Meet Your Tutor
All About Leah
Good grades came easily for me in high school and college, because I think I got my father’s brains. At graduation, we were seated alphabetically in the gym (my last name begins with “W”). Besides my valedictorian speech, when I had to walk from the last row of seats all the way to the podium, I won six awards in English, math, writing, science, French, and music, and had to make the trip each time. The applause would stop long before I got up to the stage, and the silence until I got there was deafening. On one trip, a school official said they considered putting a chair near the stage for me in order to save time.
I actually got my start in tutoring while in high school, when my teachers asked me to tutor their children in English and math. (Years later, I tutored my own children, all the way through their college degrees.) After earning a 4.0 GPA in high school, I felt I had to do the same in college. I worked and took classes at a local university, graduating summa cum laude, with a major in HR Management and a minor in psychology.
Right after high school graduation, my former school district offered me a position running their computer department. That job became the beginning of my 30 years in the computer field, holding various positions, from the technical arena to management. I earned some certifications: Certified Information Systems Auditor and Certified Software Trainer, giving standup training to hundreds of employees and management on courses that I authored as part of my project leader role. Following a car accident, I chose to return to tutoring and substitute teaching. I tutored for four agencies before starting my own business.
Tutoring is such a rewarding endeavor. When a student is working hard to understand a concept, brows furrowed with an intense frown, I try one explanation, to no avail. But with my next try, I see his eyes get big, a grin appears, and an “Oh!” escapes! And he’s “got it,” probably for life. It’s a joy to make difficult things simple, to see a glimpse of relief cross his face! He becomes animated and wants to do more of those type of questions. You learn each week or so about grades going up, about his successes. He’s more eager to learn. Parents are relieved and thankful, too. My “kids” and their parents are part of my daily blessings, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to help them in a small way to feel capable and accomplished.