category: High School

Szasha Ozard

As a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley and Columbia University, Szasha Ozard draws on years of experience as a historian, Peace Corps volunteer, youth empowerment coach, certified Social Studies teacher, and research advisor to build confidence in her students and empower them to reach personal and academic success through private tutoring. She is passionate about bringing history alive by engaging with student interests and life experiences as a bridge to allow learners to draw meaningful connections between the past, themselves, and the modern world. Szasha works to help her students understand the events of the past and to achieve mastery of historical thinking and analytical writing skills. This allows learners to not only engage in the authentic work of historians and conduct successful research but to grow in their capacity as analytical global citizens.

Szasha Ozard holds a Master’s degree in the teaching of Social Studies from Teachers College, Columbia University and currently teaches 9th and 10th grade Global History as well as a 12th grade independent research seminar within the New York City Department of Education. She has taught in fully inclusive ICT special education classroom settings, differentiating instruction to meet the diverse needs of students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), as well as in general education and advanced placement classrooms. She has vast experience preparing students to excel on the NYS Regents Exam in Global History and Geography as well as providing enrichment for advanced learners. Szasha guides 12th graders through a college level independent history research and writing seminar culminating in a final paper and school-wide presentation. Students are given the opportunity to respond to rigorous questions in defense of their research, modeling the process of researching, writing, and defending a history thesis at a college level.

As a 9th-12th grade advisor, Szasha Ozard also provides individualized socio-emotional and academic support. These supports include: coaching in study and organizational skills, assistance with strategies to improve executive functioning, and health and wellness check-ins focused on stress management and youth advocacy. She builds these same supports into her tutoring sessions.

Before becoming a Social Studies teacher, Szasha Ozard earned her B.A. in History from the University of California, Berkeley, where she developed her passion for research — a passion she now works to foster in her students. After graduating, she served as a Peace Corps volunteer teaching English as a Foreign Language in the African nations of both Cape Verde and Mozambique. During her Peace Corps service, Szasha realized her calling for not only teaching, but youth empowerment. She brings both her global perspective and dedication to individual youth capacity building into her current teaching and tutoring practice.

In her free time, Szasha enjoys running, traveling, and working in her backyard organic vegetable garden. She has run several marathons and has trekked to both the base camp of Mount Everest and the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro. At home, Szasha spends as much time as possible training her exuberant Australian Shepherd puppy who is always eager to learn new tricks!

Jason Leblang

As the child of two educators, Jason Leblang always had a passion for teaching and providing equity and access to students regardless of their circumstances. After volunteering in elementary school tutoring programs throughout high school, Jason attended George Washington University, graduating summa cum laude with a B.A. in Political Science in 2004. Immediately following graduation, Jason was accepted into the highly competitive New York City Teaching Fellows program and earned his M.S. in secondary mathematics education in 2007 from Pace University followed by his M.S. in educational leadership in 2012 from Baruch College.

Since 2005, Jason Leblang has taught high school level mathematics including Algebra, Geometry, and Algebra 2 as well as test preparation for both state and national standardized exams. Jason is currently the mathematics department chairperson and Algebra teacher at the Theodore Roosevelt Educational Complex in the Fordham section of the Bronx. Jason’s approach to learning focuses on teaching students to explore problems by gathering evidence and making connections. He believes in allowing students to develop their foundational skills organically through applications rather than through memorization without context.

Jason’s areas of expertise extend beyond mathematics. He is also New York state certified in Social Studies and started the Advanced Placement World History course at his school to provide sophomores with the opportunity to take an advanced history course. During the 5 years Jason has been teaching this course, many of his students achieved passing scores on the Advanced Placement exam and earned college credit. Jason’s approach to teaching history focuses on developing writing and analytical skills in order to make connections and construct a logical argument.

As a Google-certified educator, Jason Leblang has demonstrated expertise in utilizing Google educational applications including Google Docs, Sheets, Slides, and Classroom. He has used this experience to train his colleagues as his school shifted towards using Google Classroom and Chromebooks in each classroom and also piloted a flipped classroom model in his Advanced Placement World History class. As a result of his training and experience, Jason is also very well-versed in remote learning and the appropriate use of digital tools to recreate the in-person tutoring experience. During the abrupt switch to virtual platforms as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was able to provide live instruction and personalized tutoring for new and advanced material, enrichment, and test preparation for the Advanced Placement exams. Jason understands the struggles that many students and families have with distance learning and prides himself for being able to bring personalized support and appropriate resources into the homes of his students digitally.

In addition to his classroom experience, Jason has also worked as a private tutor at both the middle and high school level and as a summer math enrichment instructor for incoming high school students at Fordham University.

In his free time, Jason and his wife enjoy museums and movies, thinking up and going on food tours of New York City (we know the best brownie, rainbow cookie, chocolate chip cookie, macaron, and latke!), and traveling.

Steve Kronovet

A graduate of the University of Michigan and New York University, Steve Kronovet draws on twenty years’ experience teaching in public high schools, private enrichment programs, and the City University of New York to help students succeed in reading, writing, and standardized tests — and in helping students understand and apply the themes and lessons of literature to their daily lives. He loves to teach! It is his passion! He brings humor and energy to his lessons and plans!

