PLEASED to Meet You
"Teachers have three loves: love of learning, love
of learners, and the love of bringing the first two
loves together."
-Scott Hayden
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Lara's passion has always been to infuse children with the joy of learning, motivate them to reach their greatest potential, and equip them with the personalized techniques that will enable them to achieve their goals. Over the past thirteen years as a classroom teacher, literacy coach and private tutor, she has helped hundreds of children with a wide diversity of needs. Tutoring and teaching has been Lara’s lifelong passion. While receiving her master's degree at Columbia University, Teachers College, she taught at a New York City private nursery school. As a high-school student at Horace Mann, she spent her Saturday mornings participating in HM’s weekend program for local children, “Saturday Morning Tutoring”. When she was an undergraduate at Lehigh University, she tutored in the university’s community outreach program. After receiving her M.Ed at Teachers College, Columbia University, she spent eight years as a teacher in both mainstream and ICT classrooms at the highly-ranked P.S.158 on the Upper East Side. For the last four years, Lara was the school’s literacy coach, supporting pre-k to 5th grade teachers and students. During this time, she conducted countless professional development sessions to educate teachers in literacy content. While teaching, she continued to take graduate school courses, earning an M.S. in School Building and District Leadership and underwent training for the Orton Gillingham Approach, a multi-sensory, specialized instruction for students with language-based learning disabilities, such as dyslexia. She is currently undergoing her associate level certification. Her nurturing personality, compassion, and expertise make her the perfect educator to work with your child.
Lara Pinto Stein
Founder
Staff Development & Speaking Events
Professional Trainings & Degrees
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PS 158, Literacy Coach
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Teachers College Reading and Writing Project Summer Institute, Palo Alto, CA
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PS 111, 5-day series
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NYC District 2 and United Federation of Teachers Balanced Literacy series
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Presenter at NYC District 2 Principals' Conference
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Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, ELA Test Prep Curriculum Writer
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Orton Gillingham, Associate & Certified level training (Associate-in-training)
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Teachers College Reading and Writing Project Summer Institutes
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The Writing Revolution
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Columbia University, Teachers College, Childhood Education, M.Ed
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Touro College, School Building and District Leadership, M.S.
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Lehigh University, Psychology, B.A.
Jennifer Flaumenhaft
Jenny Flaumenhaft is a teacher and lifelong learner. She received her BA from Colby College majoring in both Education and English and a masters in Curriculum and Teaching from Columbia Teachers College. She has worked in various public and private school settings as well as in curriculum design. Jenny has taught English Second Language Learning on a Fulbright Scholarship in Thailand, remote Kindergarten, and currently teaches first grade at Friends Seminary. Jenny was also able to combine practical teaching with education research and curriculum reform through developing a curriculum called Microadventures that reimagines the classroom as a space to promote student voice using self-directed, hands-on learning. The basis of Jenny’s research has been to explore how curriculum can be reframed to center the needs, desires, and interests of students. As a teacher she is committed to the focusing on the intimate relationship between a child’s academic success and their social, emotional, and behavioral growth. Jenny uses an individualized and collaborative approach to teaching and loves to incorporate play in learning.
Emily has five years of experience working in education. Before beginning her journey teaching in NYC, Emily received her BA and MST from SUNY New Paltz and worked as an ESL teacher for native Japanese speakers. She is passionate about creating equity, voice, and intrinsic motivation for her students. In her experience with students from Pre-K through High School, Emily enjoys building relationships to guide instruction at a variety of levels. She believes the passion for reading is a pathway to becoming a lifelong learner.
