Elementary Teachers

Mount Saint Mary’s University, MA
Mount Saint Mary’s University, BA
California Teaching Credential

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Mary has been a teacher for almost 20 years. She has taught at several private westside schools and has been a lead teacher for 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grade. Mary has also tutored children from kindergarten through elementary school. She has worked with children with a wide range of learning differences and differentiates her instruction to accommodate each. Mary is a dedicated, compassionate, organized, creative and professional educator and has a passion to bring out the best in her students. Mary is the Director of Academic Achievers’ Early Elementary Program.

Mt. St. Mary’s University, MA, Child Psychology
George Mason University, MA Ed
Virginia Tech, BA
CA Multi-Subject Credential
Virginia PK-6 Teaching License

An educator for 15 years, Kristie recently has been a principal at a middle school in Los Angeles, and previously taught first, second, fifth and sixth grade. She has been a Director of Curriculum, Curriculum Specialist, and Dean of Humanities in schools in Virginia, New York, and Los Angeles. Kristie has a passion for education, especially literacy and reading. She has developed curriculum for a wide variety of learners and learning needs. Kristie believes in aiming instruction and curriculum to the child’s needs and interests and developing a growth mindset with young learners.

University of California at Los Angeles, MA
University of Wisconsin at Madison, BA
CA Teaching Certification

Michael has been tutoring French to elementary, high school and college students for 6 years. He has also been an assistant teacher for French at UCLA. Michael has been an elementary teacher at a private school in Los Angeles for the past 6 years. He has also homeschooled elementary students focusing on project-based learning. He utilizes Montessori and Emilio Reggia strategies to guide cognitive, physical and social-emotional flourishing. Michael holds a Bachelors with honors in French and Political Science and a Masters in French studies. Michael is currently doing post graduate work at UCLA in Early Childhood Development.

National University, MA Ed
University of California at Los Angeles, BA
CA Elementary Credential
National Board-Certified Reading Specialist
Gifted & Special Certification

Ari was a classroom teacher for over 10 years. She has taught 1st through 4th grade. She is also a National Board-Certified Teacher in Literacy: Reading-Language Arts for Early and Middle Childhood and she has supplemental credentialing in reading assessment and literacy intervention. She has been teaching for 20 years and was awarded LAUSD’s Teacher-of-the-Year in 2018. Ari loves teaching and specifically teaching reading, writing, and language. She has taught children who are gifted as well as those on the spectrum. Ari works with each child from where they are and tailors her instruction to accommodate their differences. She has worked with children who have behavior or learning challenges and finds a way to help them with appropriate supports.

California State University Northridge, MA Ed.
Mount Saint Mary’s University, BA
Special Needs Certification

Kristie is an elementary teacher with a Masters degree in mild/moderate special needs and a degree in child psychology. She has taught 3rd and 5th grade in private school, kindergarten in Spain, and English and science in middle school. Kristie is bilingual and has also taught reading, writing and speaking in both Spanish and English. She prioritizes student engagement, interests, and strengths in her teaching practices. Her goal is to help build a student’s confidence and challenge them to obtain a growth mindset as lifelong learners. Kristie is patient and caring and works one-on-one with children with ADHD, processing differences, and social-emotional challenges.

Chaminade University of Honolulu, M.Ed., summa cum laude
UCLA, B.A., English, Education
Teaching licenses in Hawaii and in California
NCLB National Recognition Award
Lindamood-Bell Learning Method and other reading programs

Monique has taught K through 12th grade in California and in Hawaii for over 20 years. She specializes in early intervention for children, including assessments and IEPs. Her teaching skills include phonics, reading, writing, math, and science. Monique is an experienced kindergarten and elementary teacher creating individualized learning plans, assessments, and providing curriculum using cognates from L1. She is a Blue Ribbon educator and recognized as a National Highly Qualified Teacher. Monique has worked with children of all skill levels from special needs to highly gifted. Monique has been a KinderPrep and early elementary homeschool teacher for Academic Achievers for over 6 years.

Boston College, M Ed.
Boston University, BA

Millie has had a wealth of teaching and tutoring experience for over 20 years, most recently as a private tutor working with children who need extra support with reading, writing, math, and homework. She incorporates creativity in her teaching style, understanding that many students learn best when visual, tactile, and auditory senses are engaged. She believes that students must grow to trust their teacher and tutor, and that as a teacher you must learn to adapt to a student’s needs. While she has not utilized a specific teaching methodology, her intuition has been informed over the years from her training in Educational Therapy practices, as an art and music teacher, and as a mother of a child with special needs herself. Millie has been working with students since 1999, tutoring in reading, math, writing, and other subject matter for grades Preschool-6th

Seattle University – MA Ed
Western Washington University – BA
CA Elementary Credential
Educational Therapy Certification

Michael has been an elementary and middle school classroom teacher for more than 15 years and is currently completing his Educational Therapy Credential at Cal State Northridge. His teaching focus has been in the humanities with social studies and English language arts. His philosophy centers on individual student’s achievements in learning by recognizing students’ abilities and strengths and showing care and support for each learner. His teaching strategies encourage students in an honest and kindhearted way by building positive rapport and structured attention to learning needs. Michael has worked with Academic Achievers since 2016 teaching students from 3rd grade through middle school.

