New York City Metro Area

New York City Faculty My Learning Springboard's faculty is comprised of top-notch educators at every level from private, public, and charter schools as well as colleges, universities, and subject matter experts in their respective industries. Our faculty is based in the NYC metro area, including parts of Westchester and Long Island. Other locations include Washington, DC metro area, Northwest DC, Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Potomac, and Rockville, Maryland; and Palm Beach County, Florida, including Boca Raton, Delray Beach, and Palm Beach. We are available for consultation, virtual tutoring and distance learning beyond these areas as well.

Nancy Zhang

January 14, 2019

Nancy Zhang graduated with a B.A. from Vassar College with General Honors and Departmental Honors in Chinese Language and Literature, as well as French and Francophone Studies. She was also awarded the Yin-Lien C. Chin Prize for her senior project: an English-to-Chinese translation of “Golden Child,” a play by David Henry Hwang. During her undergraduate career, Nancy received a Fulbright-Hays Scholarship to study abroad in Beijing for one semester through the ACC Intensive Language and Culture Program at Minzu University. She returned two summers later to complete a Chinese teachers training program at the K-12 Teachers Institute.

Nancy began her teaching career upon graduation, starting at a sixth through twelfth grade preparatory school in West Hartford, Connecticut where she taught Chinese, served as a middle school academic advisor, and coached the middle school squash team. She also worked closely with the school’s Department of Diversity and Cultural Competency to advance the social justice and equity curriculum.

From there, Nancy moved on to work at another private school in Westport, Connecticut where she continued to teach Chinese to middle and high schoolers, and also had the opportunity to design an independent study high school French literature course. In her second year, Nancy served on a committee that oversaw the school’s reaccreditation process through CAIS (Connecticut Association of Independent Schools). This opportunity allowed her to develop a deep understanding of the various departments and division levels that contribute to the operations and success of a private school. In her third year there, in response to a lack of such a course, Nancy piloted a Health and Wellness class for seventh through ninth graders. She is currently in her fourth year at this school, and has branched out to working with five to seven year old students in subjects such as Science and Reading.

Nancy enjoys working with students of all ages, and is passionate about developing students’ self-awareness, compassion, and empathy in addition to academic pursuits. She has also provided in-person private tutoring as well as Skype e-tutoring sessions in subjects such as Chinese, Reading Comprehension, Writing Mechanics, and Executive Functioning and Organization Skills.

David Gomprecht

November 11, 2018

David Gomprecht, PhD, graduated from Wesleyan University, where he majored in mathematics and physics, and then went on to receive a Ph.D. in mathematics from the University of California at Berkeley. After working as a research mathematician for a few years, David returned to his hometown of New York City, where he has now been a math specialist and private tutor for over twenty years. His work with students has spanned a wide range of ages from third grade through college.

In recent years, David has become increasingly interested in enrichment mathematics, at a variety of levels. At the competitive independent school where he works, he enjoys running the fifth and sixth grade math club and coaching the high school math team. David is also a long time instructor at the New York Math Circle, where he teaches the most advanced middle school class and the most advanced high school class. In addition, David very much enjoys creating math problems, and is proud to have had problems on the American Invitational Mathematics Exam (AIME) in both 2017 and 2018. In 2017 David also spoke at the Berkeley Math Circle about geometry, one of his favorite topics.

In addition to enrichment work, David has honed his craft over the last twenty plus years by teaching a broad variety of mathematics classes, including algebra, geometry, precalculus, calculus, multivariable calculus, and linear algebra. He has taught precalculus and geometry each year for the last twenty years, and is currently putting the finishing touches on a precalculus textbook that he has written. David also has been a student advisor and a grade dean, and he has been a member of curriculum committees at his school and at the Hunter College Elementary School. Additionally, with the support of the school where he teaches David has fostered relationships with math departments in India, China, and Turkey, and he has taught math classes in Delhi and Beijing.

When David isn’t teaching, he spends his time cooking dinner for his wife and three children, helping his kids with their homework, and pursuing his interests, which include reading, running, cooking, and playing the sitar.

Marisa Krohn

April 6, 2018

By all accounts, Marisa Krohn was born to be an educator. Regularly buried behind a book and eager to share her understanding of the world with others, she enthusiastically announced she would be a teacher on a questionnaire in first grade and never looked back. Marisa brings this same enthusiasm and spirit for learning to her everyday work as a teacher and private tutor.

Marisa Krohn’s lifelong ambition to be a teacher was realized when she attended New York University to pursue a degree in Early Childhood Education, Special Education, and Psychology. At NYU, Marisa had the opportunity to student teach in diverse settings, from private specialized schools for students with learning disabilities to self-contained classrooms for students with Autism. This broad ranging experience allowed Marisa, from early in her career, to pull from multiple resources and disciplines to serve her students in an individualized and thoughtful manner. She obtained her Masters of Arts at Teachers College in Reading Specialization, and served as a practicum supervisor after completion, advising graduate students on their instructional strategies and clinical decision-making. She most recently completed an advanced graduate degree, a Masters of Education in Leadership for Educational Change from Bank Street College of Education.

Currently a School Building Leader in District 1 in Lower Manhattan, Marisa supervises instructional staff, leads educational programming and develops curriculum. Before that, Marisa worked for nearly a decade at PS 234 in TriBeCa, where she served as the school’s Special Education Liaison. Her role encompassed teacher coaching and professional development in addition to serving as an inclusion teacher and a K-5 academic interventionist. Over the course of her career at PS 234, Marisa served in many roles and grade placements from Kindergarten to Fifth grade. Prior to joining New York City Public Schools, she worked as a preschool teacher in a private school and a preschool SEIT.

