Meet Our Tutors. . .
We have been truly blessed with some awesome tutors throughout our years of operation. We are grateful to every one of them for their hearts, energies, and time they give these students as they instill their love for learning in their classrooms. We have always made every effort to carefully select our tutors for every subject taught. It is our desire to select tutors who bring an infectious love for their subject of expertise to the classroom, as well as having the necessary knowledge and the ability to relate with and teach our students. We have never advertised for a tutor. Our tutors have all come to us by referral.
We asked each of our tutors to write up a short, simple biography on themselves so that you may have the opportunity to get to know them in a small way. . .
Adams, Lori My name is Lori Grace Adams and I am a native New Yorker (I hope this detail doesn't make you think any less of me, being a Yankee and all!!) I am a first time mommy with a 4 month old baby girl named Elenia (sounds like IL-EN-YA). My husband is from Murfreesboro and is an Oakland High School Alum. Needless to say when I worked as the choral director of Riverdale High School from 05-07 many glares were exchanged at football games due to the tense rivalry between the two schools!!! I received my Bachelors of Music and Masters of Arts in Teaching from Manhattanville College in Purchase, NY. Many people do not know that when Rodgers and Hammerstein were researching music for the Sound of Music they visited Manhattanville College to experience how Sacred Music should be sung. I am proud to say that the opening scene of The Sound of Music where the nuns are scurrying all about was inspired by my Alma Mater!!!! Going to school where the administrative building was a castle was extremely exciting! We have also been the site for many movies including one of the opening scenes in the Thomas Crown Affair. Many famous women, such as the Kennedy women, attended Manhattanville College when it was an all-girls Catholic School! (Just some fun facts!) I have taught (k-12) and performed (classical, opera, sacred and musicals) in New York, Florida and Tennessee. Musical theater is a passion of mine as well as playing the piano, flute and a few other instruments, cooking, gardening, Arbonne and LAUGHING! I love new experiences and being creative. I can't wait to see what this year brings! Won't you join me? ~ Lori will be directing our Choir!
Bartos, Titus Although a pianist and piano teacher by profession, Titus Bartos shares an equal passion for photography. Born and raised in Romania, Titus moved to the United States in 2001 for his schooling. Having finished his Masters in Piano Performance at MTSU, he now resides in Murfreesboro together with his wife, Laura, and two daughters – Sonia (born August 2006), and Eva (born December 2007). Titus’ photography has been featured in various online exhibitions, galleries, and photo contests. With an emphasis on local sites and landscapes, his work can be seen at http://photos.titusbartos.com. In a time when digital photography is accessible and affordable to basically everyone, Titus has manifested an interest in teaching photography to people wanting to get the most out of their digital camera. His enthusiastic, yet practical approach to digital photography is focused on being able to take great photos with any camera equipment in any situation. ~ Titus has a passion for photography and he tutors the Digital Photography class.
Brandon, Valerie "As a young girl, I loved visiting the classroom of my grandmother, a beloved teacher who showed me that every student has great potential. While my formal training came from David Lipscomb College, my heart for being in the classroom was instilled much earlier by my grandmother. I earned my B.S. in elementary education and followed her footsteps into a first grade teaching position, a career which was short-lived since Clark and I wished to begin our family. Three of our four children attended public school; however, when the fourth was due to begin kindergarten, the dormant teacher spirit within me rose, and we chose to forge a new path into homeschooling. Three years later God introduced us to RTA, and we confidently walked through the high school years with our two oldest children. Now the two youngest are attending RTA and I am tickled to be back in front of a chalkboard (okay, dry erase board!) again, teaching and learning about composition and literature. I am excited to have a good excuse to read more, with the addition of the literature class, but I am most thrilled to have the opportunity to sit around the table and learn with your delightful students. I enjoy music, good books, sunsets, coffee with friends, and leisurely breakfasts with my family." ~ Valerie tutors our Composition I & II classes as well as the Freshman English class, and is also the Staff Director on the RTA Board.
