Elizabeth B.

Elizabeth is a highly experienced educator with over 30 years of expertise in special education, literacy, and early childhood development. Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, Elizabeth holds a B.S. in Early Childhood Education from the University of Maryland and a Master’s Degree in Communicative Disorders from Johns Hopkins University, where she also earned certifications in Special Education and Reading for grades K-12.

Throughout her career, Elizabeth has worked in both public and private educational settings, teaching students with diverse needs, including cognitive disabilities and learning differences. She is deeply passionate about fostering student growth through a “learning by doing” approach, empowering children to explore, think critically, and achieve their goals in a supportive and inclusive environment. Whether working on reading comprehension, math skills, or self-regulation, Elizabeth’s innovative, multi-sensory techniques have consistently driven success for her students.

Elizabeth’s teaching philosophy centers on creating a community where every child feels understood and accepted. She believes in the transformative power of education, seeing it as an opportunity to inspire curiosity and nurture authentic self-expression. Her passion for teaching stems from the joy of learning from her students, whom she views as partners in an ever-evolving journey of discovery.

In her spare time, Elizabeth enjoys sharing her Baltimore roots, from cheering on the Ravens and Orioles to savoring Maryland’s famous steamed crabs. Her dedication to her craft and her students makes her a trusted and inspiring guide for learners of all ages.

 

DIANA R.

Diana is a dedicated teacher who is passionate about creating a learning environment that is encouraging and instills confidence in students. Diana has worked as a classroom educator and private tutor for over 15 years. She is adept at implementing various strategies and techniques that differentiate learning so that each student can achieve success and develop skills for lifelong learning. Diana received her Master of Science and Certification in Elementary Education in 2006 and worked as a fourth-grade teacher at a Connecticut public school for over 10 years. As a classroom teacher, Diana instructed students with various learning needs in all subjects and has extensive experience in accommodating varying learning styles. She strongly believes that students thrive in an environment that helps them feel confident and successful. As a private tutor, Diana continues to implement her philosophy of teaching. She has worked with students from grades 1-6, and grades 7-10 in language arts. She believes in strong communication with parents and collaborates with classroom teachers to ensure student success. In her free time, Diana enjoys spending time with her family, reading and playing tennis. She also volunteers in local community literacy programs for adults and children.

Katherine M-O.

Katherine (Kat) graduated from Alliant International University (online study) in 2021 with a Master of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She spent a few years working in higher education in financial aid and, later, in a registrar’s office.  Since 2019 she has also worked as an online tutor for Russian students, ages ranging from 4 to 45.  In the past students have received training for interview skills, spoken English practice, preparing for international exams, grammar, and much more!  Her passion is to inspire students and engage them in the subject matter they are studying.

In her spare time, Kat enjoys taking photos of and spending time in nature, journaling, reading and has recently taken up drawing and painting.

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.

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!

Hope D.

Hope is a Certified Teacher. She grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, before moving to Idaho. She completed her Undergraduate Degree in Elementary Education with a minor in Creative Writing and then went on to get a Master in the Art of Teaching at The College of Idaho. Hope has worked in education for almost a decade as a college writing tutor, an AVID tutor, middle school teacher, and academic interventionist. Hope grew up with a deep love of stories and the natural world. She takes the motto of “jack of all trades” to heart and works to learn any and all skills she has interest in. During her free time, Hope can be found reading, writing, gardening, embroidering, or out seeing theater performances. In teaching, Hope has a passion for media analysis and the interconnection of literature and history. She believes personal connection is important and the integration of subjects with each other and the world is a cornerstone to understanding in education.

Patricia M.

Patricia is a New York State certified teacher with a Master’s degree in Education from Iona College. She has 30 plus years of teaching experience in all subject areas, ranging from grades 4 through 7.

Patricia specializes in middle school and has focused 8 years teaching 6th and 7th grade math. In addition, she has worked as a math coach and small group tutor for grades 3 through 7 for the past five years.  In this capacity, Patricia has worked with new teachers to help them become familiar with the curriculum, plan and pace lessons, set goals, and guide them in all areas of the profession.  Patricia’s greatest passion has been working with children in small group and individual instruction settings. Over the years, she has inspired many children to have a deeper understanding and love of math.  Although math is Patricia’s favorite subject to teach, she has extensive experience teaching all subject areas at the elementary and middle school level.

Patricia has always set extremely high expectations and goals for herself and for all of her students. This has translated into a longstanding career of outstanding results and achievement for her students.  She looks forward to continuing to motivate and help children to reach their academic goals.

Madison B

Madison is currently a student at McGill University pursuing a Bachelor’s of Education in High School History and Geography. She attended John Rennie High School in the Academic Plus Program and graduated from John Abbott College on the Dean’s List. Madison has had experience teaching in a classroom, as well as one on one tutoring with students of all ages, including students with special needs. She places importance on creating a safe, supportive and stimulating learning environment, where students can reach their full potential by not only growing mentally, but also emotionally and socially. Madison wants her students to understand that it is necessary to ask question and make mistakes in order to succeed. Madison has a passion for the social sciences, including anthropology, psychology and sociology.

Kristen H.

Kristen Henry is experienced and passionate educator with more 17 years of experience. She has been a classroom teacher, an instructional coach, a tutor, an administrator, and now supports preservice teachers. She enjoys working with students to help them reach their goals and support their learning.
Kristen has a Bachelors of Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, a Masters of Art in Curriculum and Instruction from UTSA, and is currently in the home stretch of her doctorate in Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching at UTSA.

When she is not involved in education, she’s an avid runner and mentors newer athletes in a local trail running group. She has two mischievous cats and enjoys a good book. She is native of San Antonio and loves exploring her city with friends and family.

Diana F.

Diana grew up in San Antonio, Texas and attended UTSA for her BA in English, then UIW for her Masters in Management. She worked for several years in the training department at a large insurance company writing policies and procedures, and conducting training classes. The idea to switching careers from teaching adults to teaching children came about when she had her own children, one of which has Down syndrome. Working with her son really opened her eyes to how all children learn differently. Diana enjoyed the challenge of discovering how to best help her son learn.

Diana strongly believes in the power of relationship building. “It’s important that my students trust me and understand that I want to help them be successful.” Throughout her 12 years as a classroom teacher, Diana has spent time on the social emotional skills necessary to build relationships and boost student confidence. She believes that once trust is built, students are ready to learn.

In her free time, Diana enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, reading, and keeping her home and classroom clutter-free, and organized.