Emily Casey
Theron has a passion to help students succeed academically, socially, and emotionally through encouragement and support, and, of course, fun! He is kind, patient, caring, hardworking, and trustworthy. He earned his BA from Tufts University and M.Ed. from Lesley University, and has been working in education for 14 years teaching and tutoring math, writing curriculum, and writing and implementing educator workshops and trainings. He has been tutoring for 10 years as a reading tutor and has experience using the Orton Gillingham Approach. He tutors all core subjects, homework, test prep, and executive functioning skills. He has worked with students ages four through adult with various learning differences, special needs, as well as advanced. He has worked with students with dyslexia, ADHD, Autism, as well as various behavioral differences. Theron enjoys music and fitness and has coached eight sports and lead performing arts clubs. Theron is happy to help your child achieve their goals and beyond!
Theron Corbin
Michelle is a Reading Specialist who received her M.A. from Teachers College, Columbia University and currently works at Winston Preparatory School, a special education school, providing individualized support for middle and high school students with learning disabilities. Prior to this, Michelle worked with elementary aged students, and she understands the importance of making learning fun, dynamic and interactive for students. She is also a member of the International Dyslexia Association and values staying informed about current research and practices related to literacy, so that she can bring effective and innovative ideas into her work with students. Her areas of expertise include foundational reading skills, reading fluency and comprehension, spelling, writing, and executive functioning. She uses a personalized approach and brings positive energy, compassion, creativity, and thoughtfulness into her daily teaching and tutoring.
Michelle Reisenberg
Eleni Katechis
Eleni is a devoted educator with a passion for supporting all types of learners. She believes that each child can reach their fullest learning potential with the right tools, mindset, and instruction that meets their individual needs. Eleni graduated from Hunter College with a degree in Special Education. While she was completing her masters, she was an Assistant Teacher at P.S. 6 on the Upper East Side, working alongside head teachers who provided her the stepping stone into her teaching journey. In addition, she completed her Fulbright Teaching Scholarship in Taipei, Taiwan, where she taught as an English teacher in a local public school. Currently, she is pursuing a second masters degree in Applied Behavior Analysis to support children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder and other behavioral needs. For the last four years, Eleni has been a special education teacher in Kindergarten ICT at P.S. 158 on the Upper East Side. Eleni believes in the power of learning and continues to grow as an educator by attending numerous professional development sessions focusing on literacy, math, and learning-disabilities. Her drive and persistence to continuously improve her practice has allowed her to be an effective teacher. Her energetic, compassionate, and warm personality assists her in creating a fun and engaging learning environment for her students.
Beri Tamson
In 2010, Beri discovered her passion for teaching while living overseas in her family's home country, Turkey. There, she worked one-on-one with students as an independent education counselor and tutor to prepare them for their higher education studies in the US. This was one of the most memorable experiences of her teaching career, as it allowed her to uncover the magic of the student-teacher relationship. Upon returning to the US, she decided to work as a teacher in high-need communities to provide students who often lack access to effective teachers with an enriching learning experience. For the past six years, she has taught upper elementary and middle school mathematics at various Title 1 charter schools and non-profit organizations in New York City. Dedicated to building self-efficacy in her students, she provides her students with a teaching and learning experience that enables them to see how their mindset and belief patterns have the power to translate into academic gains. This unwavering belief in the potential of her students drove them to achieve 86% proficiency on the 2019 NY State Mathematics Test, outperforming the city and state by 40% points with scores that surpassed students in more highly funded larger charter school organizations. Beri has a BA from New York University in Politics and Economics and a Masters in Middle Childhood Education and Advanced Certificate in Special Education from the Relay Graduate School of Education. She is also currently pursuing her Masters in Public Administration at Columbia University, School of International and Public Affairs.
Emily Schwartz
Emily Schwartz, M.S. CCC-SLP is a bilingual (Spanish) Speech-Language Pathologist and experienced tutor. Emily received a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and Spanish at Bucknell University and a Master’s Degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders with a Bilingual Extension at Teachers College, Columbia University. She maintains certification in Speech-Language Pathology from the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is licensed in New York State. She also holds a certification as Teacher of Students with Speech and Language Disabilities (TSSLD). Emily currently works at Winston Preparatory School, a special education school, providing individualized support for middle and high school students with language-based learning disorders and difficulties. She has gained extensive experience implementing and developing curriculums to serve students with language and learning needs. Through her work, she believes in creating a positive and energetic learning environment for her students to help them achieve their highest potential. Her areas of speciality include executive functioning deficits, reading, writing, vocabulary, organizational skills, and Spanish.
