Contact Information
| Phone: | (847) 543-5460 |
| Fax: | (847) 543-5464 |
| Monday: | 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM |
| Tuesday: | 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM |
| Wednesday: | 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM |
| Thursday: | 10:00 AM - 8:00 PM |
| Friday: | 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM |
| Saturday: | 9:00 AM - 2:00 PM |
| Sunday: | Closed |
AP class help...got it. Improve reading skills...that's us. Test taking skills...done.
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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
Bob and Debbie Miller
Owner/Directors
Bob and Debbie are in their 11th year of operating Sylvan Learning Centers in this community. They’ve built strong relationships with the local schools and teachers by collaborating on behalf of their students, serving as volunteers, and delivering successful after school tutoring programs at various local schools.
They started out as Sylvan parents when their son Scott needed reading help in 5th grade. His progress led them to become Sylvan owners. Scott will be graduating from Illinois State University in 2011 with a B.S. in political science and a minor in information technology.
Please ask for Bob and Debbie when you stop in.
Jennifer Martinez
Education Director
"Jenny M", as students refer to her, began her Sylvan career as an instructor in 2002. She received her B.A. from Illinois State University, majoring in English with an emphasis on Speech and Psychology. Jenny has subsequently earned her M.A. in Reading Ed. and is certified by the state of Illinois as a Reading Specialist.
Jenny is our on staff reading expert who analyzes every student's reading skills, develops individual interventions and programs, and then monitors each student's progress.
Her positive outlook, enthusiasm for projects and dedication to thorough communication make Jenny an effective leader and respected team player. Plus, she just loves the kids.
Riyanti Boyd
Instructor
Riyanti is one of our key higher math and science instructors. She has a BS degree in the Teaching of Biology from the University of Illinois at Urbana, and a MS degree from Roosevelt University. Riyanti has taught honors and AP chemistry at Grayslake Community H.S., and also teaches physics. She is a superb math instructor and teaches higher math through calculus. Students love her...she's the most requested instructor on our staff.
Maxine Wold
Instructor
Maxine, also known as "Max", is another strong addition to our math and science teaching team. Max earned her B.A. in math and physics from Carthage College and a Masters of Physics - Teaching from NIU. She's been teaching and tutoring students for the last 15 years. Since we're getting more and more requests for help with higher math and physics, our students will be seeing a lot of her. Max loves math, and especially enjoys helping our students get it.
Jessie Barnett
Instructor
Jessie is one of the newest members of our math instruction team and has quickly shown her ability to help students understand some very complex math concepts. She's been teaching higher math to high school students for the last 12 years. She has a B.S. degree in mathematics from Illinois State University and a M.A. degree from Webster University. Jessie handles the tough assignments in Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry, Pre-calculus and Statistics. See if you can stump her!
Matt Kozem
Instructor
Matt has a huge following of loyal higher math students because he's so good at teaching tough math concepts. Matt earned a B.S. degree in Mathematics from Illinois State University with a minor in Business. He's also well versed in study skills and because he's considered a "cool" teacher, the students will take his advice to study more. We're lucky to have Matt on our staff.
Bill Voltz
Instructor
Bill helps round out our higher math team by being great at sharing his considerable skills in algebra, geometry and calculus with our local high school students. Bill is a very popular instructor and it may be due to his "laid back" style. He's certified in secondary mathematics from the University of Illinois, but he can also play a mean saxophone.
Alison Price
Instructor
Alison is a lead teacher and has been one of the strongest members of our staff since the center opened in 2004. She earned her B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin in Madison. She's certified to teach grades K - 9 in various subjects including Everyday Math and Language Arts. Alison is a "Swiss Army knife" here at Sylvan. She's an expert at teaching everything from study skills to ACT prep to algebra. In her spare time, (how does she have any?), Alison is also heading the effort to establish a local children's museum here in Lake County.
Susan Jarrett
Instructor
Susan joined our team last year and she's shown herself to be a wonderful reading teacher. She has the calm patient approach that helps the beginning readers relax enough to show what they can do. At the same time she knows how to keep the middle schoolers on task and productive. Susan earned her B.A. degree from the University of North Dakota, and her M.Ed. from National-Louis University. Her additional background working with special needs students makes Susan a valuable source of insight as we help those students through their programs here.
Cathy Williams
Instructor
Cathy is one of our strongest reading instructors, especially for beginning readers and special needs students. She has extensive experience assessing student's reading levels and we rely heavily on her evaluations to determine individual student requirements. Cathy earned her B.S. Ed from Northern Illinois University, and her M.Ed. from National Louis University. Cathy teaches reading in the Lake Villa school district and has been helping students catch up in phonics, vocabulary, and comprehension skills for over twenty years. She's trained in several reading methodologies including Wilson and SLANT. This allows her to adjust straegies and techniques based on a student's specific needs.
Cristin Castaneda
Instructor
Cristin truly has a "bubbly" personality. She engages her students and takes a keen interest in their well being and success. Cristin is a local graduate from Grayslake High School. She earned her B.A. degree in English from Illinois State University and is certified to teach middle school English and Social Studies. Cristin currently teaches in the Lake Villa school district. She's been helping our students with reading, writing and study skills for the past three years.
Dan Carr
Instructor
We've always had a strong team of math and science teachers here at Sylvan. When Dan joined our team last year, he really added the depth that our students with the most challenging math and physics classes needed. (Have you seen those A.P. classes yet?)
Dan has a B.S. in Mathematics from Loyola University, with a minor in Education. He's also one of our best ACT instructors because he knows what it takes to do well on the test. How?
He scored well enough on his ACT to get accepted by the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
The really interesting thing about Dan is how he motivates our younger students, who claim "not to get math", to try again.
Michelle Blumenberg
Instructor
Michelle has a wealth of experience helping students in our local school district who are struggling to catch up to their peers in math and reading. Michelle's patience and nurturing teaching style allows her to connect with students at every level of achievement, so that they begin to see the value of their efforts.
Michelle's credentials include a M.A. from Concordia University in curriculum and instruction, as well as a B.S. Ed in Special Education from Illinois State University.
We're thrilled with the way Michelle works with our students and how she motivates them to reach their potential.
Michael Vonder Haar
Instructor
Michael brings such a wide range of talents to our staff that it's almost impossible to categorize him. A graduate from U. of I. Urbana, with a B. A. in History, Michael subsequently earned his M.A. Ed in Special Education from Roosevelt University.
So far, so good...but Michael also has a real excitement and talent for math and logic. (He toyed with being a molecular biologist for awhile). Maybe that explains why he gravitates toward teaching really hard, really advanced math. He's also been the chess club coach for years at a local area high school.
Michael's teaching style is really popular with his students. He's always there to help, but by asking a lot of thoughtful questions, he challenges them to begin thinking for themselves.
So, whether you're interested in history, math, science, chess, you name it...Michael's here to help.
Dina Guy
Lead Teacher
Dina's strong math skills, warm personality, and ability to connect with our students has quickly made her a strong addition to our team.
Dina earned her B.S. in Education from Southern Illinois University, with a focus on math and science. She knows her math.
As one of the lead teachers responsible for student performance and the center running smoothly, you will quite often find Dina working with students, answering parent questions, and explaining curriculum changes to instructors...all in the same hour.
We're lucky to have Dina because she's good at keeping all the plates in the air. Oh, and did we mention that Dina's also the mother of three boys? That makes her pretty unflappable.