Award-Winning Executive Functioning Tutors
serving Kansas City, MO

Running a natural sciences department at a bilingual elementary school in Ecuador meant Joy wasn't just teaching content — she was building systems for planning, prioritization, and task completion across two languages and multiple grade levels. She applies that same structured approach to executive functioning skills like time management, organization, and breaking long-term assignments into manageable steps.

Planning a multi-step essay, breaking a semester-long project into weekly milestones, keeping track of deadlines across six classes — these are executive functioning challenges Gabby addresses directly. Her five-plus years as a tutor and writing coach have centered on building concrete systems for organization, time management, and task prioritization that students can actually maintain on their own.

The best part of tutoring is promoting students' long-term success through mastery of reading, writing, math, study skills, organization, and critical thinking. In particular, I enjoy helping students build test-taking strategies and core skills for the ACT, SAT, and other admissions tests. I also support pre-K and K-12 students learning math and ELA. Before joining Varsity, I tutored in a Reading and Writing Lab for university students with learning disabilities where I earned a College Reading and Learning Association (CRLA) certification. Since joining Varsity, I have completed continuing education through the Lastinger Center for Learning. I graduated from the University of Arizona in 2021 with a BA in Cultural Anthropology. In addition to tutoring, I have worked as an instructional aide for an art program, an applied anthropology researcher, and a nonprofit program coordinator. Out of all these experiences, I enjoy tutoring the most. I look forward to working with you!

I currently work for an afterschool enrichment program (Best Brains) tutoring elementary English and math, and I have 4+ years of experience as a private ESL tutor for both children and adults. I am working toward my Masters of Science in Secondary English Education and ESL at the University of Wisconsin- Madison. I graduated from the University of Oregon with a Bachelor of Arts in Comparative World Literature and Japanese, and from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Master of Arts in Japanese Language and Literature. I began tutoring while I was in high school, assisting with algebra homework. In college, I volunteered as a kindergarten reading assistant through a program called Start Making a Reader Today. I later volunteered while in graduate school at a local high school tutoring students in beginner Japanese. I have also been employed by the University of Wisconsin as a Teaching Assistant, and taught in Religious Studies and East Asian Studies. In all cases, it has been a pleasure watching students progress in their academics and to see them grow as young scholars. I especially enjoy teaching language arts because of the feeling of connection that language can bring. My favorite part of teaching is seeing the smiling face of someone the moment that they finally "get" something they've been struggling with and watching their confidence boost. In my free time, I host a small book club, pen pal with friends around the world, and try my hand at new recipes.

Allison's Master's in Education from George Washington University centered on instructional design — figuring out why information doesn't stick and restructuring the process so it does, which is essentially what executive functioning coaching requires. She applies that design thinking to help a student reverse-engineer a stalled essay or a missed deadline, identifying whether the breakdown was in task initiation, time estimation, or material organization, then building a repeatable system around it. Her broad teaching range across writing, math, and test prep means those systems get tested against real coursework, not hypothetical scenarios.

Jennifer's M.Ed. in Curriculum and Instruction trained her to design structured learning sequences — a skill she now applies to teaching students how to plan multi-step projects, estimate time for assignments, and organize materials across classes. Her experience spanning elementary through college-level work means she calibrates these systems to each student's actual academic demands, building routines around real homework and deadlines rather than abstract exercises. Rated 5.0 by clients.

Planning, prioritizing, managing time, and shifting between tasks — these executive functioning skills underpin academic success but rarely get taught explicitly. Derek tackles them as teachable skills, building concrete systems like task checklists, color-coded planners, and structured routines that students internalize over time. His doctorate focused on how curriculum design shapes learning behavior, which gives him a research-grounded toolkit for strengthening these cognitive habits.

Planning, prioritizing, and managing time across multiple commitments is something Sydny had to master while juggling three undergraduate majors and medical school preparation. She breaks executive functioning into specific, practicable skills — task initiation, deadline mapping, and self-monitoring — so students build routines that work independently of a tutor's reminders.

Ten years ago, I started as an elementary substitute while attending Hanover College. As my interests in the education field changed and progressed, my philosophy stayed the same; education is something that can happen anywhere, not just in the traditional classroom. I went on to gain a Master's in School Librarianship & Facilitated Learning from Indiana University-Indianapolis. During this time I had started actually teaching, first with library sciences, elementary technology, elementary science, and tutoring. Over the past six years, I have tutored; homework help, organization, special education, exam reteaching, and mentoring for students from 3rd grade through adults taking professional licensing exams (ie. PRAXIS). While things have changed, my passion is still finding what a student needs for their best learning possible, and adapting content to work with them. My philosophy is simply that I think everyone can learn, sometimes we just have to look at the education differently.

I hold a Master's degree from the University of Pennsylvania in developmental psychology (with a focus on cognition) and a B.A. from Swarthmore College in theatre and English. I enjoy working with students who are looking to improve their executive function skills as a part of their overall goals for tutoring because I believe in a whole-self approach to time management and skill building. I also thoroughly enjoy tutoring in English literature, high school and college writing, organizational skills, and standardized testing. I've spent 15 years teaching high school English, public speaking, and written expression at elite independent schools, while moonlighting as a public speaking coach. My professional experience includes providing speechwriting and coaching for a now-US Senator during his first congressional campaign. Prior to becoming a teacher, I worked as a director for multiple professional theaters, and my passions for English and Theatre converge in a deep love of Shakespeare. I love to talk about literature and dissect its craft in writing, and I believe everyone can write strong essays with the right coaching and framework.

Balancing a double major in psychology and biology while preparing for medical school forced Karim to build real systems for task prioritization, time blocking, and breaking long-term projects into manageable steps. He teaches those same strategies — planning backwards from deadlines, organizing materials, and self-monitoring progress — so students can manage their own workloads independently.

I am a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania with a Masters degree in Education and have been an Elementary and Middle School educator for over thirty years. I have worked with students in the inner city, suburbs, Appalachia, and Deep South. I love teaching and children, and have discovered my passion in tutoring students who are struggling in Reading and Math. I have taught children with learning disabilities to read, and coached students with dyscalculia in math and reading. I worked as a principal for the past eight years, so was working with students from Pre-K to 8th grade, coaching teachers, analyzing data, and tutoring individual students in math and reading. I have worked as a national park ranger in the past, so social studies and history are areas of strength. Students that I teach respond well to my teaching style and enjoy working with me. I believe that education is extremely important for children's futures and do everything that I can to help them be successful.

As a tutor for 20+ years, I bring ample experience and knowledge. I specialize in standardized testing (MCAT, SAT, ACT, GRE, & more), medical school and pre-med courses, and undergraduate STEM subjects. A former medical school student and Master of Public Health, I opted for what truly brings me joy: tutoring, teaching, and guiding students to lifelong academic success.