Sarah believes that children learn best when they feel nurtured and supported; when they feel seen and heard; when they believe in the team that is guiding them; and when those around them believe in their capabilities in overcoming adversities. A teacher for more than 11 years, Sarah has taught a range of grades and various learners including those with learning differences such as autism, students with speech and language difficulties and those who have dyslexia. Sarah was a teacher mentor and learning coach for other educators. Her classroom was used as a labsite to lead inquiry and advance teacher practice. She has spent the last year and half mentoring teachers virtually and designing curriculum to help students find success in literacy and mathematics. Sarah was born and raised in New York. She graduated from Long Island University's C.W Post campus with her B.A. in elementary education and her M.A. in special education. She continued her learning at Columbia University's Teachers College where she received her Masters in Education as a Literacy Specialist. Sarah strives to make learning as fun as possible and believes in the power of joy to create life long lovers of learning.
Sarah Rokhsar
Rachel Woodman
Rachel is a New York native who believes in using her teaching platform as a way to serve the community and make a difference in the world. She has been educating young learners for seven years now and recently acquired her masters degree in literacy education. She is committed to making learning fun, relatable and interactive. This empowers her students to take ownership over their learning experiences and fosters a lifelong love of educating oneself.
Julie’s approach to education is to inspire curiosity and confidence, in order to create lifelong learners. She believes in the power of positive reinforcement, and creates a safe learning environment for her students. She passionately believes there are multiple ways to learn, and tailors instruction to meet the needs of each student. She enjoys learning, so she instills that same joy in her students. Julie graduated from the University of Central Florida in 2002, with a degree in International Business and Marketing. She decided to pursue her calling to teach, however, and moved to New York in 2003, after being accepted into the New York City Teaching Fellow’s Program. She received her Master’s of Science in Education, and is dual certified in teaching Students with Special Needs and Common Branches. She taught sixth grade at I.S. 303 in Coney Island for three years, where she served as a math consultant, and collaborated with staff on developing literacy and creative writing curriculum. She also worked closely with parents to encourage trust and open communication. Julie left I.S. 303 to accept a position at P.S. 8, in order to grow in her professional development. She received training in Columbia University’s Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, and the Wilson Reading Program.
Nora Solomon
“Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”
- Aristotle
Nora is a born and raised New Yorker with a degree from Bank Street College and a professional teaching certificate in childhood general and special education. Having close family experience with the special education process and its impact on students and families, it became her calling to advocate for families and students with learning differences. She has taught grades pre-K through 5th in various classroom settings including self contained and integrated co-taught classrooms (ICT). For the last three years, she has been the student support coordinator at a charter school in the Bronx where she supports the director of student support in overseeing special education at her school including the individual educational plan (IEP) process, special education meetings and collaboration with all teachers and families. In this role Nora is also an intervention/special education teacher support services (SETSS) teacher. She works with students who require extra support or have a reading disability. Her training includes Preventing Academic Failure (PAF), Wilson Fundations, is trained in Orton Gillingham and working toward her associate level certification. Part of her teaching philosophy is making sure all students and families she works with feel connected, respected and trusted. Those core three allow for a partnership that celebrates successes and embrace as well as overcome challenges together. When not teaching reading skills or supporting in the special education process, Nora loves theater, playing board games, running and reading. Ways I can support: Special education family advocate, individual learning plan process and implementation support, organizational skills, learning disability tutor in literacy including dyslexia and homework help.
