ELL/ESOL Archives

Cameron Skinner

October 12, 2023

Cameron Skinner is a dedicated educator with over ten years of experience working in the education sector. He has traveled the world tutoring students, teaching courses, creating curricula, conducting workshops, observing classrooms, and leading education organizations. He now shares his knowledge, experience, and expertise through his education consultancy, where he works with students and families worldwide.

Cameron has taught multiple grade levels at schools in the United States, Africa, and Europe. Most recently, he served as the Singapore Math Coordinator for PreK through Grade 8 at TASIS Portugal, where he also taught fourth grade and acted as curriculum lead for his grade level. Prior to that, he worked as a teacher and private educator in Colorado, and as an experiential educator for Where There Be Dragons in Senegal and Rwanda. He also served as the Associate Director of Friends of Guéoul, a non-profit that provides scholarships to hundreds of young women in Senegal. In addition, he spent two years in Rwanda as a Peace Corps volunteer, teaching English as a Second Language.

Cameron specializes in teaching math from 3rd through 9th grades and writing from 6th grade through the doctoral level. He also tutors students in the Reading, Writing, and English sections of the SAT and ACT. He is especially adept at teaching Singapore Math and Core Knowledge content. In addition, he has many years of research experience in the Social Sciences.

Cameron earned his B.A. in English from Tufts University, his TEFL certification from the University of Toronto, his iPGCE from the University of Sheffield, and his M.A. in International Education from New York University. He has also completed his certification in IB Mathematics, Applications and Interpretation, Categories 1 and 2. Currently, he is pursuing his coaching certification and a College Counseling Certificate from UCLA to expand the support he offers to students and families.

Amy Glickman

June 4, 2023

Amy Glickman is a native New Yorker. She was born and raised in Brooklyn and now resides and works in Manhattan. Amy earned a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary and Special Education from Brooklyn College and a Master’s degree in Learning Disabilities from Teacher’s College, Columbia University. While at Columbia her work focused on the assessment and remediation of reading and math disabilities. Each semester she interned at the Child Study Center where she gained experience in administering a battery of classroom based and standardized assessment measures to identify strengths and weaknesses of individual students and then developed an intervention plan based on the assessment findings. Upon graduating from Teacher’s College, she worked as a classroom teacher at the Stephen Gaynor School, where she taught students with language-based learning disabilities. While at Stephen Gaynor Amy developed and implemented an after-school computer skills training program which was tailored to the individual needs of the students.

After realizing that she enjoyed the personal connection with students and could effect more meaningful change working one-on-one, Amy established her own educational practice working with students from kindergarten through high school. Her favorite part about tutoring children is the opportunity to build and maintain deeply personal connections with students throughout their years of learning. In addition to her practice, Amy worked with a team of psychologists and learning specialists performing psychoeducational evaluations. She evaluated students in areas of executive functioning including memory, and attention, auditory processing and language, visual processing and academic skills.
Amy has experience working as an educational consultant at the Ramaz Lower School in New York City. Her purview included evaluating the learning center and lower school reading writing and math curriculum. She also advised teachers on how to best meet children’s individual learning and behavioral needs. While at Ramaz, Amy helped design and execute a new class for children with language and learning disabilities. She trained and supervised teachers and helped design curriculum.

In her work, Amy integrates rigorous evidence-based phonics training with literacy encompassing word recognition, reading comprehension, fluency, vocabulary development spelling and expressive writing. Amy also has extensive experience supporting students with attention and executive functioning needs. She is trained in Orton-Gillingham , PAF Reading Intervention, Judith Hochman’s Writing Revolution, Stern, Singapore Mathematics and a variety of other programs.

Amy’s love of mathematics has led her to tutor students with learning disabilities in math from Kindergarten through high school. She believes a strong conceptual understanding is key to math success. For grades k-8, she uses a Singapore Math approach, which involves teaching new concepts in three stages; concrete, pictorial and abstract. Emphasizing problem solving, she uses real life examples to make the work meaningful and to motivate students. At the high school level, Amy supports students, in Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry and Trigonometry. She does not just teach the content but rather teaches the student to think mathematically and take in new information in a manner that is most efficient for them. Most importantly, she teaches her students to enjoy math.

