David graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors from the College of the Ozarks, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art. He has been actively involved in the education realm since 1999; he began tutoring in 2005 and successfully owned and operated his tutoring business, HELP Tutoring, from 2009 to 2020. He has tutored approximately 500 students over the last couple of decades. David’s enduring commitment to tutoring stems from his joy in witnessing students succeed and the realization that tutoring is a powerful avenue to facilitate that success.
David specializes in tutoring at all levels of math, up to Calculus 1 and SAT and ACT prep. Motivated by a passion for inspiring students and helping them unlock their potential, he strongly believes that having a caring mentor invested in students' success yields benefits beyond the academic realm.
As a tutor, David actively engages in his students' educational journeys. His genuine care for their success is evident from the start, as he assists them in charting a clear path to achievement. Employing a direct and uncomplicated tutoring style, David effectively identifies what truly contributes to student success and what doesn't. He identifies the root of students' challenges and fills in any learning gaps. Beyond immediate academic concerns, he emphasizes the broader perspective, aiding students in recognizing the significance of their education—whether it be meeting graduation requirements or acing standardized tests. David ensures students grasp the real-world applications of these concepts and the enduring advantages of mastering them for long-term success.
David excels at customizing his tutoring approach to suit the age and specific needs of his students. He has discovered that maintaining a blend of casual yet professional interaction is most effective, particularly when working with teenagers.
When he’s not tutoring, David enjoys spending time with his wife and six kids. He also enjoys playing Madden football and has been DJing at various gigs for the past eight years.
Simone earned a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Design and Ecolocy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as well as a minor in Visual and Media Studies from Duke University. She has over eight years of tutoring experience, including teaching English as a second language to German and Spanish-speaking students. Professionally, Simone has also worked in public health and education as a UNC Global Gap Year Fellow and with an affordable housing agency in Chapel Hill.
Simone’s passion for tutoring stems from her desire to contribute to students’ learning processes. She likes to plant an idea in someone's head and watch it grow into a tree of their own knowledge. In other words, she loves to amplify students' ownership over their learning. She specializes in SAT tutoring as well as English, history, and algebra tutoring at all levels, including AP and IB.
As a tutor, Simone is collaborative and playful. She recognizes students as leaders in their learning journeys, and she incorporates optimism and play into her lessons to diminish feelings of anxiety or dread. Her tutoring is entirely student-centered and designed to empower students.
Some of Simone’s greatest strengths as a tutor include her ability to keep students motivated and engaged. When a student needs encouragement, she can be firm and steadfast, but supportive. She uses positive reinforcement, pep talks, feedback from students, and breaks as needed. Simone also connects content to real-world examples relevant to each student's life so that it can be grounded in something familiar and useful to them.
In her free time, Simon likes to dance, listen to music, try new foods, and travel. She took a gap year before starting college and spent three months in Mexico and another three months in Colombia.
Erin earned her Bachelor of Science in Behavioral Neuroscience from Northeastern University and presently serves as a Clinical Research Coordinator at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. With over 15 years of tutoring experience, Erin has guided more than 100 students to academic success, securing admissions to prestigious institutions such as Stanford, New York University, and Princeton. Her journey into tutoring began with a profound realization of the lifelong impact knowledge transmission has on students' confidence, particularly those who once saw themselves as academically inadequate.
Erin’s belief that every student has the potential to thrive in the classroom if paired with the right educators and resources fuels her enduring passion for tutoring. Beyond facilitating academic excellence, she is committed to nurturing students into sources of support for their peers. She specializes in tutoring English, biology, and psychology at various levels, including AP, ACT, and SAT prep.
As a tutor, Erin’s ultimate goal is to help students rewrite their personal narratives about their academic capabilities and reach their maximum potential. Her motto is "teach the student the most effective ways to learn and they'll grow to be strong, life-long learners.” She focuses on developing learning skills in addition to strengthening a student's comprehension of the subject. She helps students understand the relationship between concepts to increase their understanding rather than just improve their memorization.
Erin’s three greatest strengths as a tutor are her drive, patience, and flexibility. Her drive is evident in the high expectations she sets for all students, motivating them to strive for excellence. Meanwhile, her patience and flexibility shine through in her deep understanding that the journey to success is rarely linear. Erin acknowledges that this path may encompass numerous challenges, failures, and moments of frustration before the initial signs of a breakthrough emerge.
In her free time, Erin enjoys swimming, running, dancing, cooking, baking, reading, playing basketball, and exploring different cultures and foods through travel. Her adventurous spirit has led her to complete a research internship in Cape Town, South Africa, and embark on summer backpacking journeys through Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia, as well as explorations in France, Spain, and Greece.
Yes, we help first-time test-takers and retakers ace the SSAT. The SSAT is offered eight times per year – we’re ready to help your child prepare for their next test date.
We welcome parent involvement and always strive to keep communication open between students, families, and tutors. Our progress tracker enables you to check your child’s progress, tutor comments, and next steps at any time.
Our SSAT tutor matching process ensures students are paired with their best-fit tutor based on student/family preferences, goals, and needs. A lot of the information we need to make an informed decision comes from the intake form you complete at the beginning of our engagement.
You can register for the SSAT on the EMA SSAT website here.
Excluding the experimental section (which doesn’t count toward your final score), there are four SSAT sections administered in random order. You have 25 minutes to answer all questions in each section:
Students receive percentile scores in the following areas:
You’ll also receive section scores for each of these areas; for the Middle Level, scaled section scores range between 440 and 710, and Upper Level scores range between 500 and 800.
The best plan for you and your child depends on the level of support they need, their availability, and other factors. If you’re unsure which program works best for you, our team is ready to help – set up a call with us today to learn more!
Middle Level SSATs are for students in grades 5, 6, and 7. Upper Level tests are for students in grade 8 or above.