Julie Ross
Gabriela is passionate about engaging students through their hearts and imaginations. She helps students identify and refine their learning patterns in order to achieve their goals. Gabriela worked as a middle school French teacher and academic advisor at the Horace Mann School for three years, and previously taught English on the remote French-African island of La Réunion. Gabriela is trained in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Teaching Method, which enlivens and personalizes academic work through hands-on experiences and creative play-based approaches. She is a graduate of Amherst College and Deerfield Academy, and is currently completing a Masters degree in Anthropology at the University of Chicago. Gabriela’s energetic, curious, and warm personality allow her to create lasting connections with her students and their families.
Gabriela Espinosa
Hello friends! My name is Camille Trotman. I’m a native New Yorker with a bachelor’s from Johnson C. Smith University in Childhood Education. I also have a master’s in Gifted Education from Teachers College, Columbia University. I am currently pursuing my School Building Leader (SBL) Certification with Bank Street College of Education, specializing in Early Childhood Leadership. I have been a kindergarten teacher with the Department of Education for seven years. Teaching has always been my passion and I absolutely love it! I’ve always taken a hands-on approach to learning as my teaching style. I believe it is important to respond to children’s individual needs to help them thrive. My philosophy is that all children are individuals and respond to different ways of learning; so I pride myself on assessing and catering lessons in a way that I can best help the child I’m teaching.
Camille Trotman
Louisa is an experienced teacher and tutor who has been teaching for over 10 years. She focuses on meeting students where they are by developing individualized plans that maximize students' strengths and address areas of growth. She has taught in NYC for over 7 years. Before that, she taught in Washington, DC, where she is from. Louisa loves to read in her free time, but math is her favorite subject to teach. She has taught all subjects to elementary and middle school students, but has focused on middle school math for the past 3 years. Other activities that she loves doing with students include arts and crafts projects, playing games, doing experiments, and building with many types of materials. Louisa studied Political Science and Spanish at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. She holds an MSEd. in Childhood Special and General Education from The Bank Street College of Education in New York City. Louisa lives in Sunnyside, Queens with her husband, Nelson, their son, Julian, and their dog, Zilla.
Louisa Nathan
Stacey is a University of Wisconsin- Madison graduate and current Columbia Teachers College Master’s in Curriculum and Teaching student with a passion for early childhood education. Over the past four years, she has had the opportunity to teach pre-kindergarten children of diverse backgrounds and ability levels. In addition to her experience in the classroom, Stacey has also served as a research assistant in the Child Emotion Research Lab exploring connections between emotion and childhood trauma in children and adults. Working with children in these different capacities has led Stacey to firmly believe in the importance of treating each child as an individual and brining joy into every lesson.The combination of Stacey’s experiences has led her to pursue a career goal of creating social justice education materials for young children.
Stacey Sukoff
Ali Schrager
Teaching and enriching the lives of young learners has always been a passion for Ali. She is patient, empathetic, warm and nurturing. Ali enjoys connecting with each individual student to gain his or her trust and she strives to determine how each child learns best, often using a multi-sensory approach. She helps her students gain the skills and confidence necessary to learn, grow and reach their fullest potentials. Ali received her master’s degree in general and special education from Hunter College in New York. She has been teaching for more than 8 years, in a variety of environments. Her first teaching experience was at the Jewish Guild in New York where Ali taught deaf and blind students. This is where Ali realized her passion of teaching children, especially those who require special attention. Ali then taught at West End Day School in New York where she used her skills and sensitivity to work with students who struggled emotionally. Her latest teaching experience was at The Stephen Gaynor School in New York where she taught students with dyslexia and language-based learning differences. At Stephen Gaynor, Ali was trained to use the Orton Gillingham Approach, a highly successful, multi-sensory approach to learning. Ali especially enjoys working one-on-one with children. There is no better way to connect and learn than to have individualized attention and care from an educator herself! Ali lives on Long Island, New York near Woodbury/Syosset with her husband and two young boys.