Amy’s philosophy centers around focusing on the whole child. While incorporating the students interests, she tailors the tutoring process to meet the needs and goals of the individual student. To help a student build self-esteem and achieve their full potential she uses a collaborative approach working closely with parents, teachers and other professionals.

Marie Leblanc

May 26, 2023

Marie Leblanc guides diverse learners of all ages as they navigate their academic endeavors. She is a New York State certified 7-12 ELA teacher, reading specialist, student advisor and private tutor who holds a BA from Fordham University in Literature, an MA degree in English and American Literature from New York University and an MA in Teaching and Learning also from NYU. In addition, Marie has earned an advanced certificate in TESOL (Teaching English to Students of Other Languages) and is certified as a Reading and Writing Specialist. Additionally, Marie has been trained at the Associate Level through Commonwealth Learning in Orton-Gillingham to deliver corrective and developmentally appropriate reading education for students with dyslexia.

Recognized as a New York City Department of Education “Model Teacher,” Marie designs standards-based, differentiated, humanities curricula to students in inclusion (ICT) classes containing ninth through twelfth graders. She opens her doors for collegial observations, and enjoys leading internal and external professional development on best practices in reading strategies and the writing process. Marie is a member of several critical groups that share insights on, and advanced strategies for working with students with reading deficits and differences.

In addition to her teaching responsibilities, Marie acts as an advisor in the social, emotional and academic development of a small group of students throughout their years in high school. She meets regularly with her advisees, guiding them in applying to post-secondary education, building a spirit of trust and camaraderie among each other as well as encouraging their understanding and enactment of core values, e.g. Respect for Humanity, Diversity, Truth and Intellect and Commitment to Peace, Justice and Democracy. As the primary point of contact between home and school, the advisor-advisee relationship provides a consistent and open line of communication among all stakeholders in students’ lives. Marie speaks several languages, which helps her non-English speaking students negotiate their acquisition of English Language skills and aids in communications with their families.

Marie is particularly proud to have helped found and develop a school built on seven core values, lived and expressed by its community members, through restorative justice practices and community service initiatives. Her curricula and teaching approach emerges from these core principles, underscoring an individualized approach to teaching, which has developed through commitment to, experience of, and belief in how students best learn.

Marie enjoys nearly two decades of experience working with students with different learning styles and honoring their needs: from students requiring enrichment opportunities, to struggling readers and those with particular learning challenges. She provides homework support in the humanities, helps students with test preparation, including the SHSAT, the NY State ELA Exam, the PSAT and the SAT, assists students and families navigating the college application process, works with middle school through college students on essay writing, and aids students of all ages with developing their reading skills and stamina, reading comprehension and text analysis.

Marie’s commitment to helping students realize their intellectual promise inspired her to cofound a tutoring company several years ago so that she might closely work with individuals at various stages of their educational journey.

Marie is exalted in her career as an English teacher. Her motivation stems from the potential of young people and she remains inspired by the opportunity to contribute to their academic success.

Shelly October

May 20, 2023

Shelly October applies her experience as a K-12 English teacher, advisor, speech-language pathologist, and private tutor as she facilitates student success in reading, writing, executive functioning, and applying for college for diverse learners. She holds a BA in English language and literature from SUNY Stonybrook, a Master’s degree in Teaching English as a Second Language from Teachers College, Columbia University, and a Master’s degree in Science in Communication Disorders from Western Kentucky University.

After graduating from Teachers College, she began teaching at a progressive transfer high school in Chelsea, where students from different backgrounds required a smaller and different setting in order to graduate high school. It is at this school where Shelly learned the skills of wearing many hats, differentiating lessons to multilingual learners, students with disabilities, twice-exceptional students, and generation education students who needed alternative pathways towards credit accumulation. Shelly took extensive training in restorative practices, focusing on holistic education and individualized targeted academic and socioemotional support for all students. Throughout the years, Shelly has taught math, science, English, and social studies in a co-taught and stand-alone environment, learning the skill of intentional lesson planning and deep collaboration with students, family, staff, and outside partnerships.

