Michelene O.

Michelene graduated from Saint Xavier University of Chicago with a Bachelor of Science in Education and Special Education. In 2007, she graduated from DePaul University, Chicago with a Master of Education in Language, Literacy, and Specialized Instruction. After being a Reading Specialist for many years, Michelene developed a deep passion to continue her learning and pursued educational leadership graduate studies at National Louis University. She has always had a love for working with Pre-K-8th grade children and guiding them to reach their full potential. She is patient and kind while utilizing multiple intelligences, accommodating different learning styles, and keeping in mind individual interests, talents, and strengths. Currently, Michelene is pursuing doctoral studies in Curriculum Instruction at Loyola University, Chicago.

Alongside having years of tutoring and teaching experience, Michelene also tutors students where she fosters engaging, personalized one-on-one interactive lessons. Additionally, Michelene has additional certifications in Special Education, Reading Specialist, Education Leadership, and Wilson Reading Systems. Michelene truly believes that engaging students using their curiosity and interests is crucial in helping them gain the confidence they require to succeed. In her spare time, Michelene enjoys traveling, ballet/Pilates, learning new things, as well as spending time with her friends and family.

Kelly C.

Kelly, a master tutor, has a M.A. in Elementary Education (K-9) and 20 years of teaching experience. She studied communications and marketing during her undergraduate years and obtained a B.A. in Business and a minor in Journalism from NIU. Currently Kelly is teaching 5th grade in a top performing district and has also taught 3rd, 4th, and 6th grade at the same school. She believes in creating a strong bond with her students and guiding them through the learning process at their own pace and giving them support as needed. Kelly will never regret the day she transitioned from the banking industry to elementary education. She is grateful she followed her heart and made the change. Kelly believes there is nothing more rewarding than teaching a child and watching them succeed with a smile.

Ashley C.

Ashley is a certified teacher and currently works as a substitute at an elementary school in Wheaton. This school year she has had the opportunity to sub in all classes at her school grades K-5. She also gained experience subbing for the special education, PE, and Music teachers. Before taking her current job, she taught 4th grade for two years. She graduated from North Central College with her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education in 2020. Ashley completed her student teaching in a 3rd grade classroom in Carol Stream. Since starting college Ashley has worked at a summer camp leading the preschool aged camp. Ashley has always loved school and decided she wanted to be a teacher when she was in second grade. She is so glad that she is able to pursue that dream. One way she helps her students learn and grow is by being another positive adult in their life who is there to cheer them on during their successes and help them through their struggles. In her free time she likes to spend time outside walking and kayaking. She enjoys all things arts and crafts and she loves to read.

Kirby O.

Kirby graduated from Loyola University of Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and an associates degree in reading. She really enjoyed her time at Loyola and hopes to enrich her future students with new ideas and concepts. Kirby completed her student teaching in a 2nd grade inclusive classroom in Chicago Public Schools. She absolutely loved her experience student teaching and really blossomed into the teacher she is today. She also was able to create different instruction and management plans throughout her time for the students she worked with. Kirby is currently looking for a job in CPS to begin teaching in the upcoming school year! In her spare time she loves cooking, working out, and trying new restaurants in the city!

Sean M.

Sean McJunkins II has been a teacher for 8 plus years, working in a variety of roles and managing a litany of responsibilities. He first obtained his English and Africana (an interdisciplinary study of the world from an African perspective) double major from Rutgers University. Currently, he is pursuing his master’s in special education, with only his practicum hours remaining. This allows for Mr. McJunkins to provide a number of services and further apply his years of experience in co taught and other varied environments for diverse learners. Growing up in New Jersey, he long has enjoyed the season and outdoors, promoting his move to the Midwest to further serve students who historically have experienced disenfranchisement systemically. In this productive struggle, he found that the classroom was useful, but many students needed support in a more specific manner. Sean hopes to help close that gap through providing his services to families and believes that all work and progress begins with trust and relationships. He is excited to apply these virtues in his work with families and stakeholders.

A majority of his experience has been focused on high school aged children, but his ability is not limited to only older scholars. In his time as a lead teacher in the Chicagoland area, he has created, proliferated, and redressed in person SAT, ACT, and Core Curriculum standardized mastery assessments. Mr. McJunkins’ deep understanding of standards and scaffolding of skills has served numerous communities well, and he brings that same tenacity to the needs of our scholars and clients. He enjoys playing various instruments like guitar, drums, and piano, as well sharing his deep understanding of all music genres. As a lifetime scholar himself, Sean McJunkins II is excited to learn from and teach those who are seeking guidance towards their best self and highest potential.

