Prior to joining LJL, Kayla spent over a decade as a special education teacher. Kayla has also served children as an SLP-A, Instructional Coach, Behavioral Coach, and Structured Literacy Coach. Kayla says her biggest accomplishment is learning and understanding the strengths of her son, who was identified with dyslexia in 2nd grade. This is what she remains most passionate about – helping parents understand that their child’s reading or spelling ability does not determine how smart they are, in fact, they have some incredible strengths that just need to be understood!
Led hundreds of professional development workshops and conference presentations, conducted several large educational research projects, and has numerous publications in academic journals.
One of her favorite things to do is supervise student projects. She has helped K-16 students do projects on algorithmically-generated music, the “perfect” shuffles problem, Pick’s Theorem, Mathemagics, and tracing the historical development of mathematics concepts. Dr. Goodwin is also an avid reader, singer, and lover of holiday movies.
Misty has helped a variety of students with ADD/ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, anxiety, sensory processing disorder, and auditory processing disorder. Misty values the importance of developing the whole child and supports each child’s individual strengths, abilities, interests and needs.
Prior to coming to LJL, DeAnna lead classrooms in multiple preschools and kindergartens. DeAnna has been mastering the art of virtual learning since the pandemic started and successfully worked with children as young as 4. She has experience helping students with ADD/ADHD and sensory processing disorders. DeAnnas passion for education stems from the philosophy “I do, we do, you do” teaching adults or children has always been just as rewarding for her as it is for her students.
Prior to joining LJL, Jody spent over a decade helping start and run a parent volunteer reading program – Everyone A Reader – in her children’s school and working one on one with struggling readers. Before that, Jody taught both first and third grade. Jody has also worked tirelessly to advocate for her own daughter who was finally diagnosed with Dyslexia in 6th grade. This experience is why she decided to work with LJL– helping students feel more confident and understand that although they have struggles, they also have incredible strengths.
Jenny has been an elementary school teacher for four years. Prior to teaching, she has worked in education for over ten years in many different capacities. She has worked with a variety of students with different needs ranging from elementary school to high school ages. Jenny’s passion is teaching reading and writing. She loves being able to work one on one with students until they have that light bulb moment where what they are learning finally clicks. She feels that literacy plays a huge role in reducing inequities and that everyone deserves to feel empowered in their reading and writing abilities.
Leslie helps students who have struggled with reading comprehension and fluency, auditory processing, dyslexia, basic writing composition, anxiety, and autism. Her early background in the arts adds to the creativity in her work. She supports a variety of learning styles, modifies methods as needed to facilitate clarity, and champions each student’s strengths. Leslie believes in boosting confidence in an atmosphere of non-judgment, respect, positive rapport, and fun! She incorporates topics and materials of particular interest to the student. “Tell me and I will forget. Show me and I may remember. Involve me and I will understand.” -Chinese Proverb
Xander has six years of experience tutoring students from kindergarten through 12th grade in all levels of math. He believes in building a strong foundation to make math feel like a second language for his students. While in high school, Xander created a program where former peers tutored elementary students after school, sparking his passion for teaching. He enjoys getting to know his students’ learning styles so he can challenge them in ways that are both difficult and constructive.
Camila has been tutoring math, English, and Spanish for five years. She believes that knowledge and studying should be a fun and enjoyable process. Camila loves to create an environment that makes students comfortable and excited to learn. She encourages her students to think differently, especially when it comes to math. Camila approaches all students with empathy and joyfulness, aiming to help them get excited about complex topics.
Bailey is a compassionate and student-centered elementary school teacher with 3 ½ years of classroom experience and nearly a decade of working with students in various capacities. Her educational philosophy is centered on the belief that all children are unique and deserve a stimulating and inclusive learning environment. With a focus on creating a safe space for students to grow physically, mentally, emotionally, and socially, Bailey is dedicated to fostering their overall development and helping them thrive. Passionate about making a difference through education, Bailey’s commitment was profoundly influenced by a 2014 mission trip to Borel, Haiti. This transformative experience highlighted the power of education in changing lives and deepened Bailey’s resolve to create meaningful and impactful educational opportunities for students.
