History Archives

Elizabeth Schiff

Elizabeth Schiff is an enthusiastic Learning Specialist and private tutor with over 25 years experience teaching and tutoring reading, writing, math, science, French, and social studies for K-8th grades, as well as English, history and French for high school students. Elizabeth has an MS.Ed in Elementary Education from Bank Street College of Education, an AB in English and American Literature from Brown University, and she graduated from The Brearley School. Elizabeth has taught all grades from Kindergarten to 4th and has tutored many students in 1st through 12th grades. Moreover, she is trained in Orton- Gillingham based interventions, including PAF.

Elizabeth Schiff absolutely loves teaching and makes learning fun! She has taught at private, public and charter schools, and has extensive experience with a broad range of learning styles and differences, including: ADD/ADHD; executive functioning; dyslexia and decoding; graphomotor/fine motor; processing; short term memory; receptive and expressive language; visual-spatial and motor planning; and anxiety disorder. She focuses on improving students’ self-esteem by offering consistent positive encouragement and feedback, supporting them academically, and teaching them the skills and analytical thinking they need in order to be successful.

Through informal assessments, Elizabeth develops an individualized plan that addresses each student’s strengths, interests and needs, and she uses a wide variety of developmentally-appropriate methodologies, resources, games and activities specifically designed for each student. She gives frequent oral and written feedback to parents, and stays in close communication with teachers and learning specialists when appropriate. She generally works long-term with students, but she also does test preparation for the ISEE, the SHSAT and the SSAT, and she teaches interview skills.

Elizabeth Schiff has tutored students from Dalton, Chapin, Brearley, Ethical Culture/Fieldston, Columbia Grammar, Trevor Day, Rodeph Sholom, The Town School, The Dwight School, Professional Children’s School, United Nations International School, Speyer Legacy, Stephen Gaynor, Gateway and multiple public schools.

Jacob Backer

Since graduating Yale University in 2014, Jacob has been providing private tutoring in the greater New York City area including both acceleration and remediation. Jacob’s strengths rest in his ability to encourage students to achieve their academic potential and ease the anxiety that comes with standardized testing.

Jacob thinks it is important to create a comfortable learning environment for students. Students need to be encouraged to push themselves and will never do so if they are afraid of failure. He believes in a steady and encouraging approach that focuses on building a student’s confidence as well as their academic skills.

For over 4 years, Jacob has helped students prepare for various standardized tests, including the SAT, ACT, SSAT and ISEE. He has worked in a wide range of subjects including Algebra, Geometry, US and Global History, Living Environment, and English.

Jacob also has extensive experience working with struggling students and helping seemingly unmotivated or apathetic youth to reengage with academics. He is able to skillfully assess students’ academic needs and fill in gaps in their education. Jacob helps struggling students build the confidence necessary for academic success; once a student believes they can handle the work they have been assigned, they are far less likely to avoid it. His work with students includes supporting and developing enhanced skills for organization, essay writing, and note taking.

Jacob was a strong test taker in high school, earning a score of 5 on all of his AP exams as well as several perfect and near perfect SAT scores. He earned his undergraduate degree in History from Yale University and graduated with honors.

Outside of tutoring, Jacob is a musician and producer. He is a multi instrumentalist, composer and songwriter who records his own music and performs around New York City. He approaches teaching with the same passion and energy that he brings to his music.

Angeline Gonyea

Angeline Gonyea began privately tutoring nine years ago in college, guiding first generation Latino students through their homework and teaching their parents conversational English. She has been tutoring youth ever since ranging across a wide range of subject areas, including the humanities, math, biology, chemistry, and Spanish. Through her training in a mentoring program, Angeline practices the importance of praising youth for the work they do, instead of praising youth for how smart they are.

Angeline Gonyea graduated with a triple concentration in Economics, International Studies, and Spanish from the University of Michigan. After learning about quality of life through a broad lens, Angeline wanted to improve people’s lives in a more direct and healthful way. She went to a health-supportive culinary school, Natural Gourmet Institute, and worked as an allergist specialist and personal chef. She segued into teaching early morning pilates classes and was rated on ClassPass as Top Ten Pilates Instructors in NYC for 2018. Currently, Angeline is applying to a part-time Physician Assistant program.

