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5+ years
Camille
I am a graduate of Brown University with a Bachelors Degree in Biology and Yale University with a Masters in Public Health. I also hold a Level 5 certification in TEFL. I am passionate about working with children and students of all ages to assist them in achieving their highest potential. My favori...
Yale University
Master of Public Health
Brown University
Bachelor's Degree in Biology

Certified Tutor
6+ years
Ariana
I am a former middle-school English teacher (and former high-school French teacher). I am certified to teach English (grades 6-12), History/Government/Social Studies (grades 6-12), Psychology (grades 6-12), Health (grades PreK-12), General Music (grades PreK-12), and French (grades PreK-12). I have ...
Kansas State University
Master of Arts, Teaching French as a Second or Foreign Language
Kansas State University
Bachelor in Arts, French

Certified Tutor
6+ years
Madison
I am dedicated to helping students progress towards their goals and learn with nobility, self discipline, endurance and with respect. Rice University, Texas A&M University, my alma maters, as well as Pat Neff Elementary, my beloved ESL campus and I believe in the importance of core values to guide l...
The Texas A&M University System Office
Bachelor in Arts, International and Intercultural Communication
Rice University
Current Grad Student, Global Studies
Rice University
undergraduate

Certified Tutor
5+ years
Grace
I am a ballet dancer with Ballet 5:8 in the Chicago suburbs.
University
Bachelor's

Certified Tutor
5+ years
Heather
I am New York State Certified in Childhood Education (1st-6th grade). I was a tenured New York City classroom teacher, before I decided to start my own family. For the past three years I have been teaching online classes to oversea students of all ages.
Adelphi University
Master of Arts Teaching, Elementary School Teaching
Siena College
Bachelor of Science, Marketing

Certified Tutor
6+ years
Brianna
I am in school at Grand Canyon University and am working on obtaining a degree in Elementary Education. I currently work full-time as a literacy interventionist in a local elementary school. I'm very good at staying organized and enjoy most school subjects.
Grand Canyon University
Bachelor of Education, Elementary School Teaching

Certified Tutor
4+ years
Emily
I am a graduate of Boston College where I studied Education and Psychology. I received my Master's in Education at the University of Notre Dame. Since graduation, I have taught Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades in both general education and special education settings. I am trained in elementary (K-4...
University of Notre Dame
Master's in Education
Boston College
Bachelor in Arts, Psychology

Certified Tutor
Kate
I'm available to tutor biology, chemistry, physics, math from Algebra up through AP Calculus, SAT test prep, and French. I've been tutoring students in science and math for 7 years. I also spent 8 months working and studying in France, and have tutored high school and adult students in French. When ...
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Masters, Environmental Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Bachelors

Certified Tutor
9+ years
Jai
I'm a recent Stanford graduate (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science), and have been working at a major Management Consulting firm for a few years now. I personally scored a 2360 (out of 2400) on the SAT and 35 on the ACT and was successful in gaining admission to several top universities. I'...
Stanford University
Bachelors in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science

