Meet The Tutors, Experienced Teachers • The Community Classroom

Chief Learning Curator/Owner + Operator

Dr. Megan Allen, NBCT

Dr. Megan Allen is the founder and chief learning curator at the Community Classroom. She works hard to serve students by matching them to their perfect teacher, thereby increasing knowledge, skill, confidence, and joy. To learn more about how and why she founded The Community Classroom, click here. She is a National Board Certified Teacher who has worked in several roles in education, including 10 years as an elementary school teacher in Florida. Megan most recently worked as the Director of Partnerships for the National Network of State Teachers of the Year, the professional home for all state teachers of the year (she was the Florida 2010 State Teacher of the Year). She also served as director of the Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership at Mount Holyoke College, where she envisioned, pitched, and developed two graduate-level programs to support teachers across the world in their informal and formal leadership capacities.

Tutor, Math Specialist

Josh Abrams

Josh is a graduate of UMass Amherst where he studied Economics and Spanish. He received his Master’s in Education from Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia where he began his teaching career before traveling abroad and moving back to Massachusetts. Over the past 10 years, Josh has taught middle school math, high school math, ESL, and special education along with coaching volleyball and Scrabble teams. In 2018 he received the Teacher of the Year award from Olney Charter High School in PA and now he currently teaches at Holyoke High School. Josh also enjoys reading, board games, and playing a variety of sports!

Tutor

Elise Abreu

Elise is a recent graduate of Mount Holyoke College with a double major in Psychology and Education with Teacher Licensure and Spanish. They were the Music Director of The M&Cs A Capella group at Mount Holyoke College and were a member of the Mount Holyoke College Glee Club Choir as well.

Elise has been tutoring at The Community Classroom since the summer of 2020 and has a wonderful and fun way of approaching her work with kids. They are currently in their first year of teaching.

Reading Specialist

Stacy Ashley

Stacy is a reading specialist who has been working with struggling readers for 24 years. She currently works as a reading specialist and special education teacher at the Norris School in Southampton. She is a certified practitioner in Orton Gillingham. She also has training in Wilson, Leveled Literacy Intervention, Reading Recovery, and Seeing Stars. In addition to being a fabulous and talented educator, Stacy can build relationships with her students like no other!

Biology and Chemistry Tutor, Academic Coach

Carly Baldwin, NBCT

Carly is a National Board Certified Teacher who spends her days teaching Chemistry at Boyd County High School in Ashland, Kentucky. She also worked as an Effectiveness Coach for the Kentucky Department of Education, supporting districts in K-12 science instruction. She has published articles describing her teacher leadership journey in Kentucky Teacher. Carly is a proud 2015 Presidential Awards for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching Award winner.

K-8th Grade Math Specialist, Math Recovery

Chelsea Berry

Chelsea is an elementary math specialist who is devoted to making sure every student is afforded an excellent education. She is a motivated, personable education professional with a Master of Arts in Teacher Leadership from Mount Holyoke College. Chelsea has a passion for utilizing technology to increase communication, engagement, and efficiency amongst students and teachers. She is a diplomatic and patient team player who is solutions-focused, student-centered, and committed to collaboration.

Tutor, Math Specialist

Jay Bright

Like many others, Jay’s experience with math began as a child. Although it took her a long time to make sense of concepts, she enjoyed the journey of getting there. She was not a memorizer, therefore she had to make sense of the math in order to make it through. Her home life involved a lot of board games and play-based activities. Looking back, she is certain this is why she ended up seeing success in mathematics. She majored in mathematics and later completed a Masters’s in Mathematics Teaching. Throughout her journey, she’s discovered the value and importance of play. Most recently she’s been digging into learning more about how the brain learns through play. She’d like to focus on promoting productive struggle and sharing thinking through rigorous math tasks. Jay is a play-based math specialist.

Elementary to Middle School Tutor

Viva Butler

Viva Butler has been an elementary and middle school educator for 13 years. She currently works with sixth graders in Western Mass. She has a degree in English from U-Mass Amherst, and a Masters in Teaching from Hamline University in St. Paul, MN. When she’s not teaching, she is typically hanging out with her energetic 9-year-old and her partner in the woods where they live. Frequently amphibians and insects are involved.

