Errol M.

Errol is a well-versed tutor with lots of experience. He was born and raised in Boise, but spent the majority of his adulthood teaching in South Korea. He graduated from Boise State University with a degree in Political Science and minored in English. After graduating, he moved to South Korea and lived there for fifteen years. Korea is a high paced and competitive environment for students. He tutored international students in Elementary, Middle and High School in all core subjects, as well as university test preparation. He went on to own an after-school study academy. After traveling the world, he decided to relocate his family back to his hometown. He soon discovered the educational assistance that many students needed. He decided to take his experience to help them catch up or get ahead. He previously worked at the school district as a Behavior Interventionist, Activity Coordinator for the YMCA and mentor. His passion, patience and sense of humor will help your children fulfill their full potential.

Amira H.

Amira is a college junior at the University of Illinois in Chicago. She is a biology student on the pre-med track and hopes to one day become a pediatrician. Amira discovered her love of working with kids in high school, where she was a tutor for kids in special education. She has worked one-on-one with these kids to gain their trust, form connections, and make the learning experience fun. Amira is currently taking a full courseload at UIC while studying for the MCAT and specializes in STEM courses. She also enjoys reading and writing, being an avid reader in her spare time. In growing up with a music teacher single mother, Amira can also play four instruments (clarinet, guitar, ukulele, and piano). She loves to take on new challenges and continue to find ways to help her students excel. Fun fact: Amira has a Pomeranian named Socks.

Kristina C.

Kristina has been teaching in Downers Groves School District 58 for the past 8 years. Beginning her career in 2nd grade for one year, moving to 3rd grade for six years, and now enjoying her first year teaching 4th grade this school year! She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education from Illinois State University, and since then obtained her Master’s Degree in Special Education from Western Governors University. While at Illinois State University, Kristina studied abroad twice, once to Costa Rica and a second time England. In England, she completed half of her student teaching experience in a 4th grade classroom. Her passion is to teach students that have different interests and abilities, and be their biggest cheerleader. Students’ growth is endless, once they realize their potential!

When not teaching, Kristina enjoys cooking for her family, baking m&m cookies, and socializing with friends. She comes from a big family with many younger cousins, and often found herself in the role model position from a young age. She is looking forward to getting to know more local families and aiding in their child’s academic success!

Monica V.

Meet Mrs. Monica. Monica has 16 years of teaching experience in elementary and high school education in reading, writing, and math. She is a native of San Antonio, TX. where she still resides and completed her Undergraduate Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. She is certified in elementary education, special education, and teaching English as a second language. Her spare time is spent reading and learning new things to grow professionally and in her personal life. She also loves to exercise and wind down the day reading something (mostly nonfiction) real life stuff.

Over her years of teaching she has been able to help so many struggling students tap into their own thinking abilities, learn metacognitive skills (think about their thinking), and discover their own learning style along the way. Watching them grow in this way is what she feels has been the rewarding part of teaching. She is always looking forward to the next part of her teaching journey.

Kelsea S.

Kelsea Shea is a recent graduate from San Diego State University with both her Bachelor’s in Elementary Education and Multiple Subject Teaching Credential. She is currently in the Master’s program at SDSU and a 2nd grade long term substitute in Poway while she completes school. She completed her student teaching in 4th grade and has subbed in all grades! Kelsea is originally from Los Angeles County but currently lives in Pacific Beach with her 4 best friends (and two cats)! She used to be both a camp counselor and programs assistant for Mission Bay Aquatic Center where she would teach water sports and marine science to 6-14 year olds.

As an educator, she believes that she has the responsibility to support and advocate for the young minds of our future generations. She also believes that it is her job to create a motivating, safe, and positive environment in which students can grow as both learners and peers. She aims to be a role model for her students that encourages a growth mindset by growing together. Throughout her student teaching and future classroom, Kelsea’s instruction is equity-driven and unique to the student where they can learn in many engaging and educational ways. Whether this be through access to visual, kinesthetic, collaborative, or auditory supports, the learning of the student is built around them and their characteristics. Kelsea grounds her teaching on the notion that every student is a valuable contribution to their classroom and the world around them, therefore the instruction and environment in which they learn in, must be rich in value as well.

Alya S.

