Kaitlin’s story
Two and a half years of learning coaching, from a 16-year-old fed up with learning for the test to a thriving engineering major in the US.
Kaitlin is a pen name, used to protect her privacy. Photos are illustrations from my articles.
“I don’t need to spend all of my time doing things and learning things just for academic validation, it can still be productive, even if it’s for myself.”
Her journey
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Spring 2023
Starting while still in school
At 16, Kaitlin was an American teenager living in Portugal who had been through several schools. She was fed up with forced subjects learned only to pass tests, and ready to try a different way.
We started small while she finished her school year. I asked her to bring a list of 20 things she found interesting, and we built from there. Each week she set her top three priorities on Monday, had WhatsApp support during the week and closed the week with a reflection call on Friday.
“Wait, so I will start the hobbies now so I can continue them when I actually have time for things other than school.”Kaitlin
Read: Reignite the Love for Learning -
Summer 2023
Photo: Alexis Brown, Unsplash Rediscovering free time
Her first summer of self-directed learning began with a vintage camera. Kaitlin organised a photoshoot with a friend at the beach, bringing photography, costume design, oceanography, biology and travel together in one project of her own design.
It was the moment she realised her own interests counted as real learning, an idea she captured in the quote at the top of this page.
Read: Productive Free Time -
High school
Using AI as a thinking partner
When I first shared ChatGPT on screen during a writing session, Kaitlin was worried it counted as cheating. So we experimented together, using it to brainstorm at the start of an assignment and to refine sentences when editing.
By reflecting on what the tool was doing for her, she learned to use it as a thinking partner rather than a replacement for her own work, without compromising her creativity.
Read: Beyond the Cheating Myth -
Senior year
The visual from the TED Talk that changed her view of social media From consumer to creator
One Monday, Kaitlin arrived having watched a TED Talk about the hidden cost of social media. She set up an app to block distractions at set times, and over her final semester I watched her shift from consumer to creator.
Instead of spending a whole day scrolling, she filled her free time with new dance classes and plans for life after graduation, and her wellbeing improved along with it.
“Why do we spend so much time worrying about other people’s lives instead of living our own?”Kaitlin
Read: How I Learned Social Media Limitations from Gen Z -
August 2025 onwards
Graduation, and a new chapter in the US
After two and a half years of coaching together, Kaitlin graduated from high school and moved to the US in August 2025. She’s now in her second year of university, thriving as an engineering major.
What made the difference
- Her interests came first. We started from her list of 20 interests, not a set curriculum.
- A steady weekly rhythm. Priorities on Monday, support during the week and reflection on Friday kept her moving without pressure.
- Time to review and reflect. Each week she looked back at her workload and capacity and adjusted her own plan.
- Real responsibility. Kaitlin made the learning decisions. I was in the passenger seat, supporting her.
Could coaching help your teen?
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