Award-Winning Executive Functioning Tutors
serving Grand Rapids, MI

Planning, prioritizing, and managing time across multiple commitments is something Sydny had to master while juggling three undergraduate majors and medical school preparation. She breaks executive functioning into specific, practicable skills — task initiation, deadline mapping, and self-monitoring — so students build routines that work independently of a tutor's reminders.

Hello! I'm an educator, researcher, and lifelong lover of literature, language, and the written word. I received my Bachelor's in English and Africana Studies from Brown University, as well as a Master's in English and Women's Gender, and Sexuality Studies from Brandeis University. My academic and professional experiences have allowed me to develop a strong foundation in literary analysis, critical thinking, research, writing, and individualized instruction. I am particularly passionate about helping students become confident, thoughtful, and articulate readers/ writers.Throughout my academic career, I have worked with students across a range of ages and educational backgrounds. As a Graduate Research Assistant at Brandeis University and Learning Clinician at Lindamood-Bell Learning Center, I supported undergraduate-level academic work in courses focused on the humanities, developing my ability to engage students with analytical concepts and interdisciplinary approach.

Ten years ago, I started as an elementary substitute while attending Hanover College. As my interests in the education field changed and progressed, my philosophy stayed the same; education is something that can happen anywhere, not just in the traditional classroom. I went on to gain a Master's in School Librarianship & Facilitated Learning from Indiana University-Indianapolis. During this time I had started actually teaching, first with library sciences, elementary technology, elementary science, and tutoring. Over the past six years, I have tutored; homework help, organization, special education, exam reteaching, and mentoring for students from 3rd grade through adults taking professional licensing exams (ie. PRAXIS). While things have changed, my passion is still finding what a student needs for their best learning possible, and adapting content to work with them. My philosophy is simply that I think everyone can learn, sometimes we just have to look at the education differently.

I hold a Master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in developmental psychology (with a focus on cognition) and a B.A. from Swarthmore College in theatre and English. I enjoy working with students who are looking to improve their executive function skills as a part of their overall goals for tutoring because I believe in a whole-self approach to time management and skill building. I also thoroughly enjoy tutoring in English literature, high school and college writing, organizational skills, and standardized testing. I've spent 15 years teaching high school English, public speaking, and written expression at elite independent schools, while moonlighting as a public speaking coach. My professional experience includes providing speechwriting and coaching for a now-US Senator during his first congressional campaign. Prior to becoming a teacher, I worked as a director for multiple professional theaters, and my passions for English and Theatre converge in a deep love of Shakespeare. I love to talk about literature and dissect its craft in writing, and I believe everyone can write strong essays with the right coaching and framework.

Balancing a double major in psychology and biology while preparing for medical school forced Karim to build real systems for task prioritization, time blocking, and breaking long-term projects into manageable steps. He teaches those same strategies — planning backwards from deadlines, organizing materials, and self-monitoring progress — so students can manage their own workloads independently.

I am a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a Masters degree in Education and have been an Elementary and Middle School educator for over thirty years. I have worked with students in the inner city, suburbs, Appalachia, and Deep South. I love teaching and children, and have discovered my passion in tutoring students who are struggling in Reading and Math. I have taught children with learning disabilities to read, and coached students with dyscalculia in math and reading. I worked as a principal for the past eight years, so was working with students from Pre-K to 8th grade, coaching teachers, analyzing data, and tutoring individual students in math and reading. I have worked as a national park ranger in the past, so social studies and history are areas of strength. Students that I teach respond well to my teaching style and enjoy working with me. I believe that education is extremely important for children's futures and do everything that I can to help them be successful.

As a tutor for 20+ years, I bring ample experience and knowledge. I specialize in standardized testing (MCAT, SAT, ACT, GRE, & more), medical school and pre-med courses, and undergraduate STEM subjects. A former medical school student and Master of Public Health, I opted for what truly brings me joy: tutoring, teaching, and guiding students to lifelong academic success.

Planning a multi-step project or breaking a semester's worth of material into a weekly study schedule requires the same structured thinking Andrew used throughout his engineering and MBA programs. He teaches students concrete systems for prioritizing tasks, managing time, and organizing materials so that deadlines stop feeling like emergencies. Rated 4.8 by students and families.

Jennifer's teaching spans everything from elementary math to college essays to business courses, which means she's constantly adapting how she structures sessions for students at very different developmental stages — a skill that translates directly into coaching executive functioning. She zeroes in on the specific habits a student is missing, whether that's learning to estimate how long a reading assignment will actually take or building a consistent workflow for managing multiple classes at once. Her background in study skills and organization gives her concrete strategies rather than vague advice about "trying harder."

I hold a Bachelor's degree in Cognitive Neuroscience from Brown University and am currently completing a PhD in Psychology. My tutoring style is structured, supportive, and warm. I focus on breaking big goals into manageable steps, building realistic study routines, and helping students develop systems they can actually maintain. I emphasize executive function skills such as planning, time management, task initiation, and follow-through, while integrating mindfulness-based strategies to support focus, reduce anxiety, and improve confidence. Whether working with a younger student or an adult learner, my goal is to help students feel capable, organized, and increasingly independent in their learning.

Five years working specifically with students with learning differences taught Sydney where the real sticking points are — the student who knows what the assignment says but can't figure out where to start, or the one who chronically underestimates how long a reading response will take. She ties executive functioning strategies like task breakdown and self-monitoring directly to the English and Spanish coursework she also tutors, so students practice these skills on actual assignments rather than in isolation. Rated 4.9 by clients.

Planning, prioritizing, managing time, shifting between tasks — these are the invisible skills that school demands but rarely teaches outright. Elise breaks executive functioning into concrete, practicable habits: using checklists to start assignments, setting timers to maintain focus, and building routines for organizing materials. Her special education training means she understands the neurological side of these challenges, not just the behavioral one.