Bryer, Sandy By the age of 12 I knew I wanted to be a writer. However, after earning a degree in journalism from The University of Texas, I traded in my career as a copywriter at a Dallas ad agency for a much more satisfying occupation as a wife and mother of two girls, Elizabeth and Julie. My husband Harold answered calls to churches far from my beloved Lone Star State, and we moved to the frigid zones of Minnesota and snowy Maine before eventually landing in the green hills of Tennessee. During those years, I discovered another passion—teaching! At the Lord’s bidding, I stepped into classrooms in Texas, Maine, and most recently, Murfreesboro, Tennessee (Providence Christian Academy), to teach English, journalism, creative writing, history, and third grade, respectively. Somehow, sandwiched in-between those years was a three-year stint homeschooling our young daughters, in which I think I learned more than our girls! As our daughters approached adulthood, I returned to the writing field, as a staff writer for five years for a Nashville newspaper, and then, as an assistant editor at Life Way’s Broadman & Holman book division. To my great surprise, I was named Reporter of the Year in 1997, and was presented a writing award for one of my articles. Today, I split my time (unevenly) between our home-grown ministry to international students, family, and part-time teaching. For the last six years, I’ve also enjoyed vagabonding throughout Europe with my husband, a 22” carry-on, and a hefty, but essential Rick Steve's guide. I can honestly say that we’ve been lost in more countries, with less money, and had more fun than anyone else I know. Yet, I’m always ready to return home to our daughter Elizabeth, two dogs and our many “adopted” international students. Leisure time for me? An old John Grisham novel, cup of coffee with a friend, or a long cell phone chat with daughter Julie, who is the youngest-looking 4’11” prosecutor to ever put away the bad guys in Austin, Texas. Next fall, I’m looking forward to helping RTA students learn to have some fun playing with words! ~ Sandy tutors our Grammar & Pre-Comp and our Comp III classes.
Cothern, Diane "I was born in Omaha, Nebraska and am the eldest of five children. My Dad was in the Navy, so we moved every couple of years all over the United States. It was my husband, Doug, who first brought up the idea of home schooling and I remember thinking, “Now who would do that to their child?” After much reading and prayer, we decided to do just “that” to our children. We have three; Jeremy who just passed his Bar exam and is now an attorney for an office on the Murfreesboro Square; Andrea, who graduated from MTSU last year and is a free lance photography in Nashville; and Bethany who will be graduating from RTA this year and is in the process of deciding which college to attend next year. I especially loved the early years of home schooling with the KONOS unit study and activities. I think I had as much fun as the kids did. We even lived on a farm for 12 years as one big adventure. As the kids got older, we have enjoyed the tutorial approach since it gives them a new perspective with different tutors, other students and the practice of being an independent learner. Home schooling, for us, has always been about creating new opportunities for our children. We would see something that needed to be done, or thought our children could benefit from this or that and away we went. I would organize everything, field trips, group activities, physical education classes, a basketball program, etc. And now I help with RTA. Did I mention that I love to organize? In my spare time, I like to cook, bake, sew, read, watch movies and be with the ones I love. Our main purpose and goal for home schooling was to help train our children to have godly character with the hope that they will raise up a standard and make a difference." ~ Diane is the Director and Administrator of RTA.
Forte, Angie "I was born in Maryville, TN and was raised in that beautiful city. I attended the University of Tennessee until one day I met this wonderful guy who swept me off my feet and moved me to Middle Tennessee. We now 3 beautiful girls that we home school: Kylie, a senior at RTA, Edie, a 7th grader at RTA, and Allie, a 4th grader. We have a home with 8 acres in Lascassas. Except for missing the Smokies, we really enjoy living in an area with so many great home schooling families and resources. I enjoy drawing, gardening, antiquing, and being with family. When I first felt the Lord's prompting me to home school my oldest, I tried doing "school at home." It didn't take long before realizing home schooling is a lifestyle and is a part of our everyday life. We absolutely love it!" ~ Angie serves on the RTA Board as the Volunteer Coordinator and will be tutoring our Drawing class.