Steve Kronovet holds a BA in Dramatic Literature from the University of Michigan and a Master’s in English, with a Concentration in Writing, from New York University. For the past four years, in addition to his private tutoring, Steve has taught advanced sixth graders in an enrichment program in New York City, designed to help students gain entrance into top independent schools. Previous to this, in his twelve years’ experience teaching English at a public high school, he taught students who came into his ninth and tenth grade classrooms with reading levels ranging from the fourth grade to the third year of college. And while working as an instructor for the City University of New York, he taught freshman composition, remedial composition, composition for students of ESL, and courses in the short story and dramatic literature.

Moreover, as a high school teacher, he has had extensive experience working with students with various exceptionalities, including dysgraphia, dyslexia, ADHD, and emotional/behavioral disorders – and of course in differentiating his instruction so that his students could fulfill their promise.

Indeed, he assisted a number of these students in crafting their college application essays, a task he is expert at – and then took great joy when their admissions to colleges and universities such as Pratt, Penn, and Brandeis started rolling in!

If there is one great secret to teaching it is this: Always build the bridge from the student’s side of the river. Start it in the middle of the river, or from the teacher’s side, and no one gets across.

In addition to his passion for teaching, Steve Kronovet has long had a passion for writing, in particular for plays, screenplays, and, of all things, games shows! Early successes include a Hopwood Award in Drama from the University of Michigan and a pair of productions on Theater Row in NYC. Recently, two of his game show concepts were signed, via his agent, to production deals in Los Angeles and New York.

Dan Muro

Dan Muro is a private tutor who specializes in social studies, language arts, Portuguese, and Spanish.

Dan grew up in New Jersey, where he attended The Pingry School from kindergarten through 12th grade. In High School, he was an honor roll student and frequent discussion leader in class, particularly in his favorite subjects: biology, English, Spanish, and political science. Outside of the classroom, Dan was a competitive swimmer and a founding member of the Coffeehouse Society, which organized open-mic nights for the school’s student artists. He also worked as a camp counselor at the Montclair Yard School of Art’s summer camp.

After graduating from Pingry, Dan Muro attended Wesleyan University, where he earned his B.A. in anthropology. A native speaker of Portuguese, Dan had the opportunity to share his love of Brazilian culture and language as a course assistant for beginner and intermediate Portuguese, facilitating group tutoring sessions and providing individually tailored support to students. He also worked as a woodshop monitor, teaching student artists how to properly and safely operate heavy machinery and tools. His sophomore year, Dan designed his own study abroad program in São Paulo, Brazil, where he conducted ethnographic and archival research with an architecture office supporting community-led housing initiatives and design processes.

Dan Muro currently works as a writer and consultant for cultural institutions, such as The Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University, Philadelphia Contemporary, and the Nelson-Atkins Museum. As one of the founding team members of DVDL Design Decisions, a boutique consultancy, Dan assisted in the design of new education, curatorial, and space design strategies for world-class museums.

Dan draws on his patience, listening skills, and love of learning, as well as his real-world problem-solving experience, to meet each student where they are. He offers support tailored to each student’s needs on test-taking strategies, reading comprehension and analysis, integrating new concepts into their intellectual toolkit, and problem-solving tactics across subjects.

When he is not teaching or tutoring, Dan can be found reading poetry and old urban planning documents, writing songs with friends, or enjoying the outdoors.

Lana Bunning

August 31, 2020

Lana Bunning is a lifelong learner and has a passion for sharing her love of education with her students. After earning a B.S. in Biology and an M.S. in Education from the University at Albany, she began her career with the New York City Department of Education. She has been a public school teacher for over eight years where she has taught math, science, and many other enrichment courses. She proudly holds the title of Model Teacher because of her skill and expertise of best instructional practices and student achievement growth. Lana has also worked as a private tutor for several years with students from kindergarten through high school. Her experiences have ranged from supporting students with academic coaching, test preparation, and executive functioning.

Lana Bunning is thoughtful when designing curriculum and supports for students, ensuring that the instruction is engaging, rigorous, and accessible for all learners. She is able to plan and execute her lessons in this way due to her ability to build a strong rapport with her students. Lana takes the time to get to know each of her students’ strengths and areas of growth, building trust and taking the time to get to know their hobbies and interests outside of the classroom. For these reasons, Lana is a lead teacher on her school’s Instructional Leadership and Equity Teams as well as District 13’s Math Leadership Group.

Lana’s experience educating students has not stopped at the classroom. She has privately tutored students of all ages attending NYC private and public schools, including The Dalton School, Horace Mann, Stuyvesant High School, and The Summit School. She skillfully differentiates instruction for all of her learners, including students with more complex neurocognitive profiles. Her tutoring work integrates monitoring and enhancing students’ executive functioning capacities and skills. She loves working one-on-one and in small groups with students because that is where she can have the most impact.

Lana Bunning is always working towards furthering her own learning in order to engage students at the highest levels. She participated in Honeywell Educators at Space Academy in 2016 where she participated in traditional Space Camp activities such as engineering design challenges, mock flight and space missions, rocket construction and launches with teachers from around the world. Sometimes you can still find her in her blue flight suit! She partnered with University of Washington Burke Museum paleontologists in 2017 to conduct field research on an active site, digging up 66 million year old fossils with teachers and researchers. In 2018, she explored Yellowstone National Park while engaging in STEAM projects to implement into the classroom with her students. She is always learning new ways to reach her students and spark their natural curiosity.

In her free time, Lana loves riding her Peloton and biking outside, snowboarding in the winter months, enjoying the beach waves in the summer, collecting and listening to vinyl records, and sharing meals with friends and family.

category: High School

Jason Leblang

Steve Kronovet

Lana Bunning

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