Is your middle schooler suddenly finding school difficult? They’re not alone. Middle school is when work tends both to pile up and become more difficult. It’s a helpful time for your child to work with a highly experienced teacher. Tutoring middle school children means focusing not only on challenging content, but also on executive function and organizational skills. Our team is composed of excellent middle school tutors who understand how to scaffold and support these students through an important transitional period.
By working with the team at Teachers Who Tutor | LA, you will give your child the gift of support from classroom teachers who are experts in a given subject area.
Our team is here to support your child no matter the subject or the classroom teacher’s individual approach. Whether your child has difficulty with math, science, English, history or foreign language, our teachers will ensure that they have the ideal support to help them do their best. Using a collaborative approach, your child’s tutor will work with you, your child, and the team at your child’s school to design an individual learning plan. By working with Teachers Who Tutor | LA, you will have a progress report sent to you on a weekly basis so that you have timely updates on your child’s progress and the future goals that the tutor has outlined for the future.
Why Is Middle School Tutoring Helpful?
Middle School years come with an influx of work that is often trying even for students who have always found schoolwork manageable. At Teachers Who Tutor | LA, our tutors are dedicated to bolstering your child’s work both on the academic content front as well as supporting them with crucial executive function skills. Executive functioning encompasses skills including management of time, breaking down complex tasks into manageable components, backplanning, and prioritization. Our tutors understand that each student encounters a different set of difficulties, and we are experts in personalizing each session to meet every child’s needs. Whether it’s teaching students how to study effectively, or explaining complex mathematical equations, our tutors first explain the content and then ask students to teach it back to them to ensure that they have internalized the material. With this approach, we ensure that your child can ask questions and gain mastery of the content that will give them both the know-how and the confidence they need to succeed.
Teachers Who Tutor | LA is the #1 Middle School Tutoring Service
At Teachers Who Tutor | LA, our tutors for middle school students have extensive experience with classroom teachers as well as masters degrees. Our team has taught in the most competitive independent, public, and charter schools throughout Los Angeles. To find out more, contact us.
If you’re looking for the Best Middle School Tutoring Service in Los Angeles, you’re in the right place. Get in touch with our exceptional teachers today.
Meet our Middle School Teachers
Ben Charles
Ben has been a teacher for over nine years and has spent time teaching in Cambodia, Brooklyn, and East Los Angeles. Ben has taught at both the elementary and middle school levels. Currently, he works at an education nonprofit called SubjectToClimate creating original lesson plans about climate change. Ben is a passionate educator who can tailor his pedagogy for any learning style. He loves spending time in nature, going for walks, and spending time with friends and family.
Gabriel Perkins
Gabriel is currently the Middle School Dean at Pilgrim School in Los Angeles, where he also teaches 7th and 8th grade English. At Pilgrim he has previously taught 6th grade math and science, 7th grade social studies, high school literature, and introduction to coding courses. Prior to LA, Gabriel taught high school English and a study skills course in New Hampshire, ESL in Milan, elementary PE in Istanbul, middle school math and science in Brooklyn, and 6th grade English in Beirut. He has worked extensively as a copywriter and tutored students of all ages for a variety of subjects, including essay writing and SAT prep. Through all of these experiences, Gabriel encourages his students to bring their personal experiences and histories into their learning, thus making it both relevant and memorable. He holds a Master of Arts, in Teaching, from Relay Graduate School of Education, a Bachelor of Arts, in English, from the University of New Hampshire, and a Bachelor of Science, in Environmental Science, also from the University of New Hampshire. Gabriel was previously certified to teach English and science in New York state and currently holds two cleared single subject teaching credentials from the state of California: one in K-12 English and the other in K-12 Geoscience.
Jordan Greenwald
Jordan Greenwald graduated from Emory University with a B.A. in psychology. That drive to understand and connect with people initially led him to the high school classroom for six years, during which time he earned a Master’s in Literacy to help students access complex texts and tasks in Creative Writing, Debate, English 12, and AP Literature. A constant explorer, Jordan has spent the years since coaching incoming ELA teachers with Teach for America, supporting 6-12th grade ELA teachers to create a relationship-centered curriculum, and tutoring students with a variety of learning differences as young as elementary school.