Foster, Laurel Mrs. Foster has home schooled her family's 10 children for 23 years, writing and publishing articles on home education. Her graduates are doing well academically and socially- five down, five to go. She really believes in what RTA is doing, and volunteers every week to pick up and deliver pizza to our students. Then, she walks among them, making sure everyone is safe and giving the office staff a little break while they eat. In spite of her stern reputation, some of the students smile and talk to her now and have discovered a pretty compassionate, humorous person. There was the time that a student, wanting to dislodge some treat, climbed onto the candy machine and began rocking it, unaware Mrs. Foster was standing beside him, watching. A tittering crowd gathered, looking back and forth between the law breaker and the "Sheriff." Another student, just arriving, said, "You'd better not let Mrs. Foster see you!" As laughter broke out, both the speaker and the rocker realized they'd been caught. Still, they suffered nothing worse than red faces. (Mrs. Foster didn't even tell Mrs. Cothern or Mrs. Brandon.) In addition to home schooling, Laurel enjoys writing, Spanish, and singing. She taught a class in Hispanic Literature for RTA several years ago. ~ Laurel is the RTA Sheriff and Lunch Monitor.
Goin, Roy My name is Roy Goin. I was recruited as a math tutor after word got out that I had taught our children. I tutored at Whitver Academy for 6 years and at RTA for 2 years. Physics, Calculus and Advanced Math (sometimes called PreCalc) were the subjects I was responsible for. I have a B.S. in Math with a minor in physics from U.T. Knoxville. When I list my interests and background many words that start with “m” come up. Math (my favorite subject), music (I’m a pretty good bass player), missiles (I was a missile launch officer in the Air Force), and being married (still working on that after 40 years) Roy is married to our wonderful Latin tutor, Sharon Goin. I am a bona fide math nerd. I would love it even if it had no application because of its beauty and completeness. I am retired now and once again have time to be a tutor. It will be a joy to bring my knowledge and experience to the sharp, agile minds of your children and watch the light bulbs come on.
Goin, Sharon "I am Sharon Goin, the Latin tutor, and have been with RTA since its beginning. I have four children, and I homeschooled all of them. My B.A. degree is in French, but I love Latin, too, and started teaching it when my son asked me to teach him and two of his friends Latin for their high school foreign language credit. So we sat down at my kitchen table one day, and that’s when I started teaching Latin. After teaching my son and his friends, I was asked to come teach at Whitver Tutorial in Nashville and later at RTA. I’ve been tutoring homeschooled students in Latin now for about twelve years. My children are now graduated and grown up. Two are married. They all live nearby. I am a Christian, and my husband and I attend a small Anglican church in Nashville. We stay very much involved with our church and have some close friends there. My favorite things to do are to hug my grandchildren, read mysteries and Jane Austen novels, eat popcorn and watch 24. I love teaching your kids too. Their conversations are delightful. Sometimes I would like to close their books and sit and listen to them, but that isn’t why you’re paying me, is it? ;-)" ~ Sharon tutors the Intro to Latin, Latin I and Latin II classes.
Hall, Kelly "I seem to have been destined to speak my mind! Having been raised in a tiny West Tennessee town; a female in the south, it would not seem probable but alas, I could just never keep my mouth shut. That trait, however, while having gotten me in trouble more than once, has served me well over the years. I won my first public speaking trophy in 6th grade in a county wide 4-H competition and I pretty much just went right on from there. What I would like to pass on as a teacher, however, are the "right" ways to speak one's mind. Like all other things in life, there is a wrong way to do something and a right way to do something! We will focus on the "right" way. I live in Murfreesboro with my pilot husband, two teenage children, two dogs, one cat, one bearded dragon (lizard) and one betta fish. My husband and I have found ourselves working with teenagers for so long now that it seems like we have always had teenagers. Teenagers are the future and I find that incredibly exciting and beautiful." ~ Kelly tutors our Public Speaking class.
Harden, Ronei
"Aloha
Nui Loa! My name is Ronei Harden. I am the petite Polynesian lady that you
may see wandering the halls of RTA! I am a Hawaiian girl but also have roots
that extend to Texas and the West Coast. I realized my passion for English and
writing while attending high school, serving as the features editor for the
school newspaper, editor of the creative arts magazine, and the page layout
staff for the yearbook. I was awarded the University Interscholastic League
academic awards for feature writing and editorial writing, earning scholarship
money for college. I have an extensive background in Journalism that afforded
me the opportunity to work in the radio and television industry in Dallas, Texas
for nine years. I am married to my wonderful husband of 21 years, Sam, who
works in the entertainment industry touring with Lord of the Dance, Toby Keith,
Radiohead, Linkin Park, and others. We have two children, Seth and Savannah,
who are both former RTA alumns. I have homeschooled for the past fourteen
years, teaching not only my children, but serving other families at tutorials in
the greater Nashville area. I also serve on the board of MTHEA. I am blessed
to have this opportunity and look forward to encouraging students to experience
literature in a fresh, new way, express their creativity through the written
word, and develop a method of study that will last a lifetime." ~ Ronei tutors
our Creative Writing and British Literature classes and will be adding a Study
Skills class this year.