Rachel B.

Rachel is a former teacher and nanny with a passion for helping students succeed. With a master’s degree from DePaul University, and a 4.0 GPA, Rachel loves to learn and share her knowledge. She gets to know her students’ background and interests before starting her lessons, as to make the information at hand pertinent to each child. With kindness and enthusiasm, Rachel strives to make learning a fun and comfortable experience for both the student and their families. Communication is her strong suit, as she enjoys sharing milestones and challenges with parents to ensure student success. In her spare time, Rachel travels the world with her husband, Cole. The pair resides in the Northwest suburbs with their two cats, and in her spare time, Rachel runs a successful photography studio out of her home office. Get in touch with Rachel today- she can not wait to get to know you!

Jonathan T.

Jonathan is a passionate former teacher turned CEO with a love for teaching and ability to produce results by building relationships with students and steering them in the right educational path.

Elizabeth M.

Elizabeth is currently a kindergarten teacher in Glendale Heights. She graduated from Concordia University-Chicago in 2019 with her Bachelor’s Degree in Early Childhood Education with an endorsement in English as a Second Language. From there she went on to teach preschool, second grade, and now kindergarten. In the Fall of 2019, she went back to Concordia University-Chicago to earn her Master’s Degree in Special Education. She recently completed that program and now is a certified Learning Behavior Specialist. While teaching through a pandemic, she saw first-hand the toll it took on her student’s learning. This is when becoming a tutor really became her passion, so she could help students close any gaps they may have in their learning. Elizabeth is the oldest of five and grew up encourging her siblings to come to her classroom she created in the basement of her Oak Park home. Being a teacher has always been a dream of hers and she is very happy to be able to live her dream today!

Kayla H.

Meet Kayla Hicks, a Speech-Language Pathology graduate student. Kayla grew up in Oklahoma City where she received her Bachelor’s degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Oklahoma State University. There she taught high school students from Phnom Penh, Cambodia formal grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation of spoken and written English. She also tutored college students in English, Essay writing, and Psychology. Kayla then moved to Illinois to work toward her Graduate degree in Speech-Language Pathology from Midwestern University where she is expected to graduate in May of 2023. Kayla has gained professional experience as a Speech Pathology graduate student who has facilitated evaluation and intervention in neurodegenerative disorders of communication (TBI/ABI, Parkinson’s Disease, Stroke, Cognition, Aphasia, etc.) and children with unique communication needs (Expressive/Receptive Language Disorder, AAC, Autism, Childhood Apraxia of Speech, Articulation, Language, Social learning, etc.) Through speech and language intervention, she has been able to foster her love of teaching and support students and adults with unique needs across multiple subjects to meet their educational goals. She has been able to make her students feel more confident in the classroom and their personal life by supporting improvement in writing, reading, vocabulary, language, speech, and math.

Kayla’s experience has allowed her to be flexible and adaptable with all students. She offers a calm, yet welcoming demeanor, infectious joy, candor, and positivity. In her spare time, Kayla loves going on walks, playing games, laser tag, and dancing. Kayla also spends her time helping out at a local dance studio, where she gets to share her love of dance. You can catch Kayla with a big smile on her face, helping someone become their best self.

Eric J.

Meet Eric Junco, an accomplished teacher education professor who has an extensive 12-year career in both high school and junior high ELA settings. Eric’s wide range of experience provides him with critical insights on how to develop common core reading and writing skills required to achieve success at each level of the K-12 ELA experience. He has spent the latter half of his high school teaching career instructing College English 101 and 103 courses, preparing students for ACT and CLEP examinations, and affording students college credits. His last school was referenced as the top high school in the Rock Valley College District for CLEP test volume and performance for six consecutive years while he was the only instructor of the course. He also has had immense success facilitating Directed Studies Reading courses to build students’ foundational and metacognitive reading and writing skills.

Eric’s teaching style utilizes a combination of cutting-edge technology, relationship-building, and constructivist-based pedagogies. He takes pride in spending a significant amount of time learning about his students’ interests, goals, and academic strengths to customize a learning experience that empowers students to observe their own metacognitive processes and co-construct their own learning. Eric’s students have nominated him for multiple golden apple nominations and he has been featured in the local news for being an effective teacher. He is also proud of achieving an award at the university level for Exceptional and Creative Online Instruction. Eric Junco is the perfect choice for a dynamic and effective teacher that will help students achieve their full potential.