Social Studies Archives

Sam Kleinman

July 9, 2020

Sam Kleinman is a master teacher and private tutor with a wealth of diverse teaching experiences. He has taught at various international and private schools all over the world. Having started his teaching career as a third grade teacher at the Dalton School, Sam then moved on to Berlin, Germany where he worked at an American International School called the John F. Kennedy School in Berlin. There he taught as a 5th and 6th grade homeroom teacher. His latest school experience was at an international school located in Accra, Ghana, where he taught the 3rd grade PYP curriculum to a highly international class.

Becoming an educator has been a lifelong goal for Sam. His love of teaching began at the Ethical Culture Field School where he went to high school. As part of Fieldston Lower’s after-school program, Sam tutored students in need of math support. He loved the work and still holds the giant thank you card made by those early beginning students he first tutored. In college, Sam continued to explore his interest in education, working as a student-teacher at the local high school in Oberlin, Ohio. Upon graduating from college, Sam then went on to receive his Master’s of Childhood Education at the Bank Street College of Education in New York.

Sam Kleinman’s goal as an educator is to work with students to help them reach their full potential and develop an everlasting love for learning. He believes the most effective way to do this is to have students actively engaged in their learning while celebrating the small moments of success along the way. It is also important to Sam that teachers recognize that not everyone learns the same way and, therefore, he works to create an individualized learning environment, in which each student accesses the material comfortably. To accomplish this goal, Sam pulls from a wide range of strategies, using hands-on materials and interactive lessons, adhering to a modality that fits the child’s learning style.

As education has moved to online learning platforms, so has Sam as he has quickly adapted to these contemporary trends. He effectively utilizes digital tools to help students navigate their learning both intellectually and technologically. Sam strives to maintain a balance so that the learning environment is effective and relevant to the contemporary experience of education, while maintaining an online environment that is personal and connected.

Sam is a voracious reader and is currently working on his first novel. He has written for an online film magazine, and even though he no longer produces content for the website, he continues to passionately watch movies in his spare time. Sam is an avid New York sports fan, who grew up playing every sport known to mankind. He enjoys painting, music of every genre, astronomy and learning about the latest advances in the scientific pursuit of space exploration.

Brad Hoffman

April 28, 2017

Brad Hoffman, Educational Consultant and Founder of My Learning Springboard, has always loved working with students and their families. He believes in the power of collaboration and advocates for a holistic, 360-degree view of education.

Under the leadership of Brad Hoffman and Faya Hoffman — a husband-and-wife team and both Board Certified Educational Planners and Learning Specialists — My Learning Springboard is a boutique multidisciplinary educational consulting firm and learning concierge® service offering a wide range of educational consulting services at every level from nursery through college. These services include: 1) academic tutoring and executive function coaching, 2) test preparation, and 3) school planning and college counseling. Our school planning and placement expertise includes both day schools and boarding schools across mainstream, specialized, and therapeutic settings as well as virtual schools and homeschooling.

Brad and Faya partner with each family to provide an integrated and meaningful experience, which often includes collaboration with school faculty and related service professionals. Through their unique structure and individualized approach, they offer a wide range of services to students, families, and schools. They see learning as a lifelong journey, and their goal is to help students of all ages enjoy the ride, build confidence, and achieve success. They founded My Learning Springboard in 2009.

Professional Associations

Brad Hoffman is a Board Certified Educational Planner (AICEP) and Professional Member of the Independent Educational Consultants Association (IECA) with specialty designations in mainstream day and boarding schools, specialized schools for students with learning disabilities, and therapeutic placements, including therapeutic boarding schools, residential treatment centers, and wilderness programs.

He is also a member of The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS), the Small Boarding School Association (SBSA), The Enrollment Management Association (formerly SSATB), the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC), the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs (NATSAP), the Association of Educational Therapists (AET), and the Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA).

My Learning Springboard is a member of ISAAGNY, a consortium of independent schools in and around New York City, and Brad Hoffman C0-Chairs the committee Friends of ISAAGNY, which includes educational consultants and community-based organizations. My Learning Springboard is also a member of WISER, the Washington Independent Services for Educational Resources (WISER), which is a network of professional leaders in the Washington, DC metro area.

Brad Hoffman’s Teaching Background

Over the past 25 years, Brad Hoffman has worked with students from pre-kindergarten through Fortune 500 executives as a classroom teacher, tutor, curriculum writer, human resources talent development specialist, and educational consultant. Brad graduated magna cum laude from Penn State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and then received a Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction at Hood College in Maryland graduating with honors. He is also an Elementary Math and Science Specialist and holds an Advanced Professional Teaching Certificate from the state of Maryland. Brad is trained in PAF Reading Intervention, an Orton-Gillingham based approach, Sounds In Motion, Read Naturally, Singapore Math, Everyday Math, and a variety of other programs and curriculum standards. In 2014, Brad was honored with the prestigious Penn State Alumni Achievement Award in honor of his significant contributions to the field of education.

During his undergraduate career, Brad Hoffman was an Assistant Teacher at Penn State’s Bennett Family Center (formerly called the Penn State Child Care Center) during all four years of college. He worked with children ages birth through 5 and participated in the center’s accreditation process with NAEYC. During his senior year of college, Brad was a Teacher Intern in England while studying at University of Chichester. There he taught a Year 2 class (ages 6/7) at an Infant School in all areas of the curriculum, including literacy, numeracy, technology, science, religion, history, PE, and Art. Upon graduation, Brad accepted a full-time lead teaching position in Frederick County, Maryland in a fully inclusive public school setting located in a rural part of the county. Children with both learning differences and physical disabilities were fully integrated in the regular classroom. One-third of Brad’s students had dyslexia and received specialized intervention, and two of his students were children with autism.

