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We received our daughter's math MAP test scores from school for winter. She's definitely showing growth in math. Thank you, Kara, for all you've been doing with her. She loves her weekly session, and her math confidence is growing.
                                                                                                                                                           -A. West, parent of 3rd grader


We are happy to see that, since J. started working with Ms. Kaplan, he learns more effectively, and his fluency and word recognition have improved. 

                                                                                                                                                          – E. Wong, parent of 2nd grader


Ms. Kaplan’s love of teaching is tangible and yields transformative results in her students. From my experience in education – and I’ve had the privilege to collaborate with over 30 teachers in the DC/MD/VA area, it is my personal and professional opinion that Ms. Kaplan is one of the best teachers I’ve encountered. 

                                                                                                                                                                      ~ parent of 2nd grader


My daughter enjoyed her tutoring sessions. It was so helpful to get her caught up from not having a teacher last year. She scored in the 99th percentile on her last math MAP test for the state. Thank you so much for your help in making sure last year didn’t sink her! I know it helped her a ton.  

                                                                                                                                                             -  Amanda S., 3rd-grade parent


We have been so pleased with My Rockin' Tutor's program and our son J. has seen significant improvements in his reading, comprehension, and, most importantly, his confidence. We are thrilled with how much Kara has been able to help him! 

                                                                                                                                                      - Stacey R., parent of 2nd grader


Writing was very difficult for Santos at first, but with the Writing With Confidence course, his confidence grew. Kara offers a lot of different strategies. The unique writing assignments offer the students different ways to express themselves as writers. “Challenging but in a good way. It helped me grow as a writer.” (Santos, 9 years old)


-A.Madres parent of rising 4th grader


G. is excited to keep working with Kara into the school year. She’s enjoyed the sessions this summer. I gave her the choice to continue, and she responded with an overwhelming yes!! Kudos to Kara for fostering her enthusiasm for reading in a short period of time. I’m very grateful. Thank you! 

                                                                                                                                    -S. DeLeon, parent of rising 3rd grader

Update: G. loves third grade and told me her favorite classes are math (this has been a consistent winner) and READING!!  I am so thrilled!  Thank you for all of the great tutoring support.                                                                                                                                                                       

Kara has been so instrumental in my daughter's development, education, and her mental health this past year. We recently moved across the country and it is tough to make new friends during Covid-19 times. When things weren't going so well at her new school, I would listen to Kara talk the situation through with my daughter and give her advice, Kara has been one of her rocks and really, her guiding light.   I was so happy that the two of you would work through her math homework and you would connect with her, which made her love learning.  I recently received a positive email from her current teacher and it is a testament to Kara's work.  When they first started working together, I assumed it would just be for math facts and education.  But it is and has been so much more.  I cannot thank her enough for her love, kindness, and compassion. Not to mention the academic support. We are SO blessed.
                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                 -Michelle Carter, parent of 5th grader       

UPDATE: I looked at my calendar this morning and realized that this is the first Monday in 3 1/2 years where we have not been officially with you. It made both of us really sad!! Thank you for being such an amazing teacher, mentor, and friend to us both. I am so thankful for you! 

 
I’m beyond thrilled with the progress that my son is making. At the end of first grade, my son was below grade level and frustrated with reading. After starting with Ms. Cashwell this past summer, I’m happy to report that my son is reading at grade level and is excited about reading. His test scores show how much he’s improved. I firmly believe that Ms. Cashwell is a phenomenal teacher who’s made a real difference for my son. Ms. Cashwell's weekly session is the only class that he looks forward to. 

                                                                                                                                                                    -A.M., parent of 2nd grader


Kara was and is exactly what we need.  Having moved school districts, we really needed someone who knew the Virginia curriculum and could help us navigate a course for our daughter.  She’s six and struggles with her ability to pay attention.  Kara helped not only her but the whole family work through how to give her tools both at home and at school.  Open to any challenge or idea, Kara also provided us with a sounding board as we navigated the best way to help our daughter.  With the ideas, games, concepts, and strategies Kara gave us, Molly feels more confident in her ability to accomplish her goals, and we feel like we are on the right course.


