Noelle D

noelle D

I’ve known that teaching was my calling ever since high school, when I had the opportunity to assist in an elementary classroom and absolutely fell in love with education. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing a student’s eyes light up when they finally grasp a concept they’ve been struggling with—that “aha!” moment is what I live for.

I earned my Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education from Elmhurst University in Illinois, along with endorsements in ESL, bilingual education (Spanish), and special education. After graduation, I spent nine incredible years living and working in Tijuana, Mexico, where I served as a middle school teacher and later as the Education Coordinator at St. Innocent Orphanage. In that role, I developed and implemented academic and behavioral support programs for students facing a wide range of challenges, including learning disabilities, mental health and behavioral diagnosis, ADHD, dyslexia, and trauma. I also worked with students who had never set foot in a classroom before, helping them build foundational literacy and study skills from the ground up. Watching these students take great strides in their education instilled in me a love for working with students one-on-one and a deep commitment to student success.

I am passionate about supporting students who are struggling to succeed in traditional academic environments by helping them build confidence, find effective strategies, and discover the joy of learning. Through Focus Tutors, I’m excited to offer support in Spanish, general homework help, and organization/study skills.

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Bradford B

BRadford B

I became a teacher because teaching, and learning, are a lifelong passion.  I was born and raised in rural western Colorado; my younger sister and I were the third generation of our family to grow up in our small mountain town.  Like almost all young people there, I attended our local public high school, and upon graduation became the first in my family to attend college.  I credit this to, after God's grace, the constant support especially of my mother, whose selfless devotion inspires me to this day.

I started my higher education by earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy, with distinction in the major, from Yale University.  I then attended law school at Cornell University, earning my JD.  After practicing law for two years in a large corporate firm in New York City, which I found unsatisfying and lacking a healthy work-life balance, I changed careers.  I returned west, specifically to southern California, and decided to return to the humanities, my first academic love.  I was admitted to the PhD program in English literature at UC Berkeley, where I also did significant coursework in classics (Latin and ancient Greek).

While finishing my doctoral dissertation, I worked for five years teaching English literature and writing, AP U.S. history, Spanish, and other subjects with HS2 Academy, a private company in Orange County, CA.  In 2015 I was hired to teach at ASU, where I've taught for the past nine years, in the Department of Interdisciplinary Humanities.  Over the past fourteen years I've worked with countless (literally in the low thousands) students of different backgrounds, and I'm just as keen on teaching now as when I started!  Some of my former students, now adults and married with children, remain dear friends, and it's an honor to have helped shape their path.

I recently joined the Focus Tutors team and am happy to work with students in the following areas: English language and literature; Spanish language; French language; Latin language; U.S. history; world history; U.S. government and civics; philosophy and religion; reading and writing support; general homework support; study skills.

One interesting aspect of my career change is that I have lived and worked in Seattle, Portland, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Los Angeles, and New York but finally came back "home" to teach at a school I attended.  I am an alumnus of Hopi, Ingleside, and Arcadia ultimately graduating from ASU with a degree in Industrial Engineering before starting my international IT career.

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Trista M

trista M

From a young age, I knew teaching was my calling. This inspiration came from my favorite science teacher who had the ability to make learning both interesting and fun.  After earning my degree in Clinical and Counseling Psychology from San Jose State University in 1994, I pursued my passion for science by obtaining a second Bachelor’s in Natural Sciences with a minor in Biology in 2000. 

My experiences as a stay-at-home mom and navigating my son's Autism diagnosis led me to earn my Multiple Subject Credential in 2004, allowing me to work as a teacher and support my children in their educational journeys. Through my son’s journey, I gained invaluable insights into the IEP and 504 processes and learned that every child on the spectrum is beautifully unique.  As a lifelong learner, I went back to school in 2018 to earn a Master’s Degree in Biology with an Emphasis in Education from GCU in 2020 .

My husband and I are blessed with six amazing children and ten grandchildren. Sunday dinners are a cherished weekly tradition, where our kids and grandkids gather to enjoy time together. 

From a young age, I knew teaching was my calling. This inspiration came from my favorite science teacher who had the ability to make learning both interesting and fun.  After earning my degree in Clinical and Counseling Psychology from San Jose State University in 1994, I pursued my passion for science by obtaining a second Bachelor’s in Natural Sciences with a minor in Biology in 2000. 