Middle School/High School English/Language Arts Tutor

Karrisa Fabin

Karrisa holds a Masters in Library Science and Technology from Simmons University and a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary and Special Education from Bay Path University. She has over 20 years of teaching and tutoring experience in grades PreK-12 with a focus on special education needs. She has expertise in both the traditional classroom setting and also with virtual remote schooling. In addition to certifications in Library K-12, Elementary K-6, Special education PreK-12, and a pending Instructional Technology certification, Karrisa is also certified through the Virtual High School Collaborative. Her extensive background in technology, research, and reference skills ensures that pedagogy keeps pace with new educational technologies and applications. When Karrisa is not trying to keep up with her two energetic boys, she likes to unwind with the latest Jodi Picoult book.

Early Childhood Tutor

Danielle Goua

Danielle is a graduate of Mount Holyoke College and has taught PreKindergarten and Kindergarten in Washington, DC. She is currently a first-grade English Language Arts Teacher at Malcolm X Elementary for Washington DC Public Schools and a favorite among our tutoring clients.

Early Childhood Tutor, English as a Second Language (ESL)

Lisa Halloran

Lisa currently teaches kindergarten in Connecticut. She teaches newcomers to the English language as well as English speaking students. Lisa has also taught kindergarten readiness skills for several summers. Lisa was awarded a 2016 Fund for Teachers Fellowship to study art in Paris as a means of enhancing the oral vocabulary development of EL and all students. She has been teaching for 33 years and has also taught special education and second grade. Lisa has a master’s degree in special education with a concentration in gifted and talented from the University of Connecticut. Lisa has also taken classes in therapeutic recreation, enjoys amateur photography, Impressionism, and travel.

Tutor and Academic Coach

Julie Hammond

Mx. Hammond is a spirited science teacher whose passion is to prime students for physical science. Newtonian motion, energy conservation, electricity, and modern physics, are just some of the topics that Mx. Hammond can clearly elucidate. While Mx. Hammond’s background is primarily in high school physics, they also have experience teaching chemistry, engineering, electronics, environmental science, and middle school earth science. Mx. Hammond has their B.A. in Physics from Boston University and their M.A. in Teacher Leadership from Mount Holyoke; coupled with years of teaching experience, they have the expertise necessary to reach any student!

K-6 Master Tutor

Martha Harrington

Martha is a graduate of Lesley University with a Masters in Education/Special Education. Her career began with teaching middle school in Brookline, Massachusetts, in a separate program for students who learn differently and have social/emotional challenges. Martha also taught at Lesley University for 19 years. She is certified in the Social Thinking method and specializes in Collaborative and Proactive Problem Solving. After moving to the western part of the state, she taught at the Collaborative for Educational Services in Northampton. Currently, she is supervising teachers who are completing their practicum. She also volunteers at the Treehouse Foundation in Easthampton, bringing her creative ideas to an after-school program for foster children. Martha sees herself as a learning partner; she uses the student’s strengths to provide an engaging experience that naturally generates participation and offers an opportunity to take a risk. When she is not working, Martha is outside walking in the woods, cooking, or playing board games with her grandchildren.

Reading and Writing Tutor

Dr. Amy Hewett-Olatunde

Dr. Amy Hewett-Olatunde has been an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher for the St. Paul Public Schools in St. Paul, Minnesota since 1999. She teaches at Humboldt Junior and Senior High School. She teaches levels 1-4 academic and creative writing and 6^th grade ELA, is an instructional coach and sits on the Leadership Team, Equity Team, Literacy Leadership Team, and ESL Team. She is also a building union steward. Amy has also taught adult, workforce, secondary, and post-secondary graduate and undergraduate English learners and pre-service mainstream and ESL teachers. In addition to her current role as a full-time ESL teacher at Humboldt High School and Middle School and Administrative Intern, she has worked at Hamline University and the University of St. Thomas in the Advanced Degrees, Certificate, Licensure, Additional Licensure and CUE Program (The CUE program has been responsible for recruiting persons of color and persons with unique cultural, ethnic, language and urban backgrounds into teaching professions in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area.) since 2007 both as a professor and supervisor. She serves on multiple capstone, as well as dissertation committees. She also works for SupportEd, LLC as a facilitator for online ESL development courses.

