.

If something could be slammed, snapped, or broken, it usually was.

Beneath all that energy was a heart that was tender and full of potential, just waiting to shine.

Joel had been testing limits—his own and everything around him. And then, in a spectacular fashion, the chair he was sitting on reached its breaking point… literally leaving him standing for the rest of his session.

That weekend, I happened to be going to IKEA and picked up a new chair. But instead of simply replacing it for him, I decided to give him something more valuable than a place to sit—I gave him a choice.

At his next session, I placed an unopened box in front of him

“This is your new chair,” I said. “If you want to sit, you’ll need to build it. Or, you can stand. It’s up to you.”

No pressure. No lectures. Just an opportunity.

Joel hesitated. He huffed in disbelief. But then, something remarkable happened—he decided to try.

Piece by piece, he built that chair. He carefully followed the instructions, adjusting, reworking, and figuring things out as he went.

When he finished building the chair, something significant had shifted.

For the first time, Joel took ownership—not just of the chair, but of himself. He became more aware, more intentional, more in control.

And that chair? It wasn’t just furniture anymore. It was his. No one else was allowed to sit in it!

That small moment sparked something bigger.

Over time, Joel discovered a love for building models and cars—because creating something with his own hands made him feel capable, proud, and unstoppable.

At Bright Heart Learning, these are the moments we live for.

Yes, we help students improve their grades, but true transformation happens when they discover confidence, ownership, and pride in themselves. These are the lessons that last a lifetime—the ones that can’t be measured on a report card.

We "see" your student. Their struggles, their unique heart, their untapped potential. And we meet them exactly where they are.

Because of that, we’ve witnessed so many young lives transformed, one small moment at a time.

So, what’s your student’s “chair”?

Empowering students with individualized support is our passion!