Zach L.
Zachery Lundgren received his Ph.D. in Rhetoric, Writing, and Composition from East Carolina University. He also has an MFA from the University of South Florida, and a BA from the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Zach has taught at the college level for seven years, and has tutored students from middle school to graduate school in a variety of subjects. His primary areas of expertise are English, Essay Writing, and Science.
When he isn’t teaching or tutoring, Zach loves hiking, camping, and backpacking in the Colorado backcountry. He is also an avid reader and has published a book of poetry: Turkey Vulture, published by Meadowlark Press.
Jacob C.
EN: Jacob is a current student in McGill University’s Master of Arts in Teaching and Learning (English Language) program. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism and brings nearly 10 years of experience in traditional media and corporate communications, where clear, effective language was central to his work.
Jacob specializes in reading, writing, and communication skills. He has a particular strength in helping students build confidence in their abilities. His background allows him to break down complex ideas across multiple subjects into clear, accessible concepts while adapting his approach to each student’s learning style.
Positive and encouraging, Jacob aims to create a personalized learning environment where students feel comfortable asking questions, making mistakes, and progressing at their own pace.
FR: Jacob est actuellement étudiant dans le programme de maîtrise arts en enseignement et apprentissage (langue anglaise) de l’Université McGill. Détenant un baccalauréat en journalisme, il possède près de 10 ans d’expérience dans les médias traditionnels et les communications d’entreprise, où l’utilisation de langage clair et efficace était au cœur de son travail.
Jacob est spécialisé dans la lecture, l’écriture et la communication. Il excelle particulièrement dans l’aide apportée aux élèves pour qu’ils prennent confiance en leurs capacités. Son expérience lui permet de simplifier des idées complexes dans plusieurs sujets en concepts clairs et accessibles, tout en adaptant son approche au style d’apprentissage de chaque élève.
Positif et encourageant, Jacob vise à créer un environnement d’apprentissage personnalisé où les élèves se sentent à l’aise pour poser des questions, faire des erreurs et progresser à leur propre rythme.
Tina A.
Tina earned her degree in Elementary Education with an ESL endorsement from Northeastern Illinois University. She brings more than 20 years of teaching experience, having worked with students in grades 2–5 as well as Middle School English Language Arts across both public and private school environments.
With extensive classroom and tutoring experience, Tina understands that every student learns differently. She values differentiated instruction and tailors her approach to support each learner’s strengths and needs. Her focus is on creating a positive, encouraging space where students feel comfortable taking risks, building confidence, and achieving academic success.
Tina specializes in core general education subjects, including math, science, social studies, and reading/language arts. She is passionate about strengthening foundational skills while helping students develop curiosity, independence, and a lasting enthusiasm for learning.
When she’s not teaching, Tina enjoys spending quality time with her children, family, and friends. She loves staying active through exercise and Zumba, cooking and enjoying good food, caring for her dog and cat, and tending to her garden.
Reagan R.
Reagan R. is a recent and proud graduate of Houston’s Rice University. It is here that she earned her Bachelors of Arts in both English Literature and Psychology. With this background, Reagan utilizes a personalized approach to tutoring that recognizes that teaching is not a one-size-fits-all job. Rather, Reagan tutors with adaptability, patience, and individualized lesson plans tailored to each student’s needs. With a calm and encouraging approach, she teaches with the belief that every student learns best when they feel capable and understood. Reagan tutored extensively for her neighborhood and friends of neighbors in her hometown of Dripping Springs, Texas. Now, she is seeking to tutor closer to her new home in New Braunfels, Texas. In her free time, Reagan enjoys staying active with at-home Pilates and taking her dog Travis to the park. No, she is not related to Ryan Reynolds, but she is flattered that you asked. She can’t wait to get acquainted with new faces and promises a genuine investment in each student’s success.
Phillip M.
Phillip “Flip” M. was born in Chicago and raised in Texas, earning his Bachelor of Science from Midwestern State University (Wichita Falls) and Masters of Arts in Teaching with Emphasis on Special Education from National Louis University. This is his tenth year of teaching, currently as an 8th grade Special Education ELA teacher. Phillip is passionate about special education and believes that students with intellectual or behavioral disabilities bring unique strengths that are often overlooked. In addition to ELA, he enjoys working with students on executive function and social skills, designing lessons that build academic ability alongside self-management and interpersonal strengths. Phillip is committed to continuing his education to better support students and pursue leadership roles in order to make a broader positive impact in school systems and student’s academic lives. Outside of his teaching career, he enjoys cooking, camping, flag football, beach and indoor volleyball.
Sara S.
Sara is an experienced educator with over 18 years of teaching expertise across diverse educational settings. She studied at both Rutgers University and Kean University, where she strengthened her foundation in child development and instructional practice. Sara has taught in the public school system for 13 years, spent two years in a Montessori environment, supported a family through a year of private homeschooling, and most recently founded and operated her own homeschool program for the past two years.