Whether working with child or adult learners, his approach is informed by an ADHD diagnosis he received in middle school, which forced him to learn systems of organization and focus while maximizing engagement and enjoyment for learners across a wide spectrum of needs, skills, and interests. For some students, school learning comes easily, but for many of us, it takes a dedicated and responsive team. Toward that end, the author of The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupery, captures Jordan’s essential approach: “If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the people to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.”
Kelly Gresalfi
Kelly grew up in Long Island, New York, where she came to love the sea and fresh air. She studied at Kenyon College in Ohio and developed a fondness for farming, fresh food, and round-table discussions. During her junior year of college, she studied in Southern Spain, making sure to hike her way across Europe and Northern Africa. After college, Kelly worked as a bookworm in Washington D.C. before returning to New York City for a Master’s program, studying literacy and education at Bank Street College. During that time, Kelly taught at the School at Columbia University, a progressive K-8 lab school, while also tutoring for TWT and working for NYC Farmers Markets. After a few years of NYC life, Kelly was drawn back to the ocean and now happily resides in Playa Del Rey, Los Angeles. She has taught for 6 years at her current school, PS1 Pluralistic School, a progressive elementary school in Santa Monica.
Kevin Butler
Kevin Butler has been teaching for twenty years. He has an undergraduate degree in Child Study and History, and a Master’s degree in Education. For 14 years, Kevin taught in New York before relocating to Los Angeles in 2014. Currently, Kevin has a dual role as a full-time teacher and the director of elementary curriculum and instruction. In 2020, Kevin was a guest on The Kelly Clarkson Show, where Kelly featured Kevin in her segment “Best in Class”! Kevin’s first book, “Lights, Cameras, TEACH – a Screenplay for Engagement, Culture, and Relationships” was released last summer by DBC Consulting. Kevin also is a national presenter and speaks at various educational conferences around the United States.
Pualani Armstrong
Pualani is currently a lead teacher at Brentwood School. She attended college at the University of Hawai’i at Manoa, earning a degree in Elementary Education, Special Education and Political Science. She has taught in various public and independent schools in Hawai’i and California, in a variety of grade levels. As a tutor, Pualani’s hope is to support students’ learning in any subject area and also help them develop an excitement for learning, challenge their thinking, and build their confidence as a learner.
Pualani has always been a lover of the performing arts, taking part in chorus, jazz band, multiple plays and musicals, public speaking, pageants, along with dancing hula and competing in many competitions. She is a proud mom of four fur babies, Scarlet, Tony, Jellybean and Eleanor. She is also a foodie and enjoys trying new recipes or restaurants.
Sarah “Sid” Solomon
Sid taught at the high school and middle school levels for nine years before becoming Director of Student Supports for three years at a middle school in Brooklyn, NY. She recently relocated to Los Angeles and pivoted to full-time tutoring. Sid is passionate about the science of learning and is confident in her ability to find strategies and tools that work for each individual student. She especially loves to work with students on executive functioning skills, reading comprehension and analysis, and writing. Building relationships is the key to working with young people and Sid loves to do so by connecting one-on-one with students through tutoring. In her free time, Sid finds new hikes, restaurants, and gardens around LA to explore.
Tina Evans
Tina B. Evans is a Lead Teacher and Equity + Inclusion Lower School Division Specialist at Brentwood School. Dr. Evans earned her bachelor’s degree in African American Studies and Educational Studies and a master’s degree in Elementary Education from Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. She has taught in elementary and middle schools for almost 20 years and is a Nationally Board Certified Teacher. She has tutored students in all subjects in grades 3-8; her students have found great success with her math and humanities instruction. Most recently, she earned a Doctorate of Education (Ed.D.) from the Educational Leadership for Social Justice program at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. She has also worked to establish and support multiple parent affinity groups to promote the cultural affirmation and education of students of color in independent schools. Dr. Evans believes every student deserves to feel a sense of ownership in their learning. She works hard to connect with her students and build positive rapport. In her spare time, Dr. Evans enjoys spending time with her family, shopping, and enjoying live music and time with friends.