                           

                                                                                 - E. Schiffer, parent 1 grader Tutoring and Parent Coaching

Update: Our daughter is now a 4th grader, and we've continued tutoring with Kara since we began 3 years ago! 

 
My son was struggling a bit with reading at school, so I turned to Kara for some help augmenting what the school and I were able to do. She started by asking me all sorts of questions about my concerns, my son's struggles, and his strengths and interests. She definitely listened to what I said, because, starting from my son's first lesson, she was catering to his strengths while also finding ways to challenge him. She wisely alternated fun reading and phonics games with periods where my son could have a short break, which was great motivation and also avoided burnout. I think my son got a lot out of his sessions! He got a lot more used to stepping out of his comfort zone and really enjoyed the games that Kara introduced. It's clear Kara really gets kids since she was so gentle and patient even when my son was acting rambunctious. She also chose books and games that were just at the right level for my son, so he was learning but not stuck or overwhelmed. I really recommend Kara.
                                                                                                                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                                                    -A.B., parent of 1st grader
                                                                                                                                       
 
I highly recommend Kara as a tutor, although a master teacher is a better way to describe her skills. She worked with my son, a third-grader who was falling behind in math. Kara is a former public classroom teacher, so she has worked with a large range of students. She worked with my son, who has a learning disability and had developed such extreme math anxiety and a belief he was stupid because he could not do math quickly and had difficulty memorizing. He would shut down at the mention of math. She met him where he was, quickly honed in on his strengths and built a wonderful rapport with him.
 
 Kara appealed to his interests, and she tailored her approach to him. She even incorporated running, jumping, throwing, and his favorite toys (Nerf-anything and Legos) into some of his lessons. She often used games to help his thinking and worked with him to develop his own strategies for attacking a problem. She incorporates a growth mindset into her approach and worked with my son to not be afraid of making mistakes, which went a long way to ameliorate his anxiety.
 
Kara has a wonderful sense of humor, builds trust quickly with children, and knows content as well as a myriad of teaching methods. She also was willing to work with me in helping me understand what she was trying to accomplish and suggested activities to do at home. Through these conversations, it was obvious that she is well-versed in the research of what works well with different content and different learners. I saw firsthand her ability to teach in an engaging way, that builds competence and confidence in her students.
 

 I highly recommend Kara Cashwell.  She is a skilled educator.  

                                                                                -Corine Bradshaw, parent of 3rd grader, Tutoring and Parent Coaching
 
 Ms. Cashwell was a gift to our daughter S. and her classmates as their second-grade teacher. She encouraged and inspired S. every day. She challenged S. academically where she needed it and supported her when she experienced challenges.
 

Ms. Cashwell's calm, patient nature is clear the moment you meet her. She has a command of the classroom and all students- regardless of background, ability level, or personality-feel that they are important and capable. She validates the inherent value in every child, and she is firm when she needs to be and always flexible when she can be, which shows how much respect she has for each little person in her care.

                     

Ms. Cashwell always exudes good humor and a positive demeanor. When we were concerned about academic development, she calmed us and gave us valuable perspective- but not in a dismissive way or one that suggested frustration. She was straightforward and warm in that, and in all matters with children. I trust her experience, judgment, and intuition and know that others in the community feel the same way. In today's high-pressure world of education, we value this.

                                                                                                                  - K.O., parent of 2nd grader, academic development
 
 
Kara is a fabulous teacher! I worked with her for 5 years and was always impressed by her ability to get the best from every kid, as well as her (what seemed to me) unlimited patience. She will help your child reach his/her full potential.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   -Marcella Ahern
                                                                                                                                             Charles Barrett Elem. Vice  Principal  
 
 
Kara was my General Education co-teacher and I barely had to differentiate instruction for my students with disabilities! She is a Special Education teacher's dream!

                                                                                                                                                          -Melissa Poggio,
                                                                                                                                                        Lead Special Education Teacher
 
   I worked with Kara for 7 years. She is a PHENOMENAL teacher. Kara goes above and beyond to meet the needs of each student. She's a Washington Post Teacher of the Year nominee!                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        -Alison Wines,            
Former Second Grade Teacher and current school Administrator
 If you would like to share your experience with Kara email your sentiments to myrockintutor@gmail.com