Unconventional Minds By Jackson Bartlett
Walking into a small room tucked in the back of a parking lot complete with a lizard cage devoid of its late occupant, an array of geometrically assembled furniture, and snow white walls littered with the scrawling of various hands may not seem like the stereotypical place for students to learn, but then again life is full of oddities. A newcomer might be slightly taken aback by the unexpected arrangements, but anyone who has worked with or familiarized themselves with one Phillip Roberts would swing the sticky glass door open and plop down comfortably in their favorite of numerous chairs. While most writing upon a vertical surface is committed as an act of vandalism, scrawl of desperation upon penitentary walls, or preadolescent doodling, the collection of handwriting adorning the walls in this unique office serve a valid purpose. Each word, sentence or phrase written upon the whiteboards, attached to either the wall or ceiling above, are quotes from various tutoring pupils, which Mr. Roberts has found amusing as well as educationally beneficial. Like a pneumonic device. Each of these are applicable to certain academic subjects, and due to the fact that they are comical, students can easily draw upon them from memory as opposed to blankly staring at the same content on the pages of a dusty textbook and absorbing nothing.
These small devices speak volumes of Mr. Roberts and his success as an educator and mentor in all aspects of life. His infallibly magnetic charisma, razor-sharp intellect, and educational background are compounded in his work as a private tutor. Employing all three aspects, he fosters a learning environment that draws students beyond their perceived comfort zone, and yet allows them to speak their minds freely and utterly without judgement. Specializing in the implementation of strategies and systems designed to overcome or combat the obstacles presented by Attention Deficit Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder, which he himself deals with daily, he utilizes the keys to his own successes, a mastery of human psychology, a mind of staggering proportions, a magnetic personality, and a clear passion for helping others succeed to embody an unparalleled resource. Phillip Roberts is a critical component to numerous academic endeavors throughout the bay area. Without his readily available base of knowledge and assistance, dozens of students would be rendered extraordinarily unprepared to succeed in the coming years. Restructuring the thought process, and methods of completing day to day tasks is a formidable challenge, not one that can be completed in a few weeks. In attempting to foster the ability to achieve sustained success throughout their lives, Mr. Roberts works tirelessly with his clients, sometimes for years.
Mr. Roberts in his natural environment His relevance is paramount, without that structured support, many of his students would nose-dive into a cyclone of mortally wounded motivation and the unfinished skeleton of what they were on the path to becoming. Attending Independence High School, Roberts struggled with obstacles presented to those afflicted by ADD, with a less than desirable support network to help him cope. He did manage to graduate, but struggled with the time-honored teaching methodology of being presented information in a static manner and being expected to absorb and regurgitate that same in-
“I wanted to prove that I could do academics at a high level, but using my own way.” that same information at the drop of a hat. Despite difficulties learning, Roberts excelled intellectually and held an internship at NASA’s Spectroscopy lab in high school as he pursued a vehement passion for science.
Mr. Roberts was also driven beyond the realm of academia, engaging in large amount of physically trying activities; including diving, martial arts and rock climbing. Following his graduation from high school, Roberts travelled the globe in search of the danger found in the tougher rock climbs known to man. To this day he still takes great pride in maintaining his physique, primarily through tireless weeks of climbing and toning his body. Following his quest for remote climbs, Roberts returned to the bay area to revitalize Twister’s Gym, leading him into a smattering of consulting work regarding the design of climbing gyms. Though financially sound, Mr. Roberts had not lost his passion for knowledge and decided to return to school.
Upon acceptance to UC Davis, he majored in Cognitive Neuroscience and graduated in a short two years while remaining at the apex of his class. This was accomplished by the long-awaited implementation of mental organization systems which allowed him to harness the staggering potential of his previously scattered mind. One such method for rapid academic acceleration was to read each textbook front to back twice before even beginning the course, in the hopes of establishing a concrete base for what he anticipated to learn. Upon his graduation in those two short years, Roberts reached the potential he knew was stored within him, maintaining a flawless GPA to the day of his graduation.
