Faculty updates. Who is at the center?

Who is tutoring at A Step Ahead this fall? Check out this blog post for our faculty updates. At A Step Ahead, we take great pride in our exceptional private tutors. They are experienced educators who are caring, nurturing guides for their students. If you see a private tutor who might be able to help your child gain confidence and skills, contact us today!

Faculty updates from the lower level

Mrs. Anderson returns this fall, tutoring middle school and high school students in all core subject areas. Specifically, Mrs. Anderson tutors students in Algebra I and II, Geometry, Trigonometry, Pre-Calculus, Calculus I and II, SAT Preparation, and Writing.

Over the summer, Mrs. Anderson spent her spare time in the garden and at the farmer’s market! She had a wonderful harvest, and was able to sell her produce at the Mocksville Farmers’ Market.

Last summer, she read “The Call of the Wild” and “The Mysterious Benedict Society“. Check out her blog post on those books!

For the fall season, Mrs. Anderson’s favorite thing is the food! “I’m always so excited to have home-grown lettuce and greens on my dinner plate again, and I love foraging for persimmons.” And she is reading more new books, and will blog about them soon! She has a new post out just last week, giving her review of “Miss Peregine’s Home for Peculiar Children.”

Also working on the lower level is Mrs. Kushner, who specializes in K-8 Language Arts and Science, as well as Elementary Grades Math. A teacher for more than 20 years, Mrs. Kushner has taught in public schools and homeschooled their daughters from kindergarten through eighth grade.

Mrs. Kushner is happy to welcome the fall season, as she loves the refreshing, cooler weather. She likes to take her golden mix Darcy for walks, sometimes twice per day. Her daughters tease her that she has more pictures of Darcy on her phone than she does of them!

Mrs. Kushner is also getting excited about the holidays, planning for time with her family!

Mrs. Elliott returns to the center this fall, specializing in K-12 Reading and Elementary Grades Math. Mrs. Elliott also guides students in handwriting using multi-sensory educational therapy.

She has extensive experience working with children with autism, auditory processing disorder, and ADHD.

And faculty working on the upper level

Mrs. Crater is on hand to help our early readers gain skills and develop a love for reading. Her specialities are K-8 Language Arts and Elementary Grades Math.

When Mrs. Crater is not at A Step Ahead, she is busy with her family, including her gorgeous granddaughters! The proud grandmother reports: “The youngest three girls like anything “Elmo“! We have a book I read to their father 32 years ago called, One Rubber Duckie. They love counting with all their beloved Sesame Street characters, and of course, I love the nostalgia of it all!”

Mrs. Mendenhall is back after a super-busy summer. Specializing in English, Literacy, History, and Writing, Mrs. Mendenhall holds a M.F.A. with honors in Professional Screenwriting.

“I have been traveling on various weekends this summer up to Charlottesville, Virginia, where I directed a performance that ran throughout the month of September” she reports. “In case anyone is interested in more information, my theater company’s website is www.performersexchange.org.”

She adds: “For me the big news over the summer was my son’s wedding in Montauk, New York, which also turned into a family reunion of sorts. It was beautiful! A very memorable time.”

Mrs. Sassin returns south from a summer in New York. She holds B.S. and M.A. degrees in physics, and tutors a range of subjects, including Physics, Chemistry, Trigonometry, Calculus, Algebra I and II, College Algebra, Geometry, and SAT Preparation.

And working on the main level, A Step Ahead’s Executive Director

Mr. Bill Tessien spends time both at the center and around town with school counselors and teachers. He is available to meet with parents to listen, to discuss their children’s needs, and to share how private tutors at A Step Ahead help students and families achieve their goals.

Mr. Tessien is an electrical engineer by training, and made a career change into education to help students and to share his love of science, math, geography and weather. He also loves to travel. “A favorite summer memory is hiking the Cascade Canyon Trail at Grand Teton National Park. It involved navigating snow even in late June, due to the record 50-foot winter snowfall in that area.”

Mr. Tessien loves the cooler weather of the fall season, providing more clear, crisp days for hiking around Winston-Salem. “My favorite local trail is the Grindstone at Pilot Mountain. On a clear day, you can see the Blue Ridge Mountains so clearly, and look for raptors flying around the summit.”

He adds an invitation to local parents: “Contact us anytime. I’m happy to listen and think with you about the right support for your family. Whether or not that involves using a private tutor, I’m here to help you find the right path for your child.”

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