Certified Tutor
I am a licensed physician from Florida who is currently changing careers. I graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2009 and have extensive tutoring and editing experience. While a student, I became a certified writing tutor through the Critical Writing Department. Since I completed my writ...
Nova Southeastern University
PHD, Medicine
University of Pennsylvania
Bachelors, History
University of Pennsylvania
undergraduate
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I am enrolled in the Mechanical Engineering PhD program at Rice University which will begin Fall 2020, and I am hoping to return to academia as a professor after earning my PhD. In the meantime, I am looking to share my passion for gaining knowledge, specifically in STEM, by educating the up and coming members of such a great field. I have experience tutoring both Calculus and Physics at Notre Dame, as well as experience as a Student Assistant for Differential Equations and Mechanics. I believe the key to learning is much deeper than learning to solve problems and that seeking knowledge is one of the best means for personal improvement.
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I am a current student at the University of Chicago. I am working towards a Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, and I am on the pre-medical track. I am extremely passionate about tutoring, and I have several years of experience tutoring students in my high school's learning center in various subjects as well as tutoring private clients in Standardized Test preparation. Given that I graduated high school recently, I have taken several Standardized Tests and high school subjects myself, so I have a comprehensive understanding of not only how to tutor these subjects and exams, but also what it is like to take them. While I have a wide range of interests and am able to tutor various subjects, I am most passionate about tutoring in Standardized Test preparation (including ACT, SAT, SAT Subject Tests, and AP Exams), Biology, Chemistry, Math, and Spanish. I truly believe that students should have the opportunity to learn in the way that works best for them, and I love being able to help them succeed by creating a comfortable tutoring environment in which we can best assess their particular needs and use strategies specific to them. My passion for learning drives everything that I do, and tutoring is the platform that I use to try to spread that passion to others. In my free time, you can find me playing badminton, listening to music, or baking something (hopefully) delicious.
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I am a recent graduate of Yale University and incoming first year medical student at Columbia University. Originally from the DC area, I have always had a passion for science and medicine and pursued a degree in Biology while at Yale. During the 2008-2009 academic year, I tutored science, math, English, history, and Mandarin Chinese part-time with a DC-based tutoring company. At Yale, I worked as a freshman counselor to provide academic and career advice to incoming freshmen. I have taken both SAT and MCAT test prep classes and am familiar with both tests as well as the preparation necessary to score well. My personal career goals include attending medical school to pursue either immunology/infectious diseases or psych/neurology, teaching biology at the university level, and working in public/global health with either the CDC or the WHO.
Pinelopi
Pre-Algebra Tutor • +25 Subjects
I am a Duke University graduate with a Bachelors degree in Psychology. I have experience tutoring all levels of Spanish language, all sections of the SAT, as well as algebra, pre algebra, geometry, and pre-calculus! I love kids & I have a very flexible schedule and a lot of patience! Let me help you :)
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Pre-Algebra Tutor • +29 Subjects
I am a graduate of the University of Chicago, and I will be starting a graduate program at Columbia in August. I am about to complete a year of service with City Year, an education non-profit that places young adults into under-served schools. As a City Year member, I worked full-time in the classroom with middle-school students who were in approximately the 10th percentile for math (meaning they score lower than 90% of students). One-fourth of those students were able to grow around 15 percentile points by the end of the year! Hobbies: reading, cooking, gardening, music, art, nature, books, writing
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Pre-Algebra Tutor • +28 Subjects
I am currently a second year medical student. I was a Physiological Sciences major at UCLA (class of 2015), and pursued research during my gap year between undergrad and medical school.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Most students begin formal phonics instruction in kindergarten or early first grade, typically around ages 5-6. However, some children benefit from pre-phonics activities like letter recognition and sound awareness in preschool. Every child develops at their own pace, and a tutor can assess where your student is and provide targeted instruction to build a strong foundation in phonics, regardless of their current age or grade level.
Phonics tutoring addresses the core skill of decoding—connecting letters to sounds and blending them into words. Many struggling readers have gaps in phonics knowledge, which makes everything from reading fluency to comprehension harder. Personalized 1-on-1 instruction allows a tutor to identify exactly where your child's decoding breaks down and use targeted, multi-sensory strategies to strengthen these foundational skills. This foundation unlocks better reading fluency and confidence.
Phonics teaches students to decode words by recognizing letter-sound relationships and blending sounds together. Whole-word (or sight-word) reading asks students to memorize words as complete units. Research shows that a balanced approach works best: systematic phonics instruction for decoding unknown words, combined with sight-word practice for common irregular words. A tutor can help your student integrate both skills so they can tackle any word they encounter while building reading speed and automaticity.
Yes. Students with dyslexia or decoding challenges often benefit significantly from explicit, structured phonics instruction. Evidence-based approaches like Orton-Gillingham or Structured Literacy focus on direct, sequential teaching of sound-symbol relationships and decoding patterns. Varsity Tutors connects you with tutors experienced in supporting students with reading differences, who use multisensory techniques and individualized pacing to build decoding skills and reading confidence.
When students master phonics and decoding, they spend less mental effort sounding out words and more energy on understanding what they read. Automaticity—the ability to recognize words quickly and accurately—is built on solid phonics skills. Once decoding becomes automatic, students can read faster and with better comprehension. A tutor reinforces phonics patterns through repeated practice and guided reading, helping your student transition from struggling to decode to reading smoothly and with confidence.
Different schools use different reading programs—some emphasize structured phonics, others use balanced literacy, and approaches vary by grade level. A skilled tutor will understand your child's school curriculum and either reinforce what's being taught in the classroom or fill gaps if the school approach isn't working for your student. This personalized alignment means tutoring strengthens classroom learning rather than creating confusion or overlap.
Look for tutors with strong understanding of phonics structure (sound systems, phoneme awareness, letter-sound correspondence, blending strategies) and experience working with students at your child's level. Great tutors are patient, can explain concepts clearly, use engaging activities to maintain motivation, and track progress with specific decoding milestones. They should also be willing to communicate with you about what's working and adjust strategies based on your student's needs and learning style.
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