English and Language Arts (ELA) Archives

Jennifer Epstein

January 16, 2015

Jennifer Cody Epstein is a novelist, journalist, and educator who lives in Brooklyn, New York. Her fiction—The Madwomen of Paris (Ballantine, 2023), Wunderland (Ballantine, 2019), The Gods of Heavenly Punishment (W.W. Norton, 2012), and The Painter from Shanghai (W.W. Norton, 2007)—has been published in 21 countries to date, nominated for an Edgar award, longlisted for the Simpson/Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize, and awarded the Honor Prize for Fiction by the Asian Pacific Association of Librarians. She has also been awarded writing residencies at the Virginia Center for the Creative Arts, Hedgebrook, the Vermont Studio Center, and the Catwalk Arts Institute.

Jennifer has an M.F.A. in fiction from Columbia University and a Masters of International Relations from Johns Hopkins SAIS. She did her undergraduate work at Amherst College, where she graduated magna cum laude with a double degree in English and Asian Studies. In addition to writing fiction, she has contributed to LitHub, BookRiot, McSweeney’s, Tablet, Knight-Ridder Financial News, The Wall Street Journal, The Asian Wall Street Journal, The Nation (Thailand), Self, and Mademoiselle among other publications, and worked at the NBC and HBO networks; jobs that have taken her from Tokyo to Hong Kong to Bangkok to New York. She has taught fiction and advised graduate thesis projects at Columbia University in New York, in addition to working extensively as a writing coach with students in primary school, middle school, high school and college around the globe.

When not researching, writing or teaching, Jennifer can usually be found reading, running (slowly, and usually to an Audiobook), hiking with her daughters, or spending time with her husband and Mei, their sweet but highly-distractible Springer Spaniel.

Lauren Kelleher

December 16, 2014

As a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the American College of Education, Lauren Kelleher has had the unique experience of both teaching a variety of age groups and has field experience in the area of music and performing arts. She began her professional career as an opera singer, performing internationally in both American and European cities. While performing is a great passion of Lauren’s, she has found her calling in education. Through her role as an educator and private tutor, Lauren is able to share her love of music and performance with her students, while helping them discover their own artistic talents and interests.

Over the past five years, she has taught music and general education classes in both suburban and urban school districts. She taught kindergarten and first grade at the John F. Kennedy German American School in Berlin, Germany where her talents for immersion instruction, dual language methods and classroom management were fully utilized in an early childhood classroom. She also served as the music specialist for kindergarten to fourth graders. In an encouraging and nurturing environment, Lauren Kelleher instructs her students through an exploration of musical concepts and diverse genres by playing instruments, practicing movement, creating song, and always celebrating the learning through performance. She also believes that music should be fun, it should be engaging, and it should stimulate another part of the brain that can create connections to ideas made from other areas of the child’s learning.

Most recently, Lauren spent the year teaching integrated performing arts for the Middle Years Program at the Lincoln Community School in Accra, Ghana. Through this experience, she offered students an expanded experience in performing techniques in music, drama and movement. She taught students about the elements of music, dance and drama and facilitated opportunities for students to experience and create performances in different forms. Additionally, with passion, she directed the middle school musical Into the Woods, with a West African twist.

Lauren’s educational philosophy stems from a progressive, and hands-on approach to learning that develops the whole child through self-exploration, curiosity and wonderment. Throughout all of Lauren’s teaching experiences, she believes that at the core of her educational philosophy is a growth mindset, where every child can come to learn with a belief in themselves and the comfort of being vulnerable when exploring all aspects of education.

Elizabeth Walters

October 1, 2014

A graduate of Smith College and Columbia University, Elizabeth Walters draws on years of experience as a writer, editor, certified teacher, writing consultant, and private tutor as she helps students succeed in reading, writing, and standardized tests. As a high scorer herself, with GRE marks in the 96th percentile for Verbal Reasoning and the 97th percentile for Analytical Writing, she knows how rewarding it can be to achieve one’s goals.

Elizabeth holds a BA in English language and literature from Smith and an MFA in creative nonfiction writing from Columbia, where she was awarded a prestigious fellowship to teach University Writing, Columbia’s first-year composition course. Her classes included sections specifically for international students and for students of non-traditional ages and backgrounds. After commencement, she has continued on at Columbia as a consultant in the university’s writing center, which serves both undergraduate and graduate students.

Before starting graduate school, Elizabeth spent several years teaching middle- and high-school English, reading, and standardized test preparation. She has worked with students on all skill levels, from remedial to on-level to honors students, and she has taught children with various exceptionalities, including ADD/ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia, giftedness, and emotional/behavioral disorders. She has tutored both public and private-school students. She loves individual tutoring because she enjoys being able to customize lessons to help specific learners succeed. Before becoming a teacher, Elizabeth was a copy editor and reporter at the Concord Monitor, an award-winning newspaper in New Hampshire. She continues to work as a journalist; among the publications that have featured her pieces are the Times-Picayune, the Village Voice and the website of the Washington Post. She brings to her writing instruction her experiences as an editor of thousands of articles and as a coach for thousands of academic essays. She has edited dissertation chapters for students at institutions such as MIT, Columbia, and Washington University in St. Louis, in subjects as varied as inorganic chemistry, law, and forensic anthropology. No matter what the topic or genre, she prizes readability and clarity in writing, and she helps her students develop those qualities in their pieces.