Samantha has over 4 years of experience working with students with learning disabilities in grades- 6-12th. She truly values the act of learning that is unique to the individual. She enjoys connecting with her students and making learning fun and calm. With her bubbly and understanding personality, she can get to know her students more than what kind of learners they are, but as people.
Since graduating from UC Santa Barbara, Samantha has served as an instructional aide at High Tech High and the Preuss School UCSD. At Preuss, she has genuinely fallen in love with working with students. She empowers them to advocate for themselves so they feel seen and supported.
Wesleigh has four years of classroom teaching experience and particularly enjoys teaching reading, history, and social-emotional skills. She is passionate about guiding students on their educational journey, helping them grow into confident, curious, and capable learners. Her goal is to foster a growth mindset, cultivate 21st- century skills, and create a safe, inclusive space where every student feels empowered to take ownership of their learning. Nothing excites her more than witnessing those “aha” moments that spark lifelong learning.
Emi is a dedicated and student-focused academic tutor with over three years of experience delivering personalized, one-on-one instruction in math, English, and STEM subjects. With a strong commitment to educational equity, Emi specializes in remote and in-person learning environments and has helped students build confidence and mastery across a range of subjects—including Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, and AP-level coursework.
Emi believes learning should be tailored to each student’s strengths and likes to provide a positive environment for her students to learn in. She believes that being patient is the key to understanding how a student learns best and practices this philosophy in her own tutoring sessions. She aspires to instill confidence in each of her students as they make progress in learning challenging topics.
Yessenia has 8 years of experience with children as young as four and has been tutoring for four years. She is especially passionate about teaching History and English, and believes that students should feel comfortable, valued, and supported in their academic journeys. Her teaching philosophy is centered around having patience and being a great listener to create a better learning space for children, as well as truly getting to know her students. Yessenia values helping her students gain confidence and develop their academic passions!
Jill has worked as an Instructional Assistant in the Special Education Department of the Del Mar Union School District for over 15 years, assisting neurodivergent students with a wide range of learning strengths and challenges. She also has personal experience coaching and advocating for her son, a college graduate, who is on the autism spectrum. Jill believes in a student-centered teaching approach to learning, that emphasizes building the fundamentals necessary to make students more confident and independent in their learning.
Maria grew up in the Bay Area and studied Psychology and Education at UC Davis. She worked with youth as an Instructional Aide, Reading and Math Interventionist, and 5th-grade teacher before moving to San Diego. Maria believes every student is capable of growth and is dedicated to supporting her students wherever they are in their educational journey.
As a lifelong learner herself, she strives to create a compassionate, creative, and investigative environment for her students.
In her spare time, Maria enjoys crocheting, reading, and volunteering in her community.
AJ is an aspiring teacher with over ten years of working with students under her belt. She currently works as a para-educator with the Ramona School District and has been working with them for the last five years. She is incredibly passionate about making sure her students feel safe and heard, as she’s found that’s the best foundation for learning. As someone who’s struggled with ADHD and executive functioning issues herself, she is an incredibly compassionate teacher with many rather unconventional coping skills that she aims to help other students discover. The foundation of her teaching philosophy is that no one is broken, just misunderstood.
Gabrielle has over 10 years of experience working with children. She started off interning with preschool-aged children, then began working with elementary school children. She has gained classroom experience and taught lower elementary for 4 years at a Montessori school. Gabrielle has also privately tutored students for 2 years in reading, language, writing, and math. She has experience working with children with ADHD/ADD and Autism.
Gabrielle believes in providing a positive environment and helping her students gain confidence to help set them up for success. She loves seeing that moment in her student’s learning when things “click”. Gabrielle applies many different learning styles and methods based on the child’s strengths and interests.