Academic Coach

Chris Holmes

The approach Chris takes with teaching and learning it to cultivate curiosity, facilitate introspection, and foster hope. He is a writing teacher, but his experience extends beyond traditional academic instruction. He infuses expertise in journalism and poetry, special education and gifted education, and motivation and human wellbeing. The foundation of his practice hinges on relationships and the growth of his students includes not just academic content and skill, but also executive function, goal-setting, and self-knowledge. He holds a Master’s in Educational Psychology (University of Missouri) and 20 years of experience teaching in both public and private schools. Recently, he helped found a high school for adolescents who learn differently, many of whom are twice-exceptional. Chris spends his summers teaching at Missouri Scholars Academy, a three-week residential experience for gifted high school juniors.

Physics/math tutor

Masha Klymenko

Masha is a recent graduate of Mount Holyoke College with a major in Physics and a minor in Mathematics. She’s an international student from Ukraine who came to the United States 4 years ago. Before that, she visited her family in the States every summer and attended Camp Howe, first as a camper and later as a counselor in training. Previously, she worked with kids ages 3-7 in Kyiv, teaching English to kids who moved to the capital because of the war. She makes sure to be fun and friendly and to create a safe space for all kids interested in sciences!

K-6 Elementary Tutor, Math Specialist

Abby Maeillo

Abby started working in public education 15 years ago. She’s worn many different hats, from classroom aide, substitute teacher, 1:1 paraprofessional, theater director, tutor, camp director, and finally classroom teacher. Abby has a B.A. in Education and Psychology from Mount Holyoke College and will be graduating this summer from their Masters of Arts in Teaching Mathematics program. During the summers for the last decade, Abby has been the director of Summer Performing Arts Exploration, a theater camp for kids going into 5th-8th grade. During the school year, Abby works as a 3rd-grade classroom teacher in Brattleboro Vermont. She likes to integrate theater and her appreciation for the outdoors into her classroom. Abby loves working with kids of all ages, because of the opportunity to learn something new every day!

PreK-Elementary School Tutor

Caitlin Martin

Caitlin graduated from Hampshire College in 2012 and received her pre-k to grade 2 teaching license from Mount Holyoke College in 2013. After this, she worked as a paraprofessional in Amherst Public Schools. In this role, she provided small group math intervention support to 5th and 6th graders. In 2014, she began her work as a Kindergarten teacher at Lincoln Elementary School in Springfield, where she spent eight wonderful years. She speaks Spanish fluently and has conversational skills in German.

In 2018, she became a foster parent and has anywhere from one to five foster kids at any given time. In order to focus on her foster kids, she decided to take a step back from classroom teaching for the time being and focus on tutoring. She absolutely loves to see the progress that can be made when working with individual students.

6th-9th Grade Math Specialist

Dr. Daniele Massey

Daniele has over 15 years of experience as a classroom teacher, virtual teacher, mentor, instructional coach, teacher leader, and educational consultant at the district, state, and national levels. Dr. Massey is the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) 2013 Teacher of the Year and works to empower teachers, leaders, and community members to advocate for an equitable learning environment for all students. Currently, Dr. Massey teaches at the DoDEA Virtual High school. Her career also involves teaching at Fayetteville Technical Community College, University of Mary Washington, and as a professor in practice at Mount Holyoke College. Dr. Massey is a military spouse and mother of two adventurous and aspiring young leaders. Anaya (17) and Amira (10) keep her moving and shaking every day!

Elementary Tutor, ESL

Madonna McAnulty

Madonna has served children as a teacher in Hillsborough County, Florida, and as an ESOL teacher through VIPKID. She is a certified K-12 ESE/ESOL with over 20 years of experience in elementary education and as a school librarian. She is proud to be selected as the 2021 Robinson Elementary Teacher of the Year.