Angeline’s goal is to teach material in creative and productive ways. She divides material into manageable pieces, goes through lots of practice problems, and recaps material to finish. As a continuing student herself, she has many test taking strategies, and specializes in Chemistry and Biology at the high school and college level.

She has worked extensively with students with autism and ADHD, which has included executive function coaching. Angeline Gonyea incorporates motivational interviewing techniques into tutoring. By using reflective listening and open-ended questions, she gives students the opportunity to speak about their motivations and discover how important their goals are to them. Angeline helps students develop unfaltering patience with subject matter and staying focused for longer periods of time with genuine interest and enthusiasm.

In her free time, Angeline Gonyea enjoys reading, meditating, yoga, and embroidering. She also leads a Mind Body Hour with psychiatric patients at Weill Cornell, and she serves as a health coach for veterans in NYU Langone’s Goals for Eating and Moving Lab.

Gabe Nathans

Gabe Nathans has over three years of private tutoring experience from the elementary school to college level in both test preparation and academic subjects.

Gabe Nathans received his B.A. in Philosophy from Yale University, where his studies also included high-level courses in math, physics, and history. An avid musician, he played the double bass in the Yale Symphony Orchestra (including a performance at Carnegie Hall), the electric bass in a number of musical groups, and and has continued to play in musical productions and venues across New York City. Currently, he studies comedy at the Upright Citizens Brigade Training Center and performs stand up and improv comedy around the city.

After graduating from Yale, Gabe spent two years as a full-time academic subject and SAT/ACT tutor working with middle and high school students in foster care, where he helped multiple students pass Regents exam they had failed repeatedly, worked with a student to raise his SAT Math score by 150 points, and guided another student from C’s and D’s to B’s and A’s the following school year. He has also tutored privately, helping to prepare students for the SAT, ACT, ISEE, and SSAT, and has coached high school students in college essay writing. He is a kind and empathetic tutor who draws on his sense of humor to help students through challenges and make tutoring sessions a fun experience. Parents and students have praised his patience, as well as his knack for breaking down complex topics in a clear and engaging way.

Gabe specializes in SAT, ACT, and ISEE/SSAT preparation, as well as academic subject tutoring in middle and high school math (Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II/Trigonometry, and Geometry). He also tutors students in English and U.S. and Global History.

When he is not tutoring, Gabe likes to write and perform comedy and music around New York City, and enjoys spending time with his family.

Alex Jacobs

Alex Jacobs is a private tutor who specializes in history, elementary math and language arts.

Alex was born and raised in Manhattan where he attended the Horace Mann School from Kindergarten through twelfth grade. While in High School, he tutored elementary school students both privately and through school-run programs. His experience at a rigorous New York preparatory school has given him insight into the unique challenges and pressures that students in that world face.

Alex then attended Oberlin College, where he earned his B.A. in Sociology. During college, he continued to educate elementary and middle school students, first as an assistant teacher at The Grace Church School’s summer program and later as a math and literacy tutor at Goddard Riverside Community’s Star Learning Center.

Alex is now a professional musician and music writer. His music has been covered by SPIN and Interview Magazine and his writing has been featured in the Huffington Post. He also teaches established producers and composers how to use the latest audio production software and gives lessons in percussion and digital synthesis to musicians of all ages. Most recently, Alex has led workshops for 3rd – 7th grade students in environmental education, music and nutrition for Arts in Parts, a nonprofit after-school and summer program in Far Rockaway.

Whether helping young readers navigate their first novel or coaching graduate school hopefuls through their applications and admissions tests, Alex’s spirited demeanor makes seemingly mundane work fun and fulfilling for learners at every level. In his 13 years as a tutor and educator, Alex has helped students excel in a broad range of subjects, including literacy, writing, mathematics, geography, history and the study of religion.

When he is not teaching or tutoring, Alex can be found collecting antique maps, building musical instruments or conducting ad hoc trivia competitions among friends.

Elizabeth Schiff

Jacob Backer

Angeline Gonyea

Gabe Nathans

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