Your Partner in Learning Success

Meet Ryan

Hi, I'm Ryan Larson, founder of The Learning Heart Tutoring & Academic Coaching.

I've spent much of my professional career helping children, adolescents and young adults learn, overcome challenges, and become more independent. My background includes special education, secondary education, individualized academic instruction, vocational rehabilitation, and academic coaching.

I created The Learning Heart because I believe effective tutoring starts with understanding the student, not simply the assignment.

Every learner brings a different combination of strengths, challenges, experiences, interests, and ways of thinking. That's why I don't believe in using exactly the same approach with every student. I work to understand what's getting in the way, identify what already works, and develop strategies that fit the individual learner.

My Background

My professional and educational background includes:

• M.S. in Special Education

• Licensed Special Education Teacher – Emotional Disabilities & Specific Learning Disabilities

• Licensed English Language Arts Teacher, Grades 7–12

• Licensed Social Studies Teacher, Grades 7–12

• Licensed English Learner (ESL) Teacher, Grades K–12

• Additional teaching licensure in Health Education

• B.A. in History

• B.A. in Philosophy & Religion

• Currently completing an M.S. in Clinical Rehabilitation & Mental Health Counseling

I also bring seven years of experience as a special education teacher, along with professional experience in vocational rehabilitation and community-based support for individuals with disabilities.

Throughout my career, I've worked with students and young adults with a wide variety of strengths and learning needs, including learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, executive-function difficulties, emotional and behavioral challenges, and students who simply need a different approach to learning.

My Approach

Tutoring shouldn't be about doing the work for a student.

It's about helping students understand difficult material, discover strategies that work for them, and gradually become less dependent on outside help.

That might mean breaking a complicated assignment into manageable steps, explaining a concept in a completely different way, strengthening foundational skills, developing better organization and study habits, or providing a patient environment where a student feels comfortable saying, “I don't understand this yet.”

Mistakes are part of learning. Questions are encouraged. Different ways of thinking are welcome.

My goal is for students to leave tutoring with more than a completed assignment. I want them to develop greater skill, confidence, self-understanding, and independence.

Why “The Learning Heart”?

Academic success matters, but students are more than grades and test scores.

The name The Learning Heart reflects my belief that learning works best when students feel respected, understood, supported, and genuinely capable of growth.

Every learner is different.

Their support should be, too.