Award-Winning Elementary School Reading Tutors serving Memphis, TN

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Lindsey
Certified Elementary School Reading Tutor
Lindsey
MS Arizona State University • BA Arizona State University
8+ Years Tutoring

Phonics, sight words, and fluency are the building blocks, but the real goal is a kid who actually wants to pick up a book. Lindsey connects decoding skills to comprehension early, asking young readers to predict what happens next or describe a character's feelings as they go. Her psychology degree informs how she adapts pacing and encouragement to each child's reading level.

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Christean
Certified Elementary School Reading Tutor
Christean
MS Harding University • BA Freed Hardeman University
9+ Years Tutoring

Phonics, sight words, and fluency drills all matter — but so does making reading feel like something worth doing. Christean pairs foundational decoding skills with age-appropriate stories that keep young readers curious, building both accuracy and the kind of enthusiasm that turns practice into habit.

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Certified Elementary School Reading Tutor
McKenna
BA Tulane University of Louisiana
5+ Years Tutoring

Early reading instruction lives and dies on the details — phonics patterns, sight word fluency, and the confidence to try sounding out an unfamiliar word. McKenna taught elementary students with literacy struggles for two years, building their decoding and comprehension skills from the ground up. That hands-on experience with emerging readers is hard to replicate from a textbook alone.

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Certified Elementary School Reading Tutor
Brian
MS Christian Brothers University • BA Seattle University
6+ Years Tutoring

Teaching a child to read is the thing Brian trained specifically to do. His Master's in Elementary School Teaching grounds his approach in phonics, sight-word fluency, and the gradual shift from decoding individual words to understanding what a full passage means. He makes that transition feel natural rather than overwhelming.

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Certified Elementary School Reading Tutor
Aaron
BA The University of Texas at Dallas • Current Grad Student, Mechanical Engineering Duke University
10+ Years Tutoring

I'm not tutoring or buried in my textbooks, you will either find me rock climbing at the Triangle Rock Club, playing Ultimate Frisbee, working on my car, or enjoying the great outdoors (beaches, mountains, forests--you name it, I love it). On rainy weekends I enjoy tinkering with computers and old electronics, playing Pokemon, or picking at my guitar.

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Certified Elementary School Reading Tutor
Mimi
MS Harvard University • BA Dartmouth College
6+ Years Tutoring

I am an interdisciplinary educator with an Ed.M. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a B.A. from Dartmouth College. My background is primarily in integrated arts learning and museum education and I specialize in visual arts, history and art history, and object-based learning. In all subjects, I take a creative, inquiry-based and learner-centered approach, designing opportunities for each unique individual to meet their learning goals.

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Certified Elementary School Reading Tutor
Nina
MS Columbia University • BA Northwestern University
10+ Years Tutoring

I am a recent graduate from a masters program in biostatistics at Columbia University. I received my Bachelor of Arts in biological sciences, with a focus in neurobiology at Northwestern University. In August, I will be starting a doctoral program in biostatistics at NYU. I was a teaching assistant at Columbia University in my department and also have tutored graduate students and undergraduates privately as well. My primary areas of tutoring are math and statistics coursework in addition to math sections on standardized tests such as the GRE and GMAT. I am very passionate about helping students feel more confident and excited about math. In my spare time, I enjoy running, playing piano, and spending time with friends and family.

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Certified Elementary School Reading Tutor
Reid
PhD Harvard University • BA Wesleyan University
1+ Years Tutoring

I am a graduate of Wesleyan University, where I received my Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with High Honors. With eight years of experience working in education, I've tutored students in math, science, history, and English, as well as helped students prepare for standardized tests. I've guided adults towards passing the US Citizenship Exam and taught English in India, where I lived for six months. Whenever I work with a student I personalize the lessons to fit their particular learning style, since I know every student is unique and having the right fit can make all the difference in making learning fun and effective. My strengths are tutoring the social sciences and humanities, as well as making math and standardized tests approachable to students that normally don't like those subjects. In my spare time I like traveling, spending time in the outdoors (climbing & backpacking), meditation, and playing soccer. Next fall I will be beginning my PhD in Education at Harvard University.

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Certified Elementary School Reading Tutor
Liz
MS Simmons College • BA Washington University in St. Louis
1+ Years Tutoring

I am a graduate of Washington University in St Louis, where I received my Bachelor of Arts in History with minors in Humanities and Anthropology. Since graduation, I have worked as a tutor, teacher, and director of tutors at a charter public middle school in Boston. During this time I also received my Masters in Mild to Moderate Disabilities from Simmons College. I have worked extensively with students with a range of abilities, including students with specific learning disabilities, emotional impairments, dyslexia, and ADHD. My teaching experience has given me a deep understanding of the knowledge and habits essential to academic success and has given me the opportunity to hone a variety of strategies that ensure students at each level can achieve their academic goals. While I tutor a broad range of subjects, my favorite ones are Reading, Elementary/Middle School Math, History, and Test Prep. In my experience, tutoring is the most rewarding when a student has that "aha!" moment and achieves a new level of understanding and confidence in his/her abilities. I am a firm believer in the transformative power of education, and I see my role to be that of a facilitator and coach who is there to help the student reach his/her goals through individualized support and rigorous practice. In my free time, I enjoy reading, running, practicing my Spanish, and discovering new music. I am also an avid traveler and just got back from a 3 month trip to South America. I look forward to the opportunity to work with you!

