Elementary School Archives

Ian Cheung

September 28, 2025

Ian Cheung got his start in education as a sophomore in high school, where he peer tutored his classmates in English, Calculus, and even Constitutional Law. That experience, combined with his time captaining his tri-state math team to a top 3 finish nationally at the 2018 ARML, inspired him to bring his leadership and communication skills to university and beyond.

However, during his first year studying finance at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, COVID-19 forced the world to transition from in-person activities to increasingly online ones. Ian, struggling to find meaningful internships now that he was in a separate country, returned to his roots as a teacher and leader. It began with online tutoring family friends, then gradually expanding his base of students, his modes of tutoring, as well as his repertoire. By the time he was allowed to return to Canada and finish his studies, Ian had successfully tutored students in math (helping several students get a 5 on AP Calculus AB), English (including one student going from a C in their Honors class to an A), and standardized testing (where his students gained 250 points on the SAT on average).

As the University of Waterloo finally returned to in-person classes late in Ian’s junior year, he resolved to finish his finance degree while continuing to develop his tutoring enterprise. This allowed him to balance the growth of his hard and soft skills and become a more well-rounded individual. After graduating summa cum laude in 2023, he committed fully to building his own teaching brand. He built lasting relations with students and families across the northeast while also leading classes in several math circles around New York City. This includes both Math-M-Addicts and New York Math Circle, where he has led both classes and seminars on discrete math. As of 2025, he has 8 years of experience tutoring and teaching students ages 9 to 19 in topics ranging from prealgebra to multi-variable calculus, Physics 1 to Physics C, and the SHSAT to the SAT.

Throughout Ian’s time on both ends of the teacher-student relationship, he was able to fully appreciate the intricacies of mentoring. He learnt how to learn and, ultimately, how to teach. Far from the crowded blackboards, erudite subject terminology, and over-worked staff, education entails a process of self-maturation that extends beyond merely getting a good test score. He recognizes that many different students all process information differently (some visually, some with hands-on examples, some with independent inquiry) and tailors his teaching accordingly. Through private tutoring, Ian gives his unique students the personalized, distinct teaching style they deserve.

Eliana Levey

September 28, 2025

Eliana Levey is an experienced elementary educator and literacy tutor who specializes in supporting students in grades K–6 with reading, writing, and mathematics. She has extensive training in evidence-based instructional practices and is committed to helping children build strong academic foundations while developing confidence and independence as learners.

Eliana currently teaches second grade at SAR Academy in the Bronx, where she designs and implements differentiated lessons that meet the needs of diverse learners. In addition to her classroom role, she works privately with students to provide individualized tutoring that is structured, systematic, and engaging. Families appreciate her ability to combine warmth with rigor, creating an environment where children feel supported while also being challenged to grow.

Previously, Eliana taught kindergarten at Beth Tfiloh Dahan Community Day School in Baltimore, where she fostered both academic and social-emotional growth through individualized and play-based learning. She also taught kindergarten at Brilla College Prep Elementary School in the Bronx, where she implemented a structured curriculum, monitored student progress, and adapted lessons to ensure each child’s success. Across these roles, she has been recognized for her thoughtful communication with families and her ability to create learning environments where children feel both safe and motivated.

Eliana’s tutoring practice reflects her expertise in structured literacy and conceptual math instruction. She is trained in multi-sensory, research-based approaches aligned with the Science of Reading, including Orton-Gillingham and Fundations. In literacy, she supports students with phonics, decoding, fluency, spelling, comprehension, and written expression, tailoring lessons to each child’s learning profile. She also incorporates principles of the Hochman Method (The Writing Revolution) to strengthen sentence structure, paragraph development, and written clarity. In mathematics, Eliana draws on the Concrete–Pictorial–Abstract (CPA) approach, most prominently seen in Singapore Math, to guide students from hands-on exploration to visual modeling and finally to abstract reasoning. This developmental framework helps children not only master math procedures but also understand the underlying concepts and apply problem-solving strategies with confidence.

Eliana also incorporates her training in Responsive Classroom and Culturally Responsive Teaching to create learning environments that are inclusive, encouraging, and student-centered. She continues to pursue professional development in both literacy and math instruction to remain aligned with the most effective, research-based practices, ensuring that her students benefit from approaches that are both current and impactful.

She earned her Master of Arts in Education for Grades 1–6 from Relay Graduate School of Education in New York and graduated magna cum laude from American University in Washington, D.C. Her academic achievements reflect the discipline and intellectual curiosity that now shape her teaching and tutoring practice.

As both a classroom teacher and private tutor, Eliana is deeply committed to helping her students discover their own potential. Whether she is guiding a beginning reader through phonics, supporting a young writer in expanding sentences with vivid detail, or coaching a child through a challenging math concept, she brings patience, creativity, and expertise to each lesson. For Eliana, the most rewarding moments come when a child realizes they are capable of more than they believed. She takes pride in helping students not only master academic skills but also develop resilience, curiosity, and joy in learning.

Mayra Licera

September 20, 2025

With over 14 years of experience in both independent and public schools, Mayra Licera is a dedicated and passionate educator specializing in early childhood and elementary education as well as Spanish language instruction. She holds a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Manhattanville College, with dual certification in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL). Her teaching journey is deeply rooted in a family tradition of early childhood educators, and her commitment to fostering a love of learning is evident in every aspect of her work.

