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A NEW KIND OF EDUCATION School founder Dana Herzberg pursues her dream of enriching future generations BY GRETCHEN PAHIA
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PHOTO BY CARL SCHULTZ
t’s no secret that children are the future. They’re our future leaders and future entrepreneurs, and this is something you don’t need to remind the founder of Scottsdale-based Herzberg Educational Services, Dana Herzberg. “I’ve been in education my entire career. It is my passion, and I believe it’s what I was put on this earth to do.” In 1999, Herzberg founded On-Track Tutoring with a mission to empower students of all abilities through one-on-one tutoring. It has since evolved into so much more. The Herzberg Educational Services umbrella now runs both On-Track Tutoring as well as The Jones-Gordon School, named for Herzberg’s educational heroes Dr. Clare B. Jones and Dr. Leonard Gordon. Currently, there are 97 students enrolled at the school, which meets the needs of diverse learners or those who thrive in smaller classrooms through a customized program. Ultimately, the school strives to foster social, emotional and academic growth by helping students hone their strengths and gifts. Herzberg says, “We focus on their strengths. It isn’t about what may be wrong with a child but what is right and we put the focus there.” Learn more about The Jones-Gordon School at www.jonesgordon.org.
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If you weren’t in education, what do you think you would be doing? I would be going back to school myself, seeking a Ph.D. in psychology (who knows, I might do this concurrently!). What piece of advice would you give someone considering education as a profession? Being a great teacher is a gift, a calling, an art and a science. It is one of the most challenging yet rewarding careers on earth, requiring both steadfast commitment and willingness to grow and learn. Proceed with caution, enter with an open mind and heart, and be prepared to see challenges the way we hope our students will – as surmountable obstacles. If you could go back and do one thing over, what would that be? I wouldn’t change a thing. I love our mission, what we do as an organization, and mostly, I love that I get to be a part of the successes of so many kids. SO SCOTTSDALE! |
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| MARCH 2016
2/22/16 9:39 PM