Trooper the lizard decided he didn’t like crickets or water
Using strategies fitted best to his specific learning style, he showed the system he could make something of himself, and that he would do it on his own if need be. This was summarized when he stated, “I wanted to prove that I could do academics at a high level, but using my own way.” Taking this monumental victory to another level, he decided to dedicate his life work to those who suffered similar ailments to his, so they might also become that which they have the potential to be given the right guidance. The day I met Phillip Roberts cannot entirely be described by words alone.
The man is too much of a personably eccentric genius to concise into mere words upon a page. No literary embellishments are necessary to give the man credit or audience appeal, he speaks for himself in his actions and his words. I was wholly taken aback that fateful day in my sophomore year, when a grinning man in a fedora waltzed into my house and sat down next to me at my wooden dining room table. Of greater shock was his seemingly limitless supply of various mismatched laptops which he seemed to produce from nooks and crannies of his supply bag and even his collared shirt sleeves.
I had not yet even registered the fact that the man, so politely removing his head adornment upon stepping inside, had not a strand of hair on his head. Shy at being introduced to, and left alone with a total stranger who talked ninety words per second, (and occasionally lapsed into seamless strings of German mid-sentence) I sat somewhat uncomfortably as we discussed my academic progress throughout high school. His infallible grin and down to earth views on education, and his astounding knowledge of exactly what I was struggling with soon put me at a relative sense of ease and I began to open up just a bit. I knew we had found the right tutor for alleviating my struggles when he leaned in close with the most wicked and yet childish smirk on his face and whispered so my mother could not hear, “dude, I can get you your iPhone back. All I have to do is convince your mom it’s going to help you do better in school.” The man was brilliant. To me he was a genius because he had found a way around the consequences entailing the deactivation of my former iPhone, but he had also engrained himself as an educational resource. That was due to the fact that he had earned my trust as his pupil, and also set me up with one of the keys to success without me even fully realizing it.
As the years have progressed and Mr. Roberts and I have cultivated our professional relationship, I have been the firsthand witness to a community hero transforming lives day in and day out. When he challenged and bested the struggles in his own life, Phillip Roberts realized that his goal in life was to help others. Because, perhaps, he had not had the support desirable for success earlier on, he decided he would be that foundation for those who struggled as he had. Arguably, Mr. Roberts sees a little piece of himself in every student he takes on, and allows that bright individual to succeed as they are capable of. Not only is he somebody who trains students to fulfill their potential, but he embodies a community resource and jack-of-all-trades. Rather than berating students for not doing assignments or slacking off
on their studies, Roberts asks that they merely be realistic and be straightforward in telling him if they aren’t going to do something. As he puts it, he merely offers suggestions which he thinks could be useful to that particular individual, but they are in no way pressured to take or use that advice. Never once have I seen him express agitation in a negative manner, a feat admirable in itself given the nature of students he assists. While some flatly refuse to accept any of his suggestions or fight him tooth and claw for months on end, he merely absorbs the frustration with an otherworldly resilience and allows the negativity to bounce off of him without detrimental repercussions. This uncanny ability to work with the most challenging cases, as well as an easygoing approach to learning that engages students in a positive and almost casual manner are rare traits in any field of work. The passion for aiding those who struggle, and the resilience to brush
off even the greatest of frustrations do not conflict visibly, but rather are integrated fluidly into a cohesion comprising a portion of Mr. Roberts’ ideologies. Yet his usefulness as a resource reaches further still. Due, in part, to his deep-rooted goal of balancing a professional tutoring establishment and devoting himself to the long-term success of his pupils. From that vision, a balancing act was born. Roberts employs a percentage of those he tutors as assistants in his office, reaching beyond the educator-pupil relationship. From this connection, both sides benefit equally. Mr. Roberts gains the satisfaction of knowing he is instilling his employees with job experience, a chance to learn how to teach others, and methods to sustain a steady job. The students benefit similarly in that they are given a job which focuses on instruction in tutoring others in their field of strength, as well as learning how to maintain a job. This growing of his educational enterprise had led Mr. Phillip Roberts to a grand vision for the future. He hopes to expand his business size, clientel and employee base, and set of available resources. In summary, Mr. Roberts has begun to cultivate the roots of a center for learning with a vast potential and has begun to build up his vision for a better world through that beginning. He is a selfless individual dedicated to the success of those who have that potential for greatness within them, and strives to reach further and touch more lives in his vision of bettering the world as he sees fit.