Private instruction with Leslie — for the few engagements where 1:1 is the right instrument.
Leslie takes on a small number of private engagements per term. A homeschool family who wants their student fully prepared before AP Bio. A pre-nursing student stuck on A&P I lab. A returning Bright Minds family who wants 1:1 anatomy instead of waiting on a cohort. The cohort is the headline product. Private instruction is for cases where it isn’t the right shape.
Limited capacity. Existing relationships and clear-fit inquiries first.
- ✓Targeted lab-skills work with a credentialed instructor — one student at a time, or a single family/pod of two or three.
- ✓Bespoke scope, set per engagement: a single prep session, a recurring weekly slot, or a defined sprint toward a specific exam or capstone.
- ✓The same instructor families pay for in the cohort — just calibrated to your student.
- ×Generic homework help. Plenty of services do that well; this isn’t one of them.
- ×A substitute for the cohort. If the cohort fits, take the cohort — same instructor, lower cost, peer dynamics included.
- ×Open enrollment. Leslie reviews each inquiry personally and accepts what fits.
A few shapes that have actually worked.
These aren’t a service menu — they’re sample engagements to make the “what could this look like for us?” question concrete. Most real engagements are one of these, slightly adjusted.
Pre-health practical prep
Microscopy, dissection technique, A&P models — the BSU-flavored bench skills students will hit hard in college pre-health labs. Often a 4–6 session sprint before a known practical or AP exam.
Best fit: 11th–12th graders aimed at pre-health, or college freshmen ahead of an A&P practical.
High-school biology mastery
For a homeschool or hybrid student building toward a real lab transcript. Recurring weekly or biweekly sessions, working through a defined biology / anatomy arc with a working lab notebook and a defendable capstone at the end.
Best fit: 9th–12th grade homeschool, hybrid academy, or alumni families wanting 1:1 depth.
Family / pod small group
Two or three students from a single family or homeschool pod. Same hour, same bench, scope set together. Often the right shape when siblings are within a grade or two of each other.
Best fit: families and pods who already know they want 1:1-style depth, just for more than one student.
Standalone capstone coaching
For a student doing independent work who needs a credentialed reader to sharpen the question, the methods, and the defense — and to write a letter of completion against direct observation.
Best fit: students aiming at competitive applications who already have a project but need a real critique.
Four steps from inquiry to first session.
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1
You send an inquiry.
A sentence or two about your student and what you’re hoping to accomplish. The clearer the ask, the faster Leslie can tell you whether 1:1 is the right shape.
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2
Leslie reads it personally and replies.
Within a few days. If it’s a clear fit, she’ll propose a brief call to scope. If a different package would serve you better — the cohort, the workshop, or somewhere outside Bright Minds entirely — she’ll say that too.
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3
A short call to scope.
~20 minutes by phone. We agree on shape (1:1 vs pod), cadence (one-off vs recurring), location, and an honest assessment of what 1:1 can and can’t do for your student. Rate is set against scope at this stage — no surprises.
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4
First session on the bench.
Usually within two weeks of the scope call, schedules permitting. Lab notebook starts on day one.
Rate is set per engagement.
Private instruction is priced against scope, not by a published hourly rate — a single prep session and a recurring semester engagement aren’t the same thing, and shouldn’t carry the same number.
Honest framing: this is a premium product. The cohort is the value play; private instruction is for cases where the value is in the 1:1 attention itself. If budget is the deciding factor, the Saturday cohort delivers the same instructor at roughly a third of the per-hour cost.
Quick answers.
- Why is this “by inquiry” instead of just having a calendar?
- Because Leslie’s primary commitments are her BSU role and the Bright Minds cohorts, private instruction has to fit around those. A 20-minute scope conversation up front saves both sides from booking time that won’t actually serve the student.
- Where do sessions happen?
- Treasure Valley, Idaho — usually at a Bright Minds bench or, for some engagements, at the family’s home if microscopes/specimens aren’t needed that session. A small number of remote sessions are possible for purely conceptual work.
- Will my student get a letter of completion?
- Yes — for engagements with enough hours of direct observation to actually write one credibly. A single prep session won’t produce a letter; a defined arc will. Discussed at the scope call.
- My student is below 7th grade. Will Leslie work with them 1:1?
- Sometimes — for clear-fit cases (e.g. a precocious 6th grader already doing 9th-grade biology). Mention the situation in your inquiry and Leslie will tell you honestly whether it’s a fit.
- Adult learner here — pre-nursing or post-bacc. Is that in scope?
- Yes, on a case-by-case basis. Leslie sees enough of this through her BSU role to know what works. Note “adult learner” in the student-info field on the inquiry form.
Send Leslie an inquiry.
A sentence or two about your student and what you’re looking for. She reads each one personally and replies within a few days — either with next steps or with an honest pointer to whichever package fits better.
Inquire about 1:1 →Or email hello@brightmindslearning.com directly.