What Pearl Education Offers

  • Academic support and enrichment in a range of subjects

Pearl Education provides academic support and enrichment in mathematics (algebra, geometry, pre-calculus, trigonometry, calculus), English (literature, composition), Spanish, French, history (US, World, European), chemistry, physics, environmental science, economics, statistics, and sociology. Lana’s academic background, her experience as a tutor and classroom teacher, and her personal interests enable her to offer a broad range of specific subject support as well as all-around homework help.

  • Executive functioning and study skills

Pearl Education supports all types of learners in developing organizational and study skills. Lana has extensive experience helping students identify their strengths, which empowers and motivates them to get organized and approach school work in a way that works for them. The results are greatly reduced levels of stress and anxiety, work turned in on time, improved family relations, and better academic performance.

  • Standardized test prep

Pearl Education helps students prepare for tests including the SAT, ACT, ISSE, SSAT, GRE, and various AP and IB exams. Lana and her test prep students work together to develop an individualized test taking plan that includes specific strategies for different sections of the tests, content review where necessary, and practicing with many real test questions to increase confidence and promote a calm approach to taking the test on test day.

Specifically for college admissions tests - the SAT and ACT - students should plan to take the test for the first time in the spring of their junior year. Students’ composite scores usually improve if they take the test a second time in June of their junior year, which leaves the fall of their senior year as an additional opportunity to retake the test and improve scores further. Therefore, preparing for the SAT or ACT can reasonably start in the summer before a student’s junior year of high school, with weekly or bi-monthly sessions through the fall and into the spring semester of their junior year.

Whichever test you are preparing for, Pearl Education will work with you to create a reasonable tutoring schedule that takes into account the starting date of tutoring, your test date, and the academic, extracurricular, and personal commitments in between.

  • Writing instruction

Pearl Education offers writing instruction that builds on the strengths of each student and is designed to serve students well after their time in school. Lana helps students - be they in middle school, high school, at university, or beyond - successfully complete written assignments as well as compose effective cover letters, college and scholarship application essays, articles, and grant proposals for funding. 

Pearl Education emphasizes that writing is a process and a skill. Starting well before a due date, and going through the steps of brainstorming, outlining and organizing ideas, drafting, and then editing and revising, helps to ensure that the final draft is of high quality and reduces the stress along the way. And, as with other skills such as playing a sport or an instrument, so with writing, anyone can learn to do it, and everyone’s writing will improve with practice.

Finally, as a credentialed teacher of English Language and Literature with experience in the middle and high school classroom, Lana aims to foster a love of reading in her students. In addition to the many other benefits of reading, it also provides a model of quality for students of writing.

  • College admissions essay support

Pearl Education assists students in writing their best college or graduate school admissions essays. They receive support with writing mechanics, selecting the best topic(s), finding their genuine voice, and crafting a compelling personal narrative.

  • Teaching English to learners of English as a foreign language

Pearl Education’s English learners span students from elementary school to professionals in the tech industry, and we can help regardless of your current level of English! Through an informal, fun, conversation based approach that takes into account each student’s interests, Pearl Education will help you learn vocabulary, improve your speaking skills, understand grammar, increase reading and listening comprehension, and build your overall confidence in English.

Tutoring Sessions

Tutoring sessions typically run between one and two hours, and we meet once or twice per week. Other session lengths and frequencies can be arranged. 

We Meet Online

Our tutoring sessions take place online via video conferencing, and we use a collaborative whiteboard and document sharing platform. Students have access to their folder offline, can share their work prior to our sessions, and can use the materials in their tutoring folder to study, since all their work from our sessions is archived and organized by date/topic. 

Pearl Education has been successfully tutoring students remotely since 2015. Satisfied students and parents can attest to the effectiveness of this approach. 

Finding the Right Fit

Much of teaching is about relationships. We are happy to offer you or your child a 30 minute trial tutoring session, free of charge, to determine if Pearl Education is the right fit for you. You can also schedule a free consultation with Lana here.

Contact us for more information. We’d love to work with you!