Alya is a dedicated and compassionate elementary school teacher with over four years of teaching experience. She has her master’s degree in Childhood Education and is licensed to teach students in grades 1-6. She has experience teaching students in a variety of settings, including public, charter, and accelerated curriculum schools.
Alya has extensive experience implementing targeted instructional approaches that meet various students’ academic learning styles and needs, including students with IEPs.

While in graduate school, Alya tutored elementary and middle school students in Reading, Writing, and Math. She also created supplemental curriculum material that aligned with state standards in order to provide differentiated instruction for these students.

In her free time, Alya enjoys practicing yoga, going for walks on the beach, and hiking. Alya believes that in order to best meet the learning styles and academic needs of each student, frequent and open communication with parents/guardians, and differentiated instruction is imperative. She looks forward to the opportunity to work with you!

Bailey K.

Bailey has been teaching elementary education for four years, with experience in both first and fifth grade. She earned her Associate of Arts in Teaching in 2018, followed by a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a focus on Special Education in 2020, and a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction in May 2024.

Bailey’s teaching philosophy revolves around creating an inclusive and engaging learning environment where students feel safe and supported. She believes in tailoring her instruction to meet each student’s unique learning style, ensuring that every child can thrive academically and personally. In addition to her expertise in reading and math, she has a deep passion for helping students develop research skills, think critically, and engage creatively with subjects.

Bailey also values strong collaboration with parents to help students achieve their goals and build the skills they need for lifelong learning. Outside of teaching and tutoring, she enjoys competitive swimming, loves sports, and appreciates cozy movie nights in with her cats, George and Toby.

Micaela M.

Micaela is an experienced educator specializing in reading, math, and ESL. She earned her Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and her Bachelor’s in Cultural Anthropology from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Micaela is passionate about teaching and has dedicated her career to helping students excel in English language learning, literacy, and math.

She has worked with students across various grade levels (EC-6), creating engaging and inclusive environments where they can thrive. Micaela develops customized lesson plans that support diverse learners using differentiated instruction and scaffolding. She is also trained in Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) methods, which she integrates into her teaching to foster supportive relationships with her students. Additionally, Micaela has received her Texas Teachers License in EC-6, with an additional certification in ESL. She has 4 years of experience as an educator in both traditional classroom settings and non-traditional exploratory and project-based learning programs.

Outside of teaching, Micaela enjoys camping, hiking, drawing, and spending time with her cats, Beaux and Pasha, and her dog, Apple.

Eden K.

Alongside having years of tutoring experience, Eden has a Bachelor of Arts in Photography and is a certified teacher. Eden grew up in Manchester, England where her parents fostered young children. That’s when she discovered her passion for educating children and she then came up with numerous exciting and engaging ways to educate children. Tutoring has allowed Eden to immerse herself in one-to-one personalized lessons that harbour children’s curiosity and interests, specializing in maths, reading and writing. Eden has a passion for traveling, therefore moved to Canada at 23 to fulfill her dream of living in the mountains, mountain biking and snowboarding. Through these experiences, in England and abroad, Eden has developed a deep passion for working with children and guiding them to reach their full potential.

KRISTEN P.

Kristen just retired after 32 years of teaching in the Ardsley School District. She started out in a self-contained Life Skills program for 8 years and then moved on to the CORE program in grades 2,3,4 where students were pulled out of their mainstream classes for direct instruction in ELA and math. She co-taught in grades 1, 2 and 3. Kristen was a Direct Teacher Consultant in K-4 and did direct reading instruction for grade 5. Kristen has a great deal of experience supporting students with Emotional and/or Behavioral needs both in and out of the mainstream classroom. She also directed an extended school year program for students needing summer services. In addition to planning and adapting curriculum, differentiating lessons, completing assessments and evaluations and collaborating with teachers and parents, Kristen has participated in a great deal of professional development and is trained in Fundations, Thinking Maps, LLI reading programs, Envisions, Do The Math and Investigations math programs and more. She has created curriculum for and taught after school Mindfulness and Introduction to French classes for K-2 students. Kristen mentored teachers and worked with staff to help develop their co – taught programs. She has pretty much done it all! Kristen enjoys baking, traveling, hiking, biking, reading and watching movies. Kristen is excited to be able to work with students to help facilitate their learning in fun and engaging activities!