High School Math Tutor

Jeremiah McAnulty

Jeremiah is an applied mathematics major at Florida Polytechnic College with an interdisciplinary sequence in data science. He has two years of experience tutoring high school-level mathematics and is excited to continue doing so. Jeremiah comes to The Community Classroom having completed coursework in Calculus 1-3, Concepts and Methods for engineering and computer science, Physics 1&2, Differential Equations, and Discrete Mathematics. Fun fact! Jeremiah’s mother also tutors for The Community Classroom and taught for years in Florida with Community Classroom founder, Megan Allen.

Middle School Math Tutor

Natalie McCutchen

Natalie is an assistant principal at Lincoln Elementary School in Franklin, Ky. She taught 7th grade Math and Pre-Algebra at Franklin-Simpson Middle School in Simpson County for 15 years and is in her 16th year in education. She graduated from Western Kentucky University in 2005 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Middle Grades Education. In 2010, she obtained her Masters in Instructional Leadership in order to be a Principal. She obtained National Board Certification in Early Adolescence Mathematics in 2013. In 2015, she received the Ashland Teacher Achievement Award. Natalie has held various roles in education which includes being a member of teacher education organizations such as the National Education Association, Kentucky Education Association, and the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Natalie was a Hope Street Group Kentucky Teacher Fellow and an NEA Great Public Schools Network online facilitator. Besides being involved in these organizations, Natalie has held other positions such as being a scorer for Pearson and serving as a math reviewer for EdReports.

Math Specialist/Master Tutor

Susan Milsom

Susan Milsom retired recently after over thirty years of teaching. As a teacher of students with special needs and students learning English, she has worked in all curricular areas and at all elementary grade levels. Susan has taught in schools in France, Vermont, and Massachusetts. In her retirement, she is enjoying language study, playing piano, exercise, and reading.

Elementary Tutor, Special Education

Koki M.

Koki is a teacher for Hadley Public Schools and a children’s literature fanatic. A graduate from Mount Holyoke College, she has the following certifications and endorsements in the state of Massachusetts, as well as experience tutoring students Kindergarten through eighth grade:

Massachusetts Early Childhood (Pre-K-2) Initial License
Massachusetts Elementary (1-6) Initial License
Massachusetts Moderate Disabilities (PreK-8) License
Massachusetts Sheltered English Immersion (SEI) Endorsement

Elementary Tutor

Kim Navarro

Kim is a current 3rd-grade teacher whose background in outdoor education influences her teaching in the classroom. She is a teacher who values hands-on learning and the importance of grounding academic work in the world around us. Kim earned her Master of Arts in Teaching from Smith College and her Bachelor’s in Environmental Science and Government and Legal Studies from Bowdoin College. After traveling the country and teaching in many different schools along the way, Kim recently settled in the Pioneer Valley with her partner and her dog. When not teaching, Kim enjoys spending time outside hiking, climbing, and running the many trails in the area!

College Essay Coaching

Ann Neary, NBCT

Ann Neary is a National Board Certified Teacher, 16-year educator and teacher leader, currently teaching AP Literature, World Literature, Children’s Literature, Contemporary Literature, and Journalism while shaking up the book room and curriculum at Staples High School in Westport, CT and advocating for National Board teacher support across the state. When not in the classroom, she can be found riding, sailing, and managing her tree farm with her husband and six children.

Middle School-High School Math + SAT/ACT Tutor

Maggie Needham

Maggie is a Smith College student who loves to inspire young girls with math. Having scored a perfect 800 on the math SAT, Maggie has a passion for helping young students build confidence with math (but really any subject). When not tutoring or working on assignments for her classes, Maggie likes to read, knit, and cook. And spend time with her three chickens!

Maggie has worked as a math tutor for the Boys and Girls Club since 2016. She is proud to be a Junior Tutor at The Community Classroom, working with students on guided homework support, math, and SAT preparation.

