category: High School

Cara Hill is a seasoned educator, with over twenty years of classroom experience in public and private schools in New York City.  She has taught at the Packer Collegiate Institute, the Berkeley Carroll School, School of the Future, M.S. 51, and the high school academic outreach program Upward Bound at Columbia University.  Throughout her teaching career, Cara has tutored, relishing the chance to work on a one-to-one basis with students across age groups and disciplines. In addition, she has mentored and trained many teachers at the middle and high school level, giving her a strong understanding of a wide array of teachers, students, and schools.

Much of Cara’s work with students is focused on reading, writing, history, and the social sciences. She also has considerable expertise with neurodiversity, having worked closely with school counselors and learning specialists over the years to keep abreast of the latest pedagogy and technology in learning support. She has guided families on educational testing, Individual Education Plans (IEPs), and Learning Plans, through both the testing process and academic accommodations.  Over the years, Cara has developed many executive functioning and test-taking strategies.  She has prepared students for many standardized tests, including: the Specialized High School Admissions Test (SHSAT): English Language Arts section; the ACT: English, Reading, Optional Writing, and Science sections; the SAT: Evidenced-based Reading & Writing section; the AP English Literature and Composition exam; and, the English Language and Composition exam.  In addition, Cara has worked as a college essay mentor, both at Packer and as a private tutor, the latter work extending beyond the United States, supporting students applying to schools via the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS) for the United Kingdom.

Cara Hill is invested in diversity—not only in neurodiversity, but in thinking across cultures and disciplines. For the STEM kid, literary analysis might best be translated into an algebraic order of operations, a way to remember how to unpack sections of text in sequence. Relating to aspects of one’s culture and history also can help connect students more deeply to a concept or approach.  Cara believes that recognizing and even appreciating individual learning styles and temperaments can be valuable tools when developing strategies to achieve not only academic success but genuine investment in school.

I love witnessing that “Aha” moment, that instance when inspiration and belief come together for a student. Often such moments come when there is trust between the educator and student, not just in ability but in appreciating how a student’s mind works.

Cara Hill has a degree in English and African-American Studies from Princeton University. She is an active alumna, serving on various committees, including the high school award for the Princeton Prize for Race Relations. She has a Masters of Arts in English Education from New York University as well as New York State Public School Certification in English Education, grades 7-12. She is a member of the Academy for Teachers, a nominated group of master educators from both public and private schools in New York City. Outside of education, Cara works in film and television as a script consultant, advising on and editing screenplays.  She recently completed an intensive film workshop via the Academy for Teachers with actor and director John Turturro.  She is also a writer, currently working on a stage play after studying with Slave Play creator Jeremy O. Harris.  This combination of the artistic and the academic informs her work as a tutor, enabling her to offer diverse strategies to unlock student capacity.  She has done numerous independent studies with students, both creative and academic, including intensive studies in film writing and production.

One of the many blessings of working as an educator is the strong bonds formed with not only students but families. Students praise Cara for her ability to empathize and strategize as she empowers them to realize their best work. Families appreciate her knowledge of schools, not just as an educator but as a parent. She raised a child in the New York City school system, navigating public and private school admissions, an IEP, and a successful transition from high school to university.

Cara brings a wealth of personal and professional expertise to her work as a tutor, and she relishes the chance to have a role in helping young people realize their full potential.