Sara specializes in supporting early learners from Kindergarten through Grade Five, with a particular passion for teaching children to read and developing strong foundational math skills. Her approach blends structure, patience, and warmth, allowing her to meet each child where they are and help them build confidence through personalized, engaging instruction.
Beyond her professional work, Sara is a devoted mother who loves spending time with her children, exploring nature, and caring for animals. Her long-term dream is to one day create an animal sanctuary—a reflection of her nurturing spirit both inside and outside the classroom.
Maria S.
Maria is an experienced educator who specializes in helping students build strong academic skills, confidence, and effective learning habits. She has taught across elementary and middle school and brings deep expertise in reading, writing, vocabulary development, and academic language growth.
Maria’s tutoring approach is centered on how students learn best. For example:
- Clear and achievable learning goals
- Explicit instruction with guided practice
- Reading comprehension strategies that make texts accessible
- Writing routines that strengthen structure, clarity, and organization
- Vocabulary practices that support deeper understanding
- Academic language supports such as sentence frames, thinking routines, and modeled responses
- Ongoing progress monitoring to celebrate growth and adjust instruction
Her students consistently make strong progress, and her classroom achieved the highest STAAR pass rate in her school (2023–2024). This success reflects her commitment to purposeful planning, high expectations, and meeting students exactly where they are.
Maria brings extensive experience in curriculum design to her tutoring, having created writing units, interdisciplinary lessons, and language-based supports that help students access challenging content. She uses this background to tailor every session to a child’s individual needs, strengths, and goals.
Although Maria is biliterate in English and Spanish, she uses this expertise only when helpful. Her understanding of how language functions in learning benefits all students—whether monolingual or multilingual—by strengthening their reading, writing, and communication skills.
Across all roles, Maria is recognized for her collaboration with families and communities, her strategic instructional planning, and her commitment to ensuring every student has the language, skills, and confidence to succeed.
Outside of teaching, Maria enjoys spending time with her family, relaxing with her dog, and staying active. She brings the same warmth, patience, and encouragement from her home life into every tutoring session.
Micaela F.
Micaela is an enthusiastic and student-centered educator with several years of experience in education. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education with a focus in English and has worked in a wide range of educational environments supporting learners of all ages.
In addition to Micaela’s five years of classroom experience teaching grades 1st through 4th, she has spent several years tutoring students from 1st grade through the college level. She has also been deeply involved in youth mentorship—volunteering with local elementary school programs, working as a camp counselor, and most recently serving as a STEM camp director. Her recent work as an Activities Coordinator at an international language school further allowed her to support students from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and strengthen her understanding of how to build inclusive learning communities.
Micaela’s teaching philosophy is rooted in the belief that students learn best when they feel seen, valued, and safe. She is committed to creating learning spaces that honor each student’s background and learning style, and she designs lessons that are engaging, collaborative, and curiosity-driven. She encourages students to take risks, ask questions, and actively shape their own learning. Her goal is always to empower students to grow with confidence and feel supported both academically and personally.
Outside of teaching, Micaela enjoys spending time outdoors, whether at the beach or in the mountains, trying new restaurants around the city or experimenting with recipes at home, and enjoying quality time with friends and family. She looks forward to the opportunity to work with you and your student!
Kyle H.
Kyle is a primary English educator and aspiring film professor with more than six years of teaching and tutoring experience across multiple classrooms, workshops, online platforms, and subjects. While he has been pursuing his masters degree in education at National Louis University, he has also been supporting grades 9–12 as a permanent substitute teacher at Hinsdale South High School. Kyle also has led screenwriting, creative writing, and public speaking sessions for Cardinal Filmworks, a student owned and ran film collective at Ball State University (his alma mater). Finally, after his undergrad, he also tutored poetry, Spanish, photography, and videography for learners of all ages with Varsity Tutors as one of their Creative Writing Experts. His style tends to center on building up confidence and problem solving skills through lessons that connect his students’ work to their interests. Creativity is a core tenet of his and because of that he loves to design personalized, engaging sessions that balance creative freedom with structured feedback so that each student grows as both thinker and creator. Because of this more creativity-focused approach, crafting relationships with my students is paramount to me. Learning about their lives and helping them succeed is just as important to me as their academics. Kyle is a lifelong reader, film buff, devoted sci‑fi and fantasy fan, bass guitar player, and avid Chicago & New York sports fan (Cubs/Sox Mets/Jets).
Abby G.
Abby has been working in education for nearly six years and is currently in her fifth year of classroom teaching. She has experience working with students across a wide range of grade levels, from Pre-K through 11th grade.
She currently serves as an AP English Language and English I teacher and previously taught middle school Social Studies for four years. Her diverse classroom experience allows her to adapt instruction to meet the needs of different ages and learning styles.
Abby is passionate about helping students experience those meaningful “a-ha” moments that move them to the next level in their learning. She values building strong, positive relationships with her students and believes that children learn best from educators they trust and enjoy working with.
She looks forward to supporting students through personalized, one-on-one instruction and partnering with families to help their children succeed.