University of Southern California, MA Ed.
University of California, Irvine, BA Education
California Multiple Subject Credential
Education Specialist Credential (SPED) – Mild/Moderate

Amy is currently teaching 4th grade but has worked with children from kindergarten to 8th grade. She has a multiple subjects and education specialist dual credential which has allowed her to work in both general and special education. Amy can build rapport and maintain positive relationships with students and families. She can create fun and student-centered lessons to create a deeper lasting understanding of concepts as well as optimize academic growth and student motivation/engagement. Amy sparks curiosity in the minds of her students, fosters a passion for learning, and broadens their academic interests. Math is her absolute favorite subject which is why it’s her strongest discipline to teach. She has experience in utilizing UDL to meet the needs of all her learners. She analyzes and preps math tasks in a way that encourages student thinking and promotes conceptual understanding. She has taught math to all grades and high school level math such as algebra, geometry, calculus, and trigonometry.

University of Southern California, MA
California State University, MA Ed.
University of Southern California, BA
CA Teaching Credential

Beverly currently works as a Math intervention teacher, working with students across the grades. Prior to this position, she was a 4th grade teacher for six years. Beverly is an expert in elementary grade-level standards and can implement support protocols based on the needs of a variety of learning styles. In addition to her general education teaching credential, Beverly is also a certified GATE instructor, and she is skilled in implementing a balanced literacy approach for reading, writing and comprehension strategies. Beverly strives to provide differentiated instruction to support all types of learners both in the classroom and in her private tutoring sessions. She does so by creating a student-centered approach that ensures a growth mindset and achieves the best possible outcome for each of her scholars. Teaching is Beverly’s passion and watching her students excel is her greatest joy.

Pepperdine University, MA Ed.
Franklin & Marshall College. BA
Teaching Certification

Kate is an experienced independent school educator with nearly two decades of teaching experience across elementary and middle school classrooms. She specializes in mathematics, humanities, and interdisciplinary instruction, with a strong emphasis on conceptual understanding, critical thinking, and building student confidence. Kate has served in a variety of leadership roles, including division coordination, curriculum development, and teacher mentorship, and has worked closely with colleagues and families to support whole-child development. Her teaching is rooted in inquiry-based learning, thoughtful assessment, and a commitment to fostering engaging, supportive classroom communities. She has taught at St. Matthews, Wildwood, and Brentwood School.

Oklahoma State University, MS
Colby College, BA

After he graduated college, Daniel was chosen to work as a teacher with the prestigious AmeriCorps program. He has worked as a teacher and tutor in public, private and home school settings in California, Maine, Massachusetts and Oklahoma. Over the years, he has tutored students with differing academic, social and emotional needs and has helped them grow as students and people. He recently completed a Master of Science degree in Curriculum and Leadership studies at Oklahoma State University. He has taught math as well as English and worked as a literacy resource teacher for 1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th graders in Los Angeles. Currently, Daniel teaches at Crossroads School.

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, BS
San Diego State University       
CA Teaching Credential

Paige is a credentialed K–8 educator with over twenty years of
experience working with students across public schools, private schools,
homeschooling environments, and one-on-one settings. Paige has extensive experience working with students from private school and high-performing academic settings and is skilled at both supporting areas of challenge and extending learning for students who are ready for more depth. Her teaching is grounded in strong skill-building while also taking a whole-child approach that considers each student’s confidence, executive functioning, and overall development. Known for her calm, thoughtful presence, Paige prioritizes building both competence and independence. She values strong relationships with families and brings a collaborative, communicative approach to supporting each student’s growth.

National University, MA Ed (Literacy Focus)
California State University Chico, B.A. Child Development
California Multiple Subject Clear Credential
Broadman University, CTEL program

Nicole is an experienced educator with 25 years of expertise in teaching, literacy instruction, curriculum development, and student assessment for grades K-8. She holds a teaching credential and a master’s degree in literacy, along with completion of the CTEL program. As a dedicated reading specialist and curriculum expert, Nicole has a deep understanding of evidence-based instructional strategies that enhance student learning and achievement. In addition to her expertise in reading and writing, Nicole has extensive experience teaching mathematics from kindergarten through middle school. She makes complex concepts accessible to students by employing structured, engaging, and developmentally appropriate teaching methods. Her proficiency in assessment and curriculum design enables her to create targeted, data-driven instructional plans that support diverse learners.

UC Irvine, BA, cum laude 
Loyola Law School, JD
Chapman University, 
CA Teaching Credential

Carrie brings over 30 years of teaching experience in both private and public schools. She has served as a lead teacher at Village School and Carlthorp School across multiple grade levels, where she integrated Writer’s Workshop and Reader’s Workshop into all subject areas and facilitated numerous Literature Circles. A published author, Carrie wrote Step into the Courtroom to help elementary and middle school students develop persuasive writing skills. She is also a Harvard-Westlake parent alum, and her children now attend Columbia University.

Pepperdine University Graduate School of Ed., MA Ed.
San Francisco State University, BA, cum laude
CA Teaching Credential

Jill has been an elementary school teacher for over 20 years. She has taught every grade from TK to 5th grade in both private and public school. She is trained in Singapore Math, Writer’s and Reader’s Workshop, FUNdations, Responsive Classroom and Mindfulness. She is dedicated to teaching the whole child, making learning fun and engaging, while fostering critical thinking. Jill believes our attitudes are contagious and she teaches in a way that brings joy for learning to each child. She has homeschooled on location in Prague, and has taught at Village School, St. Matthew’s, Seven Arrows and Marquez in the Palisades.