After presenting at two Expeditionary Learning Conferences with topics ranging from strategies to keep high school students engaged during advisory to creating a vertical farm in the Science classroom using found materials, Shelly began exploring other educational opportunities. As a long-time lover of linguistics married with her experience in public education, Shelly enrolled in Western Kentucky University to obtain a Masters in Science in Communication Disorders resulting in national certification of clinical competency from the American Speech Language Hearing Association. With gained experience from early intervention with the senior population, Shelly returned to the K-12 realm to support students with receptive and expressive language needs by developing strategies to help difficulty with phonemic awareness, ADHD, autism, executive function, career skills, presentations, self-advocacy, community engagement, test preparation, college applications, and essay writing. Always seeking new ways to learn, Shelly was awarded a Fund for Teachers grant to better clinically discern between language differences and disorders in speech-language students from French-speaking countries. This experience generated a more niched interest in the deep components of language which eventually led her to the vast research on the science of reading.

Once completing the Associate Level Course from the Kildonan Teacher Training Institute, accredited by the Orton-Gillingham Academy, Shelly cemented her language skills and applied them immediately at Camp Dunnabeck, a summer camp designed for students ranging from 8-16 diagnosed with dyslexia and other language-based disabilities. Under the supervision of the director of language training, Shelly designed daily one-hour lessons for individual students using an evidence-based curriculum with a sequenced approach. Shelly administered standardized and criterion-referenced assessments as a guide to support students in errorless learning and growth in literacy.

Her experience as a tutor inspired her to cofound a tutoring company, where she can support all students with literacy and other educational needs. Currently, she is a New York State licensed speech-language pathologist in a PreK–12 public school, working with administrators to implement a structured literacy curriculum for all grades so that students from many backgrounds can feel confident about reading.

As a member of the Mayor’s Women Advisory Board, Shelly serves the community based on the needs of women, supporting women’s empowerment in education, finance, housing, entrepreneurship, and self-advocacy. Her passions include supporting anyone in believing they can achieve any goal and remaining grounded in the belief that life is limitless with a growth mindset.

Rachel Levinsky

January 30, 2023

Rachel Levinsky has been an educator for over 20 magical years. She has been a New York City public school educator for 18 years, and has also taught in Chile, Egypt, Taiwan, and Shanghai.

Rachel’s undergraduate studies at Colorado College, graduate work at Columbia University’s Teacher College for a master’s in curriculum development, Hunter College for certification in administration, and Hamline University for a master’s in TESOL have prepared her with the skills to plan tailored curriculum for specific student needs. Rachel has two sons and the family enjoys hiking, camping, traveling, and lots of baking. The house is always filled with the scent of someone’s cooking project and the walls are lined with everyone’s favorite books. Rachel loves incorporating these interests into her teaching, often teaching fractions through baking or sewing projects, or working on writing skills by creating plays. No matter what your child’s interests are, Rachel will find a way to include those special assets in their work together.

Rachel Levinsky has teaching and private tutoring experience with all elementary ages and also taught middle school for eleven years. Rachel has been a classroom teacher, English as a New Language teacher, and an interventionist, supporting struggling learners in reading, writing, or math. Teaching so many different subjects and students has helped Rachel develop a facility with adapting to any new learning environment and meeting any student’s needs accordingly. Rachel always incorporates games and projects so that learning is fun and engaging.

Rachel works to light the spark that leads to a lifelong love of reading. Matching children to the perfect book series is a particular joy. Rachel has a wide library of books for all levels of readers. She is trained in Heggerty, Sounds in Motion, and works with a Bank Street literacy initiative. All of these programs develop children’s phonemic awareness, as hearing the sounds that compose our words is the basis for reading. Rachel is also trained in Fundations and SPIRE, two Orton-Gillingham based programs that systematically develop phonics. Rachel also has 18 years of experience teaching with the Teachers College Reading and Writing units of study to develop reading comprehension.

Rachel is currently using the Illustrative Math program, a constructivist program that provides multiple opportunities for learners to build number sense through games and problem solving. She also has experience with Engage Math. Rachel works to build students’ confidence in math through games to develop number sense and applying literacy skills to understanding word problems.

Rachel has experience preparing students for the NYSESLAT test (a test that measures English language proficiency in New York State), the New York State ELA test, and the New York State Math test.

Rachel believes in asset-minded teaching, harnessing your child’s strengths to approach the areas of struggle. With engaging activities and games, your children will develop a growth mindset, understanding that while certain skills might be challenging for them now, they are always making progress.

Cameron Skinner

Amy Glickman

Marie Leblanc

Shelly October

Rachel Levinsky

Company Overview

School Planning

Private Tutoring

Test Preparation