Reading Specialist

Mary Beth O’Connor

Mary Beth has been working in the field of education for over 25 years. She has taught students from kindergarten through sixth grade. Currently, she is a reading specialist in the Northampton Public Schools where she has been supporting developing readers since 2010. Mary Beth strives to make learning fun and engaging and works hard to help students find joy in the challenging task of learning to read. Mary Beth has a special interest in working with students with dyslexia and is a trained Wilson Dyslexia Practitioner. She has taught courses in the Reading Licensure Program at the Collaborative for Educational Services and enjoys sharing her expertise and knowledge with other teachers. In 2012, Mary Beth was honored to be a recipient of the Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award. In her free time, Mary Beth enjoys spending time with her family, reading, cooking, playing tennis, and making frequent trips to the library.

Writing Tutor, College Essay Coaching and Editing

Kathryn Petrucelli

Kathryn Petruccelli is a performer and writer with an M.A. in teaching English language learners. She’s taught expository writing in community college and university settings and worked with middle and high schoolers through California Poets-in-the-Schools and Mass Poetry. She’ll be teaching with Seattle’s Hugo House Youth Programs in Fall 2021. Her professional life has included translating “Hotel California” for Hungarian high schoolers and anthologizing verses by rival gang members. Her poetry and prose have appeared in many literary journals such as The Southern Review, New Ohio Review, Rattle, Poet Lore, Tinderbox, and Catamaran Literary Reader. Nominated for Best of the Net 2020, Kathryn is a past winner of San Francisco’s Litquake essay contest and a finalist for the 2019 Omnidawn Broadside Poetry Prize. More at poetroar.com.

Reading Specialist, Elementary Math and Reading/Writing Tutor

Mary Phillips

Mary is a graduate from the University of South Florida where she received her B.S. in Elementary Education and then her M.Ed. in Educational Leadership. She comes to us with over 17 years of educational experience as a teacher, literacy specialist, administrator, district instructional coach, and consultant. Mary is bilingual and has a deep passion for English Language Learners. She currently serves as a K-5 ELA Consultant for the NC Department of Public Instruction where she is thankful for the opportunity to serve teachers across the state in the area of curriculum and instruction. Her desire to impact students’ lives is at the heart of everything she does and looks forward to empowering students and families to be the best versions of themselves!

Lead Tutor, HS/AP Science, Academic Coach

Nicole Rhodes

Nicole has been a high school science teacher for four years, and has more than a decade of experience in science education, both in classroom settings and the great outdoors. Before teaching, Nicole worked in laboratory research and field biology. She brings her excitement for science to each session. She believes that all students have the capacity to do well in class when they are empowered to reach their goals. Nicole brings a sense of calm and ease to her teaching, often using breathing and de-stressing techniques gained from her years of experience as a flamenco dancer and yoga teacher. She holds a Masters’ in Teaching from Smith College, and a Bachelors of Science from Bard College. Nicole is also the mother of an adventurous three-year old and spends her free time biking and hiking around her home in Western Massachusetts.

AP PreCalculus/Algebra, Middle-High School Math Tutor

Nellie Taylor

Nellie Taylor has been teaching Math and Computer Science in the Pioneer Valley of MA for the past 18 years. She has also traveled across MA teaching AP Calculus workshops to students since 2009. When she’s not teaching, she’s a Mom to a vibrant 9-year-old future paleontologist (for now). She spends time cooking, crocheting, getting plants to grow, and being outdoors in the woods or on two wheels. She also loves yoga and sunshine.

Math Specialist/Master Tutor

Karen Schweitzer

Karen Schweitzer, a teacher for 33 years, spent most of her career as a kindergarten, first and second-grade classroom teacher. After a brief foray into sixth and fifth grade, she has recently retired from serving as a third-grade teacher at the Anne T. Dunphy School, where she has taught for the past 28 years.

In Schweitzer’s classroom, all students can become mathematical thinkers. Her activities invite students to explore underlying concepts, create solutions and work collaboratively. Karen believes that even the youngest minds can engage with big mathematical ideas as demonstrated in her innovative work with primary students.