My experiences as a stay-at-home mom and navigating my son's Autism diagnosis led me to earn my Multiple Subject Credential in 2004, allowing me to work as a teacher and support my children in their educational journeys. Through my son’s journey, I gained invaluable insights into the IEP and 504 processes and learned that every child on the spectrum is beautifully unique.  As a lifelong learner, I went back to school in 2018 to earn a Master’s Degree in Biology with an Emphasis in Education from GCU in 2020 .

My husband and I are blessed with six amazing children and ten grandchildren. Sunday dinners are a cherished weekly tradition, where our kids and grandkids gather to enjoy time together. 

I am thrilled to be a member of the Focus Tutors team, and I am dedicated to making math and science accessible and enjoyable for students. With 17 years of experience in education, I have had the privilege of witnessing children grow, thrive, and reach their full potential. I look forward to using my knowledge and passion to support students on their educational journey in math, science, problem-solving, executive functioning, and organization.

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Claire V

Claire V

I am a dedicated lifelong learner with passion and enthusiasm for teaching. My educational career began as the daughter of educators. I have a B.A and an M.A. in Politics and taught at 2 year and 4 year colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area and Denver, Colorado before getting a degree in Elementary Education.

What I enjoy most is engaging and interacting with students. I know I have done a good job when students start to question how or why something exists the way that it does. I love the process of shaping student led inquiry, watching students grow and gain the confidence to be able to figure things out for themselves. I respect and honor the unique qualities of each student and seek to make the educational experience one that encourages them to be lifelong learners.  I can be helpful in the areas of elementary math, reading & writing support, organization & time management, general homework & study skills support, language arts and upper level Social Studies & History.

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Alix B

Alix B

What I have to offer students of all ages are the fruits of a lifetime spent cultivating conversations among writers, thinkers, creative artists, and researchers on significant matters that affect our daily lives. As a constant seeker of knowledge myself, I endeavor to be the most supportive facilitator and guide possible for students in their academic searches for important questions that generate writing, reading, and critical thinking fluency. I am passionate, not only about the possibilities of creating personal meaning through the artful and persuasive use of language, but about the fact that spending extensive time and effort to acquire the power to use language critically enables students to be fully enfranchised members of their communities and cultures. 

This teaching philosophy developed out of my own intellectual journey through an Honors B.A. in Sociology/Women's Studies/Political Economy at Manhattanville College; the M.F.A. in Writing/Teaching of Writing at Sarah Lawrence College; and a year of PhD studies in the Sociology of Education and Medicine. I began my career in education teaching first graders how to read, and have taught on the elementary through graduate school levels for the past 35 years. My professional background includes dual former careers as a Social Worker and Librarian, and I have worked with American, British, and diverse international students in the U.S. and the U.K.  My teaching and tutoring subjects include: composition, creative writing, reading, literature and poetry, sociology, political economy and economics, women's & gender studies, academic success skills, Common App prep, PSAT/SAT/ACT test prep, library and research literacy, French, and a variety of humanities courses. 

I am the author of On the Verge, a chapbook of poems (Plinth Books, 1997), and my full-length poetry manuscript is under publication consideration. My awards include a Pushcart Prize nomination, a CT Commission on the Arts Artist Fellowship in Poetry, and a Commendation in the U.K.'s Poets of the Year Competition. While resident on the East Coast, I served as Writing/Humanities Division Chair at The Learning Annex/CT, an adult education institute formerly in Hartford, CT, and worked as an adjunct professor of composition and creative writing at colleges and universities in CT, MA, and NY.  In addition to tutoring for Focus Tutors AZ, I serve as an Adjunct Professor of Creative Writing & Composition at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Chandler, work privately as an editor of creative and scholarly manuscripts, and continue to write and edit an alternative textbook for college-level writing entitled The Question Tree.

 

 

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Kiki T

Kiki T

 I thought I was destined to be a writer. It was my passion throughout my entire childhood and young adult life. I wanted to write for major magazines and travel the world interviewing the biggest names in entertainment. I spent the majority of my college years doing just that- editing my college magazine and majoring in Communication with a focus in media.

 I spent the years following college, working at a technology company where I trained (and retrained) clients on how to effectively use my company's software. Simultaneously, I was teaching Greek at my local church. It was the combination of these two jobs that prompted me to pursue a career in education. I loved helping people and loved making a difference in the lives of my students.

