Caleb W.

Caleb is from Billings, Montana and was the first Native American Valedictorian at West High School. He has mentored and tutored high school students for nearly a decade to help them prepare for and apply to college. A few of the elite universities his students have been accepted to are: Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, and Amherst College. Caleb has a M.A in Native Food Systems from Montana State University and a B.A in Environmental Studies from Amherst College. His relevant professional career experience has ranged from being a college prep coach to working as a graduate research and teaching assistant. Having recently graduated, he is young enough to relate to your child while being old enough to have the lived experience to share. Caleb believes that academic success comes from a holistic understanding of one’s personal goals and playing off of one’s strengths. Outside of work he enjoys camping, trivia, and getting friends together to play board games.

Richard M.

Richard Maloon has a proven track record in education. He earned his Bachelor’s degree (B.S.) in Elementary Education and later his Master’s degree in Education (M.Ed.) with a focus in Curriculum & Instruction. He has taught all grades 1 through 9, spending most of his time with grades 4 through 8. He taught for 14 years and served as a private school principal for 23 years. Mr. Maloon also had a career as a national certified consultant for MicroSociety, Inc., a successful, real-world school reform model. He was the consultant for many public schools in the southeast United States. He is very adept at teaching math, social studies, science, and English, and has been recognized for his creative approaches to teaching concepts and skills. He is considered by many to be a master teacher. He also was a school-wide program coordinator for implementing MicroSociety; his school was featured in many periodicals and on prime-time television. He has had an article published for a professional journal and has been a presenter at teacher conventions as well. Besides this, after school he has coached soccer, sponsored a chess club, and started a robotics tech club in many of his schools, taking teams to the finals in Lego Robotics. Mr. Maloon also enjoys traveling, being in nature, and learning more about neuroscience.

Lynda E.

Lynda is a Math and Physics teacher with 20 years of experience spanning classroom teaching, private tutoring, and Gifted and Talented programs. She has a Master’s in Physics with a concentration in Education from University of Virginia, certificate in Leaders of Learning from Harvard University, and holds teaching certificates in Math, Physics, Elementary Education, Students with Disabilities, and Middle School Science.

Lynda specializes in demystifying challenging math and physics concepts by (1) explaining concepts as clearly as possible, (2) performing examples in order to model the problem-solving process, and (3) providing several practice problems to work up to mastery. While she is a professional, Lynda enjoys conversing in a casual tone (think more Penny, less Sheldon), as math and science are often culprits for producing anxiety in students. Whether you are aiming for that 800 on the Math SAT, or simply trying to make it through your physics course unscathed, please think of Lynda as someone who can help you attain your goal!

Rita Z.

Rita worked with students in the Sarasota County district school system for over 20 years as a middle school science teacher. With a gifted certification and extensive professional development experience in exceptional student education, she is well equipped to work with students of various abilities. In the classroom, Rita was able to connect with students, parents and the community and earned highly qualified evaluations by administrators year after year. Rita took a hands-on approach to learning science in her classroom, often taking students on field trips and creating meaningful learning experiences with interactive and virtual learning. In 2013, Rita was recognized for all of her achievements as the district middle school teacher of the year.

Rita has a master’s degree in STEM education from the University of South Florida and a bachelor’s degree in physics and astronomy, making her very capable of helping students succeed in all science disciplines. Rita completed her master’s thesis on how to develop notetaking and organizational skills in students that support students in reading and writing expository texts. After completing her master’s degree, Rita earned over 900 hours of professional development, focusing on differentiated instruction and integrating literacy into the core content areas.

Michelle S.

Michelle is an energetic tutor with a wide array of experience and a fervor for teaching and learning. She grew up in Buenos Aires, Argentina and earned a double major in Philosophy and Medicine, Science, and the Humanities from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD. Currently, she is a first year medical student at the Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine. With experience working as both an EMT and a tutor to many different kinds of students, she finds immense joy in helping others whether through the practice of medicine or by fostering a love for learning and personal growth. For Michelle, tutoring is not only about mastering material but about building confidence and a curiosity for the world around us; connecting with students is one of her favorite parts of tutoring, and she is always grateful for the opportunity to help a student find themselves and their interests. Michelle has experience working with age groups ranging from pre-k to university, and has enjoyed the unique aspects of working with every single age group. Throughout the years Michelle has taught math, English, and science, and she especially loves to teach chemistry and biology. Michelle loves to travel, especially countries in which she can practice languages she has studied in the past, such as Italian and French. In her free time, she works on her clinical research projects, plays volleyball, lifts weights, and experiments with cooking. She also loves spending time outdoors with Roxy, 2 year old puppy.

John R.

John D. R., M.Sc. is a Research Scientist for LuJo BioScience Laboratory (LuJo). He received a B.Sc. from Texas A&M International University, Laredo (2001), and a M.Sc. from the University of Texas at San Antonio (2006). Starting in 2011, he worked as a Senior Research Scientist for Longhorn Vaccines and Diagnostics (LHNVD) as Research and Development scientist specializing in infectious diseases. in 2007, he was a Staff Scientist with Conceptual Mindworks, Inc. developing anti-terrorism research using non-thermal atmospheric plasma and robotics for all branches of the military at Brooks Air Force Base.

