Meet Valerie Byars: Experienced Educator and College Consultant at Inspire Academic Coaching
My name is Valerie Byars, and I have been an educator since 1997. For 28 years, I was an army wife, and this afforded me the opportunity to work in a variety of schools, including traditional public, charter, private, and religious schools. I am a certified 6-12 Social Studies educator and have taught just about every course in the Social Sciences at all levels. I am also certified with a proven track record of student success as an Advanced Placement teacher of US Government & Politics, Psychology, and European History. In addition to classroom teaching, I have served as a Dean of Students, Department Chair, new teacher mentor, student advisor, and a member of the Instructional Leadership Team. My broad experience has blessed me with the opportunity to work with students of all ability levels and from diverse backgrounds. I also am the mom of two amazing young adults that went through their own college admissions process. Therefore, I bring both the college consultant and parent perspectives to my approach.
Building Relationships and Mentoring Students for Success in College Admissions
My favorite aspect of my job throughout my career has been building relationships with and mentoring students. So many students find navigating their academic careers completely overwhelming. I work hard to establish relationships with my students, allowing them to do their best work. I excel at helping students break things down into manageable parts so they can perform at their highest levels while managing stress. Over the years, I have helped students with college applications, the college search process, writing skills, time management, organization skills, and study skills. I genuinely care about my students as whole people and not merely their academics. Partnering with parents to help students achieve their goals is another part of my job that I love! When working with me, parents know that I am working passionately on their child’s behalf to help them achieve their best outcomes. I obtained my Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the College of Charleston in 1994 and my Masters of Arts in Secondary Education from the University of Alabama in 2005. In addition to college consulting and academic coaching, I have taught a college success course as an adjunct professor at a local community college.
QC Collective Coaching
Valerie is also a member of the QC Collective Coaching
An all-embracing blend of experiences, specialties and background. Here to hold you and yours through all of life’s journey’s from parenting, learning challenges and school choice to re relationships, marriages, careers, divorce, and retirement.
Work with us - one on one or tap into our collective power for workshops, off site retreats, group/team trainings, speaking engagements and panels.
“As a teacher, I have always sought to help students take a step back and put things in perspective. When they are feeling overwhelmed, we examine the issue and break it down into manageable parts.”
— Valerie Byars
My Mission
At Inspire Academic Coaching we take a holistic approach to the college admission process. We believe that the earlier we start with the student the better the outcome. Our goal at Inspire is to help students “Catch Fire Rather Than Burn Out”.