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Certified Elementary School Reading Tutor
Charles
BA Yale University
1+ Years Tutoring

I am a junior Mechanical Engineering major at Yale, and I hope to become a Naval Aviator after college. I am also a varsity sailor, and enjoy playing music with friends when I can get some free time. I have been tutoring my fellow students throughout my entire academic career, and I would best describe my tutoring style as one that adapts to each students' needs. For example, I have always tried to frame questions in a different way so that the student can better understand the question. Some students need visual representations of numbers and systems to understand them, and others benefit more by understanding the concepts behind each formula. I prefer to tutor in math and physics, and especially with real world application problems. I hope to help students improve their standardized test scores and their understanding of the math and sciences so that they can achieve their academic goals!

ACT Scores
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SAT Scores
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Certified Elementary School Reading Tutor
Solange
BA Harvard University
8+ Years Tutoring

I'm Solange - a recent graduate from Harvard where I studied Sociology & Women's Studies. I've been tutoring for eight years now, and have worked with a wide range of ages and in a wide range of subjects. Some of my specialties are college prep/test taking II worked in the admissions office on campus); social sciences; and literature/writing.

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Certified Elementary School Reading Tutor
Michelle
MD Baylor College of Medicine • BA Rice University
1+ Years Tutoring

I am proud to be a part of Varsity Tutors! I am originally from San Antonio, TX; I completed my undergraduate education at Rice University in Houston where I received a bachelor's degree in Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Currently, I am in my second year of medical school at Baylor College of Medicine.

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Testimonials

Because the right Elementary School Reading tutor makes all the difference.

4.9

Average Session Rating – Based on 3.4M Learner Ratings

Worked with an Elementary School Reading Tutor

Your customer interface is A+, being your agents or your site, The tutor you found for me is perfect, no formulas or canned lectures but easy flowing lecture addressing my needs. Congratulations for a job well done.

JA
Julio Aranovich
Worked with an Elementary School Reading Tutor

Heejin has been very patient with me. I work a full time job sometimes even on the weekends. It has been a slow process with my Korean classes, but Heejin has been wonderful and patient.

AH
Angela Hussein
Worked with an Elementary School Reading Tutor

My son has had many quality tutors through this convenient service, and he can hop on at any time of day to get support for a homework assignment or test. It's very convenient and effective.

TR
Tara R
Worked with an Elementary School Reading Tutor

I've been working with my tutor for a few months now and the progress has been remarkable. The personalized attention and tailored lessons made all the difference compared to in-classroom learning.

MC
Michael Chen
Worked with an Elementary School Reading Tutor

The flexibility of scheduling combined with the quality of instruction is unmatched. I can get help exactly when I need it, whether that's late at night or early in the morning before a test.

PP
Priya Patel
Worked with an Elementary School Reading Tutor

My daughter went from dreading her sessions to looking forward to them. The tutor made the material engaging and built her confidence in ways I never thought possible. Highly recommend.

RW
Rebecca Williams

Frequently Asked Questions

Many elementary students struggle with phonics foundations, fluency, and comprehension—especially when transitioning from learning to read to reading to learn. With Memphis's average student-teacher ratio of 18.2:1, personalized attention to individual reading gaps can be difficult in traditional classrooms. Personalized 1-on-1 instruction helps identify whether a student needs support with decoding, sight words, reading speed, or understanding what they've read, and tutors can target instruction to each child's specific needs.

Tutors work with students using evidence-based strategies like predicting, questioning, visualizing, and summarizing to deepen understanding. They provide guided practice with texts at the right level for your child, ask targeted questions to check comprehension, and teach students how to identify main ideas and supporting details. With personalized feedback and repeated practice, students build confidence and develop habits that transfer to independent reading.

Fluency is the ability to read smoothly and at an appropriate pace, while comprehension is understanding what you've read—and both are essential. When students struggle with fluency, they use so much mental energy on decoding that comprehension suffers. Tutors address both by building automaticity with sight words and phonics patterns, increasing reading speed through repeated practice, and then layering in comprehension strategies so students can focus on meaning.

Tutors use informal assessments like running records, comprehension checks, and oral reading observations to pinpoint your child's current level and identify specific strengths and gaps. They select texts that are challenging enough to promote growth but accessible enough to build confidence—often called the 'just right' level. This personalized approach ensures your child isn't frustrated or bored, and progress happens faster than with one-size-fits-all instruction.

In the first session, a tutor will typically get to know your child, assess current reading skills through informal activities or reading samples, and learn about specific goals or concerns. They'll observe how your child approaches a text, ask comprehension questions, and note strengths to build on and areas needing support. This foundation allows the tutor to create a personalized plan and hit the ground running in subsequent sessions.

Many students show noticeable improvements in confidence and engagement within 4-6 weeks of consistent tutoring, though the timeline depends on the specific challenge and frequency of sessions. Students working on phonics or fluency often see measurable gains quickly, while comprehension and critical thinking skills develop more gradually over months. Regular communication with your tutor helps track progress and adjust the plan as needed.

Tutors often recommend reading aloud together daily, even for older elementary students, to model fluency and discuss stories. You can also ask simple comprehension questions during reading, visit the library regularly to let your child choose books, and create a distraction-free reading time at home. Your tutor can suggest specific strategies and book recommendations tailored to your child's level and interests to reinforce progress between sessions.

Varsity Tutors connects you with expert tutors who specialize in elementary reading and understand the needs of Memphis students. You'll share information about your child's current level, specific challenges, and goals, and you'll be matched with a tutor whose expertise and availability align with your family's needs. From there, you can work together to schedule sessions and create a personalized plan to help your child become a confident, engaged reader.

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