Mr. Rodriguez possesses extensive experience with respiratory pathogens, molecular epidemiology and the development of pathogen diagnostics. He has trained several UTSA, LuJo, and LHNVD personnel (since 2000), has co-authored and published over 18 peer reviewed scientific articles on molecular diagnostics and microbiology, has presented scientific abstracts, posters, and lectures.

Mr. Rodriguez was also a certified former high school science and medical magnet school instructor for the Carrizo Springs CISD for two years (2009-2011). He is also a former UIL Science and Current Events coach who has taken teams of students to the regional competitions for 3A classification schools. His field of expertise are grades 9-12: Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Anatomy and Physiology, Medical Microbiology, Health Careers and Technology, with associated hands-on teaching labs. He is held in high regard by his former hometown teachers and colleagues while teaching at Carrizo Springs High School.

Colleen S.

Colleen Simmons realized as a child she wanted to become a teacher. She loved learning how to read and do basic math from her mother, Donna, who she says was still her best teacher ever! Growing up in Illinois, she started helping her peers and younger children with reading and math homework when she was in 6th grade. Like the acting bug that some folks get, teaching became her passion. Graduating in 1981 from Millikin University with a B.S. in Biology, she pursued further training and completed a teacher certification program at the U of I Springfield soon after. She began teaching and continued to add certifications and degrees to her resume. She obtained a middle school concept endorsement on her standard certificate, a second B.S. in Special Education from EIU, and two M.S. degrees in Educational Administration from EIU and Teacher Leadership from U of I Springfield, respectively. Throughout her career, she has not only worked in the classroom, but she also has privately tutored students after school. Her reputation as a caring and supportive teacher is something she cherishes. In 2019, Colleen and her husband retired to Texas. Retirement didn’t last long, since she found herself missing the enjoyment she got from working with students. In 2021, she began working once again as support staff, tutor, and ultimately, teacher in a science classroom. This year, she is working on a new challenge. She, along with a couple of friends, began developing a home-school pod service to help families who want another option for educating their children. Along with tutoring, Colleen enjoys traveling, meeting new people, and learning something new, like painting a watercolor, playing a new strategy game, or reading a mystery novel.

Ian G.

After receiving Bachelor’s degrees in History and French in his home state of Arkansas, Ian moved to the Northeast to begin his professional career as an educator. While serving as a literacy coach in a public school in Washington, DC, Ian helped to integrate new strategies and hybridized learning amid the COVID lockdown. In the fall of 2021 Ian led a class of 5th graders in their transition back to in-person instruction after the shutdown. He served as a lead history and humanities teacher for two years before segueing into out-of-school time education. Ian helped to implement an afterschool program for students in Harlem, developing curriculum, and leading homework help and enrichment activities for participants. In total, Ian has over a decade of tutoring and education experience. Ian loves to inspire wonder in all of his students, and prioritizes an individualized approach to ensure all students get the education they deserve.

Chris L.

Growing up in Cardiff, Wales, Chris was drawn to the outdoors despite the city’s amenities. As a child, he joined outdoor clubs, cubs, scouts, and played various sports; fostering a love for new activities, challenges, and meeting people. This passion led him to the Sea to Sky region, where a temporary visa turned into a lifelong adventure. For Chris, the satisfaction of overcoming a challenging target, problem, skill, or puzzle has always been worth the effort, work, and occasional pain and frustration

While in university, Chris worked at a summer camp in North Carolina, where he helped campers grow physically, socially, and emotionally, sparking his interest in academic teaching. In 2013, he earned a BA in education from the University of the West of England, Bristol. Through this course, he was incredibly fortunate to have extensive placements in a range of settings, with a range of grades. Chris has worked in both traditional and non-traditional settings; in schools with everything imaginable and schools with almost nothing; and taught from the very youngest learners up to adults in their golden years.

Chris blends educational theory with his active outdoor background to create engaging, multidisciplinary learning experiences, emphasizing hands-on learning and understanding rather than doing. He strives to find creative ways to show that learning is real rather than a lesson in a room. Chris loves finding opportunities to get outside and do something, rather than learn about something. He encourages movement, noise and active participation. Critically and fundamentally, Chris believes in teaching a person at their own individual level and to their own individual needs, encouraging everyone to take ownership of their learning and to support them in overcoming challenges to aid understanding and ability.

Making mistakes and finding things hard is the first step to learning something. If it was easy, were we learning, or just completing tasks?

Charity B.

Charity is an Elementary and Middle School educator with experience in teaching American Sign Language (ASL) for beginners, English Language Arts (ELA), Social Studies, and Science in homeschool and public-school settings. One of her greatest passions is language learning and gaining familiarity with the surrounding cultures. She currently has a high B1 level of Spanish, a fair communicative level in ASL, and is learning Japanese and Swahili. In all her personal goals and professional undertakings, Charity’s main focus is to be an encouraging and virtuous figure and role model in the lives of children. She spends her free time spending time with her seven younger siblings, volunteering at church sports leagues, and brainstorming unique themes for her self-developed Outschool classes.