Throughout her career, Mayra has specialized in kindergarten readiness and has extensive experience teaching Spanish to students from Pre-K through Grade 12. Her work in the kindergarten admissions process at independent schools has provided her with valuable insight into early learning benchmarks and developmental expectations. She is also a skilled tutor in all core academic subjects and brings a wealth of knowledge in both formative and summative assessments for Pre-K through Grade 3.

A seasoned literacy and math interventionist, Mayra has received training in Orton-Gillingham, Wilson Fundations, Sounds in Motion, and Heggerty—programs that enhance phonemic awareness and foundational literacy skills. In mathematics, she is well-versed in the TERC Investigations, Bridges, EngageNY, and Contexts for Learning curricula, allowing her to meet diverse learning needs with research-based strategies.

Currently serving in New York City’s District 3 on the Upper West Side, Mayra leads both small and large group instruction for English language learners. She collaborates with colleagues to develop developmentally appropriate, culturally responsive curricula that support newcomers in building both academic language and confidence.

Previously, she spent nearly a decade in independent schools on the Upper West Side, where she also taught Spanish to English-speaking students. Her approach is student-centered—she takes time to understand each child’s interests, using them to inspire curiosity and engagement in the classroom.

In her free time, Mayra enjoys traveling, learning new things, and spending quality time with her husband and their five-month-old baby. She brings the same sense of joy, curiosity, and care from her home life into the classroom every day.

Abigail Jenson

January 23, 2025

Abigail Jenson is patient, calm and supportive. Her experiences in education range from PreK to middle and high school students. She is from Utah, where she studied Family and Consumer Science Education at Brigham Young University. In June of 2024, she left her beloved job teaching child development, early childhood education, sewing, and fashion design to high school students to pursue a master’s degree at New York University in Environmental Conservation Education. She currently holds a teaching certificate for the New York State Education Department for Family and Consumer Science Education. Within her teaching experience, she has assisted in curriculum development, spoken at leadership and educator conferences, collaborated with colleagues creating learning resources, and participated in professional development opportunities. She genuinely enjoys being a teacher in formal and informal settings and values her students and relationships built in the process of teaching and learning together.

As a private tutor, she meets her students where they are at. Her approach begins with the student: their goals, understanding, challenges, and diverse learning needs. She incorporates scaffolding techniques that support student learning at a comfortable pace and yet challenging enough to promote greater understanding. Abigail has a strong understanding of developmentally appropriate practices that contributes to her ability to support student learning across a broad range of ages and learning needs. She has strong executive functioning skills, including adaptability, organization, problem solving, planning, and prioritization.

When she isn’t teaching, she is making and creating! She stays busy altering and making wedding gowns for clients, as well as running a business making and selling apparel and, more recently, technical outdoor gear she designs and sews from recycled materials. Her true colors shine when she is in the creative process, whether it’s designing a functional bag, making a Claymation, or writing a poem. As a lover of nature, she is passionate about educating people about the environment and motivating people to act for the conservation of the planet. Some day she hopes to run a business of her own teaching people how to sew and repair their own clothing and understand the complex impacts clothing production and consumption have on the environment.

Ida Munoz

October 29, 2024

Ida Munoz has been a NYC DOE public school teacher since 2005. Her career started at the PS 90 campus and she has happily remained on the same campus for the past 20 years. She has taught special class instruction, integrated co-teaching and special education teacher support services. She is currently the reading intervention teacher, special education coordinator and chairperson for the School Leadership Team at PS 443, The Family School, which is housed at the PS 90 campus in the Bronx. Aside from her direct work with special education students, she has also served in various capacities within the school building such as teaching mentor, teacher leader, testing coordinator, and building response team member. She received her B.A. at Hunter College with a major in writing. She continued her education at Pace University where she earned her Master’s degree in childhood special education along with her bilingual extension in Spanish.Ida has taught and privately tutored a wide range of students from preschool through 8^th grade in both English and Spanish. She has a firm belief that all children can learn, they just have to be given the appropriate tools to showcase their learning. She uses a variety of methodologies to support her instruction to ensure that every child is able to showcase what they know.

Ida is currently on her school’s instructional leadership team and she is helping design and make changes to the writing curriculum at The Family School. Her work is data driven and she has an understanding on how to interpret that data and make changes to best meet the needs of all students. She also believes that her tutoring work needs to be based on data. She will access her student’s entry points, progress monitor throughout her tutoring session and make changes based on a student’s current need. Every student’s tutoring experience is unique and different and their tutoring program should reflect that.

Ida believes that students learn best when they feel they are in a secure environment. She always reminds her students that it is okay to make mistakes and that they are there to learn from those mistakes. She also believes that learning should be fun and enjoyable for every student. When a student enjoys what that are doing that is when true learning takes place. She will often find tools to help keep students motivated and engaged.

Aside from teaching, Ida enjoys traveling with her family. Her favorite place to vacation is the Dominican Republic. She is a proud mom of an autistic 3-year-old son. She spends a lot of her time advocating for all children on the spectrum. She also enjoys learning how to make new recipes and likes to spend a lot of time in the kitchen cooking for her family.

Ian Cheung

Eliana Levey

Mayra Licera

Abigail Jenson

Ida Munoz

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Private Tutoring

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