“While it was really challenging, I learned so much about how to differentiate classroom instruction for all types of learners, which is critical for any productive learning to occur.”

Brad played an integral part in facilitating his students’ Individualized Education Programs (IEP), a documented plan to help meet the unique needs of an individual learner with a learning disability. This assistance often required a team of related services experts to meet, ranging from the speech language specialist and school psychologist, to the parents, principal, and teacher(s). Working collaboratively always led to increased professionalism and greater student success.

In 2001, Brad relocated to Bethesda, Maryland to pursue a teaching position with Montgomery County Public Schools, one of the leading public school systems in the United States. He taught first and fourth grades at Somerset Elementary School in Chevy Chase, Maryland for five years, differentiating instruction for students at, below, or above grade level in addition to working with students identified as gifted and talented. Somerset is an internationally diverse community and one of the highest ranked elementary schools in Maryland; it is also a model Inclusion Program school. During this time, Brad earned his Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction and partnered with the Somerset Educational Foundation, school faculty, and the school counselor to develop K-5 Service Learning curricula. Brad presented his curriculum work at both the county and state departments of education and was named a Maryland Service-Learning Fellow.

Brad Hoffman’s Corporate Background

In 2006, Brad Hoffman moved to New York City to start his second career in Human Resources with Time Inc., a Fortune 100 Media Company. As an educator, Brad brought a unique perspective to Corporate America and focused on Talent Development. He worked with clients across locations, divisions, and countries – over 5,000 employees – to design and implement customized learning solutions and strategic recruiting efforts to attract, develop, and retain talented employees. Brad also designed and managed summer internship programs for college and MBA students interested in media, general management, finance, and marketing career paths. These programs were designed as 10-week projects so that management could assess intern performance on authentic, thoughtful, and substantive tasks, while interns were also able to assess the company as a good fit for starting their careers.

Brad Hoffman’s LinkedIn profile

Brad Hoffman

My Learning Springboard, Inc.

Board Certified Educational Planner

A multidisciplinary educational consulting firm specializing in school planning, academic tutoring, and test preparation.

Upper West Side

New York,NY

10024

brad@mylearningspringboard.com

Phone: +1 (646) 580-9794

Last edited Jan 8, 2025 @ 4:33 am

Alex Jacobs

December 26, 2016

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.

Sage Haas

December 26, 2016

Sage Haas is an elementary school teacher and private tutor with over a decade of experience. For as long as Sage can remember, she has always wanted to be a teacher and learning specialist. She graduated from SUNY Buffalo with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences and a concentration in Education. Sage then completed a dual Master’s degree in childhood general and special education at Hunter College, as well as an advanced certificate in Gifted and Talented Education. While in graduate school at Hunter College, Sage was an Assistant Teacher at PS6 in Manhattan, where she developed a passion for a full inclusion model. She taught 3rd grade ICT at Brooklyn Arbor Elementary School (PS414) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for 5 years until relocating to London, UK. For the past 3 years, she taught at The American School in London and worked in grades 2, 3 and 4. She is proud to say that she truly loves what she does.

Sage believes that all children are unique in the way they think, grow, learn and explore. With the rigorous standards for school children today, Sage understands the importance of finding a way into the curriculum both as a classroom teacher and private tutor. In working with a wide range of students, Sage has been able to tailor instruction, materials, and supports in order to meet these diverse needs. Whether working with an individual, a small group, or a whole class, making real-world connections and making learning meaningful is a priority to her. Through exploration, discovery and practice, students will acquire the knowledge needed to forge connections, think critically, and foster the skills that lead to a healthy and fulfilling life.

In Sage’s free time she enjoys reading, art, traveling, hiking, cooking, and spending time with family and friends.

Brittney Wilcox

August 29, 2016

Brittney Wilcox is an experienced private tutor across ages and subjects, with particular expertise in the humanities, writing and research skills, and organizational and executive functioning coaching. For over ten years, Brittney has provided tutoring and academic support to students from elementary through high school in private and public school settings. Brittney partners with students to enrich their learning, transform their study habits, develop confidence, increase motivation and self-awareness, and improve academic performance. Her students (and their parents) appreciate Brittney’s encouraging, creative, and organized approach to teaching. She believes there is no “one-size-fits-all” method of instruction, so she differentiates lessons and scaffolds learning accordingly. She is especially passionate about literacy and instilling in her students a love for reading. Brittney strives to help learners—of any age, in any language—confidently express their stories and voices through the written word.

Outside of her one-on-one work with students, Brittney is a professional in the field of international education, specializing in language, literacy, and education in emergencies. Brittney currently manages community-based English programs for the International Center—an organization providing ESOL/adult education opportunities for immigrants and refugees throughout New York. She earned her Master’s degree in International Educational Development from Columbia University’s Teachers College, where she was also a research assistant, curriculum development intern, and contributing editor for the Journal for African Education. Her master’s thesis analyzed the world language children’s collection of the New York Public Library. Prior to her current role with the International Center, Brittney worked at a Nordic cultural foundation in Manhattan and served as the chief of staff for the president of a biomedical research foundation. Originally from Seattle, Brittney moved to the East Coast to study journalism and French at New York University. As an undergrad, she interned in children’s book publishing at Penguin Books and spent six months studying literature and the arts in Paris.

In her free time Brittney enjoys traveling with her husband, volunteering in her community, reading YA novels and The Economist, learning new languages, taking barre classes, pursuing creative projects, and listening to NPR.

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