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About Thiebaut Method
Thiebaut Method, founded in 2009, is a free nonprofit after school program for low-income struggling students in grades K-8 who attend school or live in East Palo Alto's Ravenswood School District.
Thiebaut Method's mission is to give students a place to go where they can pursue their passions, be themselves, and build community around common interests. |
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After School Program Details
Students come to TM's passion center located in East Palo Alto where they work one-on-one with cultivators, independently, and in peer groups on projects inspired by their passions.
Everything students learn is designed to develop intellectual, creative, and practical skills needed in school and life. Thiebaut Method is known for how quickly its struggling students catch up in school in nearly every class they struggle in. |
We Address High Need
Thiebaut Method serves low-income struggling students who attend school or live in East Palo Alto's Ravenswood School District.
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Some of the needs we serve include:
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Daily Routine At Thiebaut Method
Thiebaut Method uses a variety of research-based teaching approaches to teach students how to leverage their interests and strengths, develop skills they can use in school and life, and put them on track to pursue meaningful and productive careers.
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Practical Challenges
Students start every day by accepting or modifying a hands-on challenge based on their passions that relate to things people do in the real world. Challenges can take from an hour to four days to complete, and include disassembling bikes, designing cartoons, and interviewing people. |
Intellectual and Creative Challenges
TM cultivators inject intellectual and creative challenges into practical challenges students are working on, such as doing design research, exploring open-ended questions, and taking measurements. This approach creates relational understanding and teaches students how to think critically and creatively. |
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Reflections
Students start winding up their day by doing written reflections on what they worked on. Reflecting encourages self-awareness, introspection, and writing and project management skills. |
Presentations
Students end every day by congregating to present their reflections, what they worked on, and conduct Q&As. Presentations build community and public speaking skills as well as teach students how to be comfortable with unfinished work and diverse feedback. |
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Thiebaut Method
Student Highlight Sergio is a first grader who was referred to Thiebaut Method struggling in nearly all academic and social areas. In fact, his school recommended putting him back into kindergarten. TM quickly identified his passion for art and in four months Sergio was on track to graduate 1st grade at (or above) grade level. His teacher said she never saw a struggling student learn so fast!
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A book Sergio is illustrating
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What Sergio's mom has to say
Sergio's mom explains why she signed him up for Thiebaut Method, some of the progress he has made, and an example of how Thiebaut Method teaches children how to pursue their passions.
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We Have High Impact Partnerships
We partner with agencies such as Ravenswood School District, Ravenswood Family Health Center, Community Gate Program, and others to make our program is accessible to high need students. Here are two letters of support from a referral partner and major donor.
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Referral Partner
LIsa Chamberlain, MD, MPHPediatrician and Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Chair, Policy & Community Engagement, Stanford School of Medicine
"I had one particular patient that I was really worried about. I recommended Thiebaut Method Tutoring because I had seen a flyer in our offices. About a month later, the family came back and just raved about it. The main reason (I continue referring families) is that they appreciate it and I’ve seen the impact. I tell all my colleagues about it and I make sure we have flyers in the office all the time."
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Donor Highlight
Sheri Sobrato BrissonTrustee, Sobrato Family Foundation
"I have known Paul Thiebaut III and his team at Thiebaut Method Tutoring (Formerly, 10 Books A Home) since I had the great fortune of meeting one of Thiebaut Method’s enthusiastic board members who purchased one of my daughter’s rainbow brownies at her very first bake sale. When we got to talking about the innovative early learning model based on intrinsic learning motivations offered by volunteers to low income students in East Palo Alto, I just had to make a visit to the little pink house in EPA." Read More
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History of Thiebaut Method
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Paul Thiebaut III created Thiebaut Method based on a very simple concept backed up by some of the richest and most reliable psychological science: People do their best work and experience emotional fulfillment when they pursue their passions (intrinsic motivations).
Fiercely passionate people work hard, persist, focus on growth, and care about things beyond themselves. Qualities like these lead to continuous skill development, adaptability and flexibility, and an inclination to put ideas into action. Almost all gifted, talented, innovation, and genius research shows that the most outstanding individuals are the most passionate. |
Paul Thiebaut III used his passions in 2003 to learn his way out of poverty and then created an education method to teach struggling students how to pursue their passions.
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