For the past 22 years, in addition to her classroom work, Schweitzer has been part of an ongoing series of National Science Foundation-funded projects with researchers from Mount Holyoke College, the Education Development Center, and TERC. She provides professional development in mathematics and math education for pre-service and in-service teachers around the country.

Math Specialist, Master Tutor

Jan Szymaszek

Jan Szymaszek recently retired after working as a third-grade teacher at the Smith College Campus School in Northampton, Massachusetts, which is the laboratory school for the Smith College Department of Education and Child Study. In addition to working with college interns and elementary students for over thirty years at the Campus School, Szymaszek has also been involved with mathematics education in the wider community for many years. She is an experienced facilitator of several math seminars at Mount Holyoke College and in her local district and has contributed to various NSF projects involving teacher-written cases and looking closely at student thinking.

When she’s not teaching, Szymaszek enjoys spending summers camping along the coasts of New England and North Carolina, visiting one son and his family in Seattle, Washington, and the other son who lives in southern Virginia, and also relaxing in her backyard with a great book in hand.

Lead Tutor, PreK-3rd Grade Tutor, Reading Specialist

Christina Webster

Christina graduated, with honors, from Elms College with both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Elementary Education. She started her career as a floating academic paraeducator, helping a variety of students with special needs in grades 1-6. As a classroom teacher, she was nominated for the Pioneer Valley Excellence in Teaching Award for the 2019-2020 school year. She knows the importance of positive reinforcement and genuinely recognizing when students try their best! She loves creating fun learning experiences for students to maximize their engagement and encourages students’ active participation and academic growth. When she’s not relaxing outside, she and her husband enjoy taking day trips to explore local areas of interest.

The Community Classroom Teachers

Certified

Talented

Experienced

Passionate

We’re Not Actually Tutors. We are Teachers Who Tutor.

Amazing. Brilliant. Charismatic.

Have Master's Degree

Speak Multiple Languages

Teach at the College Level

Average years of teaching experience

Our daughter, who consistently complains about anything math-related, has thrived with her play-based math tutor. She is having so much fun, she doesn’t even realize she’s learning!

Our Staff

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Chief Learning Curator/Owner + Operator

Dr. Megan Allen, NBCT

Tutor, Math Specialist

Josh Abrams

Tutor

Elise Abreu

Reading Specialist

Stacy Ashley

Biology and Chemistry Tutor, Academic Coach

Carly Baldwin, NBCT

K-8th Grade Math Specialist, Math Recovery

Chelsea Berry

Tutor, Math Specialist

Jay Bright

Elementary to Middle School Tutor

Viva Butler

Middle School/High School English/Language Arts Tutor

Karrisa Fabin

Early Childhood Tutor

Danielle Goua

Early Childhood Tutor, English as a Second Language (ESL)

Lisa Halloran

Tutor and Academic Coach

Julie Hammond

K-6 Master Tutor

Martha Harrington

Reading and Writing Tutor

Dr. Amy Hewett-Olatunde

Academic Coach

Chris Holmes

Physics/math tutor

Masha Klymenko

K-6 Elementary Tutor, Math Specialist

Abby Maeillo

PreK-Elementary School Tutor

Caitlin Martin

6th-9th Grade Math Specialist

Dr. Daniele Massey

Elementary Tutor, ESL

Madonna McAnulty

High School Math Tutor

Jeremiah McAnulty

Middle School Math Tutor

Natalie McCutchen

Math Specialist/Master Tutor

Susan Milsom

Elementary Tutor, Special Education

Koki M.

Elementary Tutor

Kim Navarro

College Essay Coaching

Ann Neary, NBCT

Middle School-High School Math + SAT/ACT Tutor

Maggie Needham

Reading Specialist

Mary Beth O’Connor

Writing Tutor, College Essay Coaching and Editing

Kathryn Petrucelli

Reading Specialist, Elementary Math and Reading/Writing Tutor

Mary Phillips

Lead Tutor, HS/AP Science, Academic Coach

Nicole Rhodes

AP PreCalculus/Algebra, Middle-High School Math Tutor

Nellie Taylor

Math Specialist/Master Tutor