Contact Information
| Phone: | (989) 633-9515 |
| Fax: | (989) 633-9517 |
| Monday: | 9:00 AM - 7:30 PM |
| Tuesday: | 9:00 AM - 7:30 PM |
| Wednesday: | 9:00 AM - 7:30 PM |
| Thursday: | 9:00 AM - 7:30 PM |
| Friday: | 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM |
| Saturday: | 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM |
| Sunday: | Closed |
Meet the Tutors
Our Sylvan trained and certified tutors are dedicated to your child’s success. Working together with you, we will:
- Pinpoint your child’s learning needs using the Sylvan Skills Assessment®
- Develop a personalized learning plan based on your child’s goals
- Offer unique insights about what will work for your child
- Teach each lesson the way your child learns best
- Build a relationship with your child to provide learning that’s fun, engaging and rewarding
Tobin R Yoder
Center Director
Tobin manages the daily operations at Sylvan of Midland. He holds a B.S. degree from Saginaw Valley State University. Tobin received his Certification as Center Director in November 2002.
Dodi Yoder
Executive Director, Center Owner
Dodi is certified K-12 and has taught high school foreign languages, psychology, K-8 Gifted and Talented, and regular education 5th grade. She is listed multiple times in WHO'S WHO AMONG AMERICA'S TEACHERS. Dodi & Tom Yoder opened the Saginaw Sylvan in 1990, joined with Mike and Dawn Sickles to open the Midland Sylvan in 2003 and the Bay City Sylvan in 2004.
Cathy Ringey
Director of Education
Cathy oversees the curriculum development, testing, and daily educational activities in the Center. She is the lead director for all ACT/SAT prep, Academic Writing, as well as all levels of reading. She is a 2001 SVSU grad, Bach. in Elementary Education with a 4.0 plus, has 4 years of Title One work as well as Summer school teaching through Midland Public Schools. In 2005 she received her certification as Director of Education with Sylvan University in Baltimore, MD.
Jim Yanacek
Lead Upper Level Math Instructor
Jim Yanacek has been teaching at Sylvan since 2005. Jim is currently an engineer at Nexteer Automotive after a career as an engineer and manager with Dow Chemical and Crane/Resistoflex. Jim also taught math and science at Coleman and Windover High Schools for a few years. He has a degree in Chemical Engineering from Clemson University and received his Teaching Certification in Math and Chemistry from Saginaw Valley State University.
David Busby
Math and Chemistry
My first teaching experience was as a teaching assistant during my Ph.D. program
I received a Ph.D. in Chemistry at the University of Nebraska, did a Post-Doc at UCLA, and then worked for Union Carbide/Dow for 28 years as a research chemist
I helped two daughters through middle school and high school math, including geometry, algebra, trigonometry, and calculus, and also chemistry and physics
Working with young people in math and science is enjoyable. There’s no better feeling than seeing eyes light up when they get something they didn’t understand before.
Andie Balch
Instructor
I have been an instructor at Sylvan for five years. I teach Academic Reading, Academic Writing, Math Essentials and Study Skills. I graduated from SVSU in 1999 with a degree in Secondary Education-English & Psychlogy.
When I am not at Sylvan, I enjoy spending time with my husband and my two young children.
Bre Tunney
Instructor
I am the newest teacher at Sylvan. I currently graduated from Saginaw Valley State University with a Secondary Mathematics Education degree. Before joining the Sylvan family I worked at the university as a tutor for math ranging from pre-algebra to calculus.
Helping others in the field of math is a joy for me since I was in middle school. As a seventh grade student, I was asked to devote some of my time to help fellow seventh and sixth graders in math. I volunteered for three years. But I did not end it there. I became a personal tutor to several people. My goal is to help students who are struggling with mathematical concepts.
I approach math using relatable ideas to a student, making connections before concepts in order to reinforce past ideas and create a better understanding of the new concepts.
Math is not difficult; it just may need to be spoken in a different way.
Brenda Letts
Instructor
Brenda teaches ACT/SAT, Reading, Writing, and Advanced Reading Skills. She received her undergraduate degree from Oakland University in Rochester, MI. She then taught English at Bullock Creek High School for thirty-four years. During that time, she also attended Central Michigan University studying English Education and humanities. Brenda and her husband live with their cats in the woods of Midland County. Among her many interests are reading, writing, bicycling, walking, bird watching, and attending discussion and book groups.
Caitlin Richards
Instructor
I graduated from Albion College with a dual degree in Elementary Education and English. After graduation, I taught second grade at a Title I school in southern Virginia. As the majority of my family lives in Michigan, homesickness got the best of me and I returned home after a year in Virginia. I went on to work within Midland Public Schools as a Title I math teacher while I went back to school. I now have my Early Childhood Endorsement from Saginaw Valley State University and am working on my Early Childhood Master of Arts in Teaching with a Primary Grades specialization. I feel privileged to work at Sylvan and currently teach Beginning and Academic Reading as well as Math Essentials. In my spare time, I love to read, spend time with my family and friends, and work on planning my wedding!