 A move to Northern Virginia opened the door to education. It was there that I had the opportunity to teach at a bilingual preschool while pursuing my Master's in Curriculum and Instruction concentrating in teaching English Learners. My graduate program led me to finding a teaching position at the largest middle school in Virginia. For three years, I worked with students who had recently arrived to the country and struggled to learn English. 

 While my experience is primarily with middle school students, I have spent many years tutoring and working with younger learners. Specifically, with students in dual-language elementary programs. I am so grateful for the opportunity to join the Focus family and work with students from grades K-8. I am passionate about helping students who are learning a new language (French, Spanish, Greek), helping primary grade students in all subject areas, supporting reading and writing, and helping with general homework help and organizational skills.

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Paige W

Paige W

I teach to empower.  Studying International Development at Tulane University, I learned that education is the cornerstone of all progress—healthcare, civil rights, environmentalism, and the like advance hand-in-hand with knowledgeability of the populace.  For that reason, I decided to go into education.  Well, that and the fact that kids are hilarious; high impact plus good company makes for an easy career choice!  In addition to International Development, I studied Spanish and Psychology at Tulane.  Upon earning my Bachelor of the Arts degree in 2012, I moved right out to Arizona.  Two years later, I graduated from Arizona State University with a Master of Education degree.  Since that time, I’ve enjoyed teaching special education in the valley with students in grades K-8.  I’m thrilled to be part of the Focus Tutors team, and I look forward to sharing my passion and expertise in: organization and time management, study strategies, ADD/ADHD coaching, executive functioning support, test-taking skills, Spanish, and elementary & middle school mathematics, reading, writing, spelling, and grammar.

 

 

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Danica K

Danica K

Growing up in Phoenix, school was a place where learning, imagination and the world all collided. I became a teacher because I wanted children to love learning just as I did. However, it took me a while to come to that conclusion. I love people, believe there is always hope and I think life should be enjoyed! I come from a family of educators and am a third-generation teacher. Growing up I often helped tutor and loved teaching others (whether that was academics, dance, the correct way to type, etc.). I came into college with extra credits, so I had the freedom to explore many degree programs. I graduated from the University of Arizona with a Sociology major and minors in Family Studies and Human Development, along with an Education minor. After working in a school in South Central Los Angeles, providing targeted interventions to lessen the achievement gap, I returned to Phoenix and worked in foster care, church work and eventually jumped back into the classroom and taught 6th grade, Elementary Resource and ended in High School Special Education. I am passionate about all students enjoying learning and reaching their goals. I went on to get my Master’s in Special Education because of my deep conviction to be able to reach all learners. I currently serve as the Children’s Director at a local church and love being able to serve families and provide optimal learning experiences each week. I am looking forward to sharing my love of learning and my deep conviction that all students are capable of great things. At Focus Tutors, I work with students in the following areas: organization and time management, reading/math intervention, executive functioning, test preparation, reading and writing support, as well as general homework support.

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Sara P

Sara P

For as long as I can remember I wanted to be a teacher  (it even said so in my 2nd grade yearbook!). At the same time I had a creative itch to work in the advertising industry. So I had to try both!  I earned my Bachelor of Arts degrees in Communications and Spanish from the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. I worked as project manager at a healthcare advertising agency for a short time. Everyday there was a part of me that felt unfulfilled. I knew that void would change when I became a teacher. In the fall of 2013, I began my career as an educator at Alphonsus Academy in Chicago, IL.  It was there I fell in love with teaching primary grades. During my time at Alphonsus I tutored students in grades K-4, and led after school enrichment programs. While working, I also pursued my Masters of Education degree in Elementary Education from DePaul University graduating with distinction in 2015. Changing careers is without a doubt the best decision I’ve ever made.

When an opportunity fell into my lap to call Arizona “home”, I had to take it! I teach 2nd grade at a local Title 1 school. I focus on building meaningful relationships, differentiating instruction, and providing my students with choices when demonstrating understanding or mastery of a concept. A lifelong learner myself, I have attended a variety of professional development opportunities to enrich my teaching experience and practices. I am certified in Orton Gillingham (a reading intervention program), Handwriting Without Tears, On Cloud Nine (a math program focused on visualization and building number sense), Positive Discipline, and Responsive Classroom. I am eager to share my love for learning and myriad of experiences with more students through Focus Tutors.

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