Marisa is a Reading Specialist and an experienced literacy and math interventionist. She is trained in Orton-Gilingham methodology, including PAF, Wilson Fundations, Sounds in Motion, and Multisensory Teaching of Basic Language Skills. As a classroom teacher, Marisa incorporated explicit phonics instruction into her literacy instruction, equipping students with both the tools they needed to access text and develop a lifelong love of reading. Her writing intervention training includes the implementation of SRSD methodology. Additionally, Marisa is an experienced math teacher skilled at implementing TERC Investigations and Contexts for Learning curriculum.

Marisa has presented professionally on a range of topics, including literacy and inclusion, to diverse audiences, including the PEN conference and to graduate students at Teachers College.

In her spare time, Marisa enjoys traveling, lounging at the beach, and spending time at home with her puppy and young daughter.

SOHO Parenting

January 16, 2018

Soho Parenting has been providing psychotherapy and parent guidance for thirty years. The realistic, practical and insight-oriented approach leads to a greater sense of well-being for individuals of any age. The center offers a variety of services including play therapy for children, school observation, family therapy, individual counseling for adolescents, young adults, and couples, parenting groups, developmental guidance, divorce and separation support and workshops.

Lisa Spiegel received her BA from Vassar College, and has a Master’s degree in Developmental Psychology from Columbia University. From her three decades of working with adults and children she has developed an approach that draws from an eclectic array of disciplines – talk therapy, yoga and mindfulness, and parent coaching. Lisa is a certified Internal Family Systems therapist, LifeForce Yoga® practitioner, and a couple’s counselor from the Relational Life Institute. She is also trained in EMDR.

Jean Kunhardt has her graduate degrees in Early Childhood and Special Education from Bank Street College. She has continued her education in EMDR, IFS, Somatic Experiencing, and as a couple’s counselor at the Relational Life Institute. Jean combines her training and knowledge with her pragmatic and supportive style to provide invaluable guidance and support.

Spiegel and Kunhardt along with Sandra K. Basile are the authors of A Mother’s Circle: An Intimate Dialogue on Becoming a Mother. Written in the reassuring voice of Soho Parenting, the book takes an honest look at the first year of motherhood through the thoughts, feelings and experiences of nine mothers and their counselors in one of Soho Parenting’s Mother’s Circle support groups. What results is a combination of psychological insights, sensitive suggestions, unconditional support, and practical advice on how to cope with the challenges of being a new mom.

In 2017 Lisa Spiegel published Internal Family Systems Therapy with Children. Terry Real, the author of The New Rules of Marriage says, “Internal Family Systems and children go together like PB & J. Children naturally take to the imagination, play, honesty, and heart of this method. And no voice could be better suited to guide us than that of Lisa Spiegel, a gifted clinician, teacher, and storyteller. With warmth, humor, and deep compassion, she has written the definitive text on the subject. A must read for anyone working with either IFS or with children.”

Spiegel and Kunhardt have also been featured in a variety of media such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, ABC News, and Parents Magazine. Their unique combination of information, insight, empathy and humor has enriched the lives of many families.

Soho Parenting has grown into a nationally recognized center offering the most current guidance and treatment modalities for the emotional health of the family.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call 212.334.3744 or visit sohoparenting.com.

Bruce Hrnjez

January 16, 2018

Bruce Hrnjez, PhD, is a physical organic chemist and private tutor. He tutors and mentors students at the middle school, high school, and college level, supporting course work, test preparation, research, science competitions, and independent study. He regularly works with students in New York City, as well as across the globe through e-learning platforms and collaborative tools.

Bruce was on the faculty at Collegiate School for six years. He taught organic chemistry, advanced chemistry, introductory chemistry, and introductory physics—courses that he either designed or redesigned. He was also the Science Olympiad head coach, varsity golf coach, upper school advisor, and research advisor for students working on independent study projects. Former organic chemistry students from Collegiate have found earning A’s in organic chemistry at universities such as Duke, Harvard, MIT, the University of Chicago, and Yale to be remarkably straightforward. Bruce spent a brief interlude teaching AP chemistry and introductory chemistry at Friends Seminary in 2019. He subsequently spent over a year at Basis Independent Brooklyn, where his mandate was to create the chemistry infrastructure, develop the advanced chemistry laboratory curriculum, and mentor young science faculty. He now performs quantum chemical calculations in collaboration with a physicist friend and colleague in their consulting work with chemical industry, and further devotes himself to tutoring students via zoom and in person.

Bruce Hrnjez did his graduate work at Johns Hopkins and spent most of his career conducting research and teaching at the college level. He was an associate professor of chemistry for nine years at Yeshiva University. At Harvard Medical School, he was an Instructor in surgery and a Research Fellow. Prior to his time at Harvard Medical School, Bruce was an assistant professor of chemistry for five years at North Dakota State University. He was a postdoctoral fellow in chemistry at the University of Chicago and at the University of Texas at Austin, where he was also a visiting professor. He has extensively published his research in peer-reviewed journals.

As an undergraduate student, Bruce spent three years doing research in the laboratory of Richard Heck, who went on to share the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Of course, Bruce didn’t realize at the time that he was contributing to Nobel Prize-winning work, and is pleased to have published his first scientific paper with the future Nobel laureate. He says that Richard Heck is the first to have taught him how to think like a scientist and largely inspired his approach to teaching.

New York City Metro Area

Nancy Zhang

David Gomprecht

Marisa Krohn

Bruce Hrnjez

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