Elizabeth’s favorite pastimes are reading, writing, and editing. She enjoys finding a favorite coffeehouse in each neighborhood where she tutors. She also enjoys playing her violin, hearing live music, walking around the city, and exploring the geography and culture of New York.

Evelisse Mercado

September 22, 2014

Evelisse Mercado is a highly experienced and dedicated educator with over a decade of teaching expertise. Currently in her fifth year at the Valhalla Union Free School District, Evelisse has taught both first and second grade, and she presently serves as a second-grade teacher. Beyond the classroom, she is a Grade Level Leader responsible for planning curriculum, ensuring instructional alignment with the Next Generation Learning Standards, and supporting colleagues in delivering high-quality lessons. She also serves as her school’s ELA Data Analyst, where she drives instruction across the entire K–2 building by closely monitoring reading, foundational skills, and writing data to inform effective teaching practices.

Evelisse began her career as a Master Teacher in the New York City Department of Education, where she taught first, second, third, and fifth grade in both general education and Integrated Co-Teaching (ICT) settings. She has extensive experience creating and implementing Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and supporting a wide range of student needs, including those with Speech and Language Impairments, Learning Disabilities, Executive Functioning Disorders, ADD/ADHD, Anxiety, and high-functioning Autism. She also taught summer school for four years at Mount Pleasant Blythedale Union Free School District, where she specialized in supporting students with diverse learning needs.

A reflective practitioner, Evelisse is committed to continuously improving her teaching methods. She personalizes learning for each student by building on their strengths while addressing areas for growth, which has consistently resulted in significant academic progress. Her ability to foster strong partnerships with families is at the heart of her success, creating a supportive and collaborative environment that helps every child thrive.

Evelisse’s experience extends beyond in-person instruction. She is adept at using online collaborative tools such as Zoom, Google Workspace, and other digital platforms to design interactive, engaging virtual lessons. Her students remain motivated and eager to learn—whether in the classroom or online.

Currently pursuing her second Master’s degree in School Building Leadership at City College, Evelisse continues to expand her expertise as both a teacher and educational leader. She believes educators serve as role models in and out of the classroom, and she is passionate about motivating and inspiring young learners to reach their fullest potential.

With her wealth of experience, data-driven approach, and commitment to personalized learning, Evelisse Mercado offers private tutoring that is engaging, effective, and tailored to the unique needs of every child.

Sara Levin

August 28, 2014

Sara Levin is currently a Private Tutor and teacher at PS 172 in Brooklyn, a high performing Blue Ribbon award winning school, where she has taught in both third grade general education and inclusion (ICT) settings. Sara received her B.A. from The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. in 2005, with a major in Political Science and a minor in Spanish.

Sara then worked in advertising and media planning in New York City at Universal McCann and Allied Advertising, providing media plans and negotiating deals for print advertising for movie studio film releases. A career in education was always at the back of Sara’s mind. Eventually she realized how unfulfilled she felt working in advertising, and kept finding herself daydreaming about teaching, so she decided to go for it. She earned a Master’s in Childhood Education and Special Education from New York University in 2009.

While attending graduate school at NYU, Sara student taught in a second grade micro-ICT class within the ASD NEST program at PS 32 in Brooklyn where she provided instruction to high functioning children on the Autism Spectrum as well as general education students in an inclusion class. She also student taught in a fourth and fifth grade self-contained special education class at P.S. 212, where she learned a lot about the importance of structure and organization in the classroom. Both of these experiences taught her valuable lessons about differentiating instruction, tailoring teaching to the individual children.

In addition to teaching third grade for the past four years PS 172, Sara has been very involved in their curriculum development and implementation for reading, writing, mathematics, and social studies, as well as the school’s strong test preparation curriculum. She has experience working with programs such as EngageNY Math, GoMath, Everyday Math, Teachers College Reading and Writing Workshop, Fundations as well as with Math and ELA test preparation. She has worked with diverse learners within the special education community, English Language Learners, and gifted learners, and believes that every student can learn.

Sara believes it is up to the teacher to get to know each child and find the materials and teaching strategies to best support and teach each student. Sara also feels strongly about empowering each student and building confidence. Sara has used her strong communication skills to build relationships with colleagues and families within the school community.

Outside of the classroom, Sara loves to travel, ski and play tennis, read, try new restaurants and spend time with her friends and family in New York City and New Jersey, especially at the beach!

Jennifer Epstein

Elizabeth Walters

Evelisse Mercado

Sara Levin

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School Planning

Private Tutoring

Test Preparation