Gurus Educational Services

Funny… the other two reviewers that gave them 5 stars each have 3 reviews.
My kid has taken a public speaking class in Oakland from this group. It was very expensive, especially considering the number of hours my child was in it.
The administration seems to be a cluster. I’ve never called there and had someone been able to answer simple questions such as «is there class at my school today» — they always have to look into it and get back to me. There are dates when school gets out early and i’ve had more unreturned messages than call backs. There definitely is not any proactive email or notification letting us know of their schedule when something is different from normal (or a reminder that there will be no class a certain day). Just another thing that makes managing a childcare schedule difficult.
That said, I have regularly asked my kid what they learned in the program and she has trouble recounting anything that I would consider valuable. Did they do any public speaking in class or take part in arguing a point — the most common answer is no (she’s near the end of the session and she said she’s only spoken publicly twice, and the first time was on the first day). I showed up a little early to pick up my kid and watched the teacher speak to the kids. The teacher seemed to give «homework» — prepare to talk about xyz topic next time (their last class). There was no handout and, when I asked my kid a couple hours later what she needs to do or think about for next time, she had no idea.
I admit my kid is a typical flighty elementary child, but, from what we can tell, she’s performing well above grade level so it’s not that she’s a bad student. If you expect an 8 – 10 year old to do something outside of class you should probably give something for them to take away and remember it by.
Would definitely not sign up for this again.

My child has not taken any classes yet. I was interested and since the info for our school had not been updated and the classes were supposed to start next week according to the old flyer, I called them. They seemed disorganized, unhelpful and nonchalant and said they would have a schedule next week. Most classes/​clubs on campus had already started and it annoys me these guys don’t even have a schedule yet. Which is not helpful for schedule planning for the parents. I also heard that they take a while to reply to inquiries. Anyone have suggestions for a more professional provider in the bay area for our school to look into?

My son attended public speaking classes at Chadbourne elementary in Fremont this year. The teacher, Kim, was amazing. She was knowledgeable and energetic and made learning fun. I could see improvement in my son’s speech/​presentation week after week. And the best part is the weekly emails that she would send describing in details about what was taught in class and plans for next one and general update on how kids are progressing. Something to watch out for — it seems there are two public speaking after school programs at Chadbourne with very similar names and logos. I had heard that Bay Area Debate Club programs are much better and decided to try them and I am glad I did. We are definitely going back again next year.

Strong Program and dedicated directors. Open to suggestions and critique.
This educational enrichment program has it all!
My kids had some resistance to join these classes, but I insisted and they did. To my pleasant surprise they enjoyed the class and have already finished 5 sessions successfully.
They have turned into strong speakers and will happily take more learning in the field of Public speaking and Debate.