Founder. Leader. Mentor.
Dr. Edward Thalheimer discovered his passion for tutoring at a young age. During his years spent at the University of California at San Diego, Dr. Thalheimer excelled in team sports — namely basketball — and sought different ways to balance his time between his studies and what he believed to be a budding athletic career. So, when an opportunity to tutor other students in math for full class credit arose, Edward was one of the first to sign up.
“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.”
–Kofi Annan
In hindsight, Dr. Thalheimer understands that this experience, albeit short-lived, provided him with invaluable insights, guiding principles, and techniques that he maintains to this day. However, his spark for education had not yet been ignited to the point where he knew he wanted to pursue a career within the field. Instead, he continued to discover evidence of an overall need for educational assistance, even in Ivy League universities like Dartmouth College. Taking the skills and approaches he had discovered during his time at the University of California at San Diego, Edward was able to help his then-roommate improve his grades and find studying methods that would enable him to excel.
Despite this natural talent, Dr. Edward Thalheimer felt a strong pull to join the United States Navy, and hoped to rise in the ranks to become a Nuclear Power Naval Officer in the US Submarine force. After all, Dr. Thalheimer has always valued a challenge, and he viewed this long-term goal in the same light. He entered the ranks as a Nuclear Power Officer and, after four years of service, ended his tenure amicably and on a high note. Even still, he was unsure of what to do next.
As fate would have it, Dr. Edward Thalheimer soon crossed paths with a renowned geneticist, who was a frontrunner in researching the various genetic links between a number of neurological disorders, including ADD and ADHD. Fascinated, Dr. Thalheimer gained important insight into the complexities of such disorders and how to best teach individuals who have been diagnosed with them.
It was at that point that the initial concept of Dr. Edward Thalheimer’s company, The Tutoring Center, had formed. Similar to the strong pull to join the Navy he had felt years prior, Dr. Thalheimer felt he was equipped to undertake the challenges of establishing his own business and creating a safe environment that actively fosters learning and collaboration. However, he continued to work as an educator at a local private school to continue gaining the experience necessary for such a transition.
In 1994, Dr. Thalheimer took a leap of faith and, ultimately, developed one of the most successful after-school educational companies in the United States. Now, looking to 2019 and beyond, The Tutoring Center is quickly approaching 200 franchise locations and boasts a center-closing rate considered to be one of the lowest in the industry, which the organization has maintained for over a decade.
If you are interested in learning more about Dr. Edward Thalheimer’s passion for tutoring and helping others thrive, be sure to visit his blog page.
