Lara's passion has always been to infuse children with the joy of learning, motivate them to reach their greatest potential, and equip them with the personalized techniques that will enable them to achieve their goals.  Over the past thirteen years as a classroom teacher, literacy coach and private tutor, she has helped hundreds of children with a wide diversity of needs.

Tutoring and teaching has been Lara’s lifelong passion. While receiving her master's degree at Columbia University, Teachers College, she taught at a New York City private nursery school.

Teaching and enriching the lives of young learners has always been a passion for Ali.  She is patient, empathetic, warm and nurturing.  Ali enjoys connecting with each individual student to gain his or her trust and she strives to determine how each child learns best, often using a multi-sensory approach. She helps her students gain the skills and confidence necessary to learn, grow and reach their fullest potentials.

Ali received her master’s degree in general and special education from Hunter College in New York.  She has been teaching for more than 8 years, in a variety of environments.

Nora is a born and raised New Yorker with a degree from Bank Street College and a professional teaching certificate in childhood general and special education. Having close family experience with the special education process and its impact on students and families, it became her calling to advocate for families and students with learning differences.

She has taught grades pre-K through 5th in various classroom settings including self contained and integrated co-taught classrooms (ICT).

Madison believes that connection, self efficacy and intellectual curiosity are the keys to academic achievement. She is particularly passionate about fostering these one on one with students as it provides her the best opportunity to tailor instruction to the strengths and needs of each child.

Madison has mentored and tutored in various capacities for a decade and been a teacher for 5 years. She began her career in elementary and middle school classrooms in South Louisiana and spent the last year teaching young performers on the sets of Broadway, opera, television, and film productions around New York City.

Stephanie is a Special Education Teacher who has 10 years of experience working in various academic settings and grades. She believes all students deserve an individualized education program that fits their needs. The best part of being a teacher is watching the progress students make and the confidence they grow. 

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Stephanie has been a consultant, helping other teachers scaffold and differentiate classroom materials to meet all learners.

Born and raised in Brooklyn, NY, Shane embarked on his educational journey at The City College of New York. During his undergraduate years, his transformative experience as a Breakthrough Collaborative Teaching Fellow, combined with the guidance of influential teachers who invested in him, ignited his passion for education.

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Shane went on to earn a M.A. in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education, where his commitment to innovative teaching methods and data-driven interventions as a middle school math teacher yielded remarkable results, with his students consistently achieving over 70% math state test proficiency.

Beri has over 10 years of teaching experience. She first discovered her passion for teaching as an ESL instructor overseas, preparing college bound students for English proficiency tests, such as the TOEFL and IELTS. Upon returning to New York City, she taught in schools serving underserved communities to expand access to effective teachers.

She has worked with grades K-5 (elementary) and 6-8 (middle) students in NYC charter schools, non-profit organizations, and at PLEASED Learning. Dedicated to building student confidence and success, Beri creates individualized learning plans that cater to each learner’s unique interests and learning needs. 

Jenny Flaumenhaft is a teacher and lifelong learner. She received her BA from Colby College majoring in both Education and English and a masters in Curriculum and Teaching from Columbia Teachers College. She has worked in various public and private school settings as well as in curriculum design.

Jenny has taught English Second Language Learning on a Fulbright Scholarship in Thailand, remote Kindergarten, and currently teaches first grade at Friends Seminary.

Sophie is a warm and nurturing educator who strives to make learning fun for children. She was raised in NYC and attended Trevor Day School, where she loved the focus on inquiry-based learning. Sophie studied child psychology as an undergraduate at Yale University and then earned her Master’s degree in elementary education from Bank Street College of Education.

Sophie is committed to understanding and supporting each child’s strengths and needs. She has six years of experience teaching in K-2 classrooms, and has intentionally selected teaching experiences in very different independent, public, and charter school settings.

Brette is in NYC by way of California and absolutely loves it here! She has 20+ years of varied experience within education; from camp counselor, childcare, nanny, tutoring over the years, classroom teacher K-5th for 13 yrs, and a program manager for an EdTech non-profit.

In NYC she's successfully completed several long term guest teaching assignments at multiple independent schools in Manhattan. She earned her BA in Child Development, master's degree in Curriculum & Instruction, and her Teaching Credential in CA.

Kelly believes in the power of creating engaging instruction and building strong relationships with her students, all while having fun, to help them reach their full potential. She has been an educator for over 10 years in New York City, and is excited to continue her work one-on-one with students at P.L.E.A.S.E.D.

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Her passion for education led her to earn her undergraduate degree at Syracuse University in upstate New York. Studying Inclusive Elementary and Special Education, she became dually certified.

Sarah believes that children learn best when they feel nurtured and supported; when they feel seen and heard; when they believe in the team that is guiding them; and when those around them believe in their capabilities in overcoming adversities.  A teacher for more than 11 years, Sarah has taught a range of grades and various learners including those with learning differences such as autism, students with speech and language difficulties and those who have dyslexia. 

Sarah was a teacher mentor and learning coach for other educators. Her classroom was used as a labsite to lead inquiry and advance teacher practice. 

Nadine is passionate about helping students achieve academic milestones and celebrating students’ holistic development. She discovered her talent for teaching while working as an English teacher in France and Japan. Nadine has 10 years of classroom teaching experience. She served as an elementary school teacher at independent schools and Title 1 charter schools in New York City and New Jersey. Nadine was a second grade teacher at the Blue School.

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​Prior to that she was a first grade teacher at Dwight-Englewood School.

Abbi is an educator with over 10 years of experiencing teaching and creating a warm and inclusive learning environment using responsive teaching practices that are conducive to the intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of her students. Abbi graduated from Roger Williams University with a Bachelors in History, a Minor in Political Science, and core concentration in educational studies.

Abbi has early childhood classroom experience with children as young as 18 months.

Liz is passionate about building students’ confidence and self-esteem and empowering them to become leaders of their own learning. She enjoys forming strong relationships with her students and making learning fun. Liz started teaching at Avenues: The World School in 2015.

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She initially taught second and third grade before moving to first grade in 2017. Originally from MA, Liz earned her MSEd in Literacy and Childhood General Education from Bank Street College.

I have over thirteen years of teaching experience and absolutely love working with children! Most recently, I’ve taught Kindergarten and Second Grade in the NYC public school system, however I started my teaching career working in private schools with Pre-K and Kindergarten.

I also possess a dual-certification in Elementary Education and Special Education, as well as a Professional certification Birth - Second Grade.