League, Beverly "I grew up in Eureka, Illinois and graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in mathematics, after which I taught for seven years in the public school system there. I have lived in Smyrna since 1987. When my first child was born, I quit teaching full-time and taught part time at a local junior college. For 16 years I homeschooled my own three children. I did not realize just how much I had missed teaching until I walked the halls with my own children when they began school in the 10th grade, so I was delighted to get the opportunity to teach again. I began teaching at RTA in 2005 and also at Legacy Tutorial in Smyrna. The students at RTA are great and I enjoy my time each week with them. Besides teaching, I work part-time in our church library and also for the Church Library Ministry at the Tennessee Baptist Convention. I enjoy most crafts, cross-stitching and shopping." ~ Bev tutors in Algebra I, Algebra II, and Geometry, as well as tutoring the math section of our ACT Prep class.
Lester, Ross "I have been beating on things with sticks since the days of my youth in Little Rock, AR. Now it is my joy to lead others to skillfully beat on stuff with sticks. I have spent a good part of the last 25 years as a performing musician and as a student of the drums, and have had the privilege of teaching rhythm and percussion since 1999. At RTA I enjoy facilitating the informal experience of group drumming as well as leading students in the rigors of preparing for performance. The home school tutorial is my favorite venue for doing what I do, as I believe it is the fruit of the amazing freedom we have as Americans to educate our children as we see fit. This brings me to another passion of mine: US History. My father has a PhD in History and worked as a university professor when I was growing up. Through him I received an appreciation for our heritage of liberty and the resulting opportunities for (among other things) music, drums, and the arts in general. God's generosity has provided me the privilege of exploring rhythm and history with others, but His greater gifts to me are my lovely wife, Ahree, and my sons, London, Sims, and Wren." ~ Ross has tutored our Creative Rhythms Percussion Team going into his fourth year, and has some ROCKIN' AWESOME performances! He also tutors our US History, Government & Economics, and World Geography classes.
Lopez, Heydi "Hola, Como estan? (Hi, how are you?) My name is Heydi Lopez. I’m Panamenian or a native of Panama, Republic of Panama. Spanish is my native language. I lived in Panama with my family for 18 years. I moved to United States to attend college and pursue my dream of becoming an Engineer 20 years ago. I received my Electrical Engineering degree at City College of New York, located on the upper west side of Manhattan, New York. While pursuing my degree, I worked as a Teaching assistant and Tutor for Mathematics and Spanish. I always enjoy teaching and helping others, so tutoring came very easy to me and it was also a great way to supplement my income. I feel very fortunate that my parents provided me with a great education. I consider being bilingual a true blessing in my life. I met my husband in college and dated him for 4 years. When my husband, Neff, completed his Engineering degree, we decided to get married. After college, we got our first engineering job and moved to Corning, New York where we lived for few years. In the year 2000 our employer relocated us to Charlotte, NC and 2 years later to Wilmington, NC where we stayed for another 2 years. In 2004 my husband accepted a position with Dell Computers and relocated our family to Nashville, TN. The minute we landed in Nashville we felt like home. We love it here and we are very happy with our decision to settle down in this area. We currently live in Murfreesboro, TN near the Blackman area. God has being very good to us, blessing us with 2 wonderful children. My oldest son, Bryan is 6 years old and my daughter Giselle Marie is 4 years old. Bryan attends Blackman Elementary and Giselle will start Kindergarten in August of this year. I’m very proud to say that I’m a Christian and I strongly believe that God is the foundation of my life and that with him everything and anything is possible. My family and I attend Sunday service at Fellowship Bible church. I looked forward meeting you and your child. It will be my honor to help your youngster learn and fall in love with the beautiful Spanish language. Thank you for providing your child with this great gift, the gift of a second language. Hasta luego" ~ Heydi will be taking on ALL levels of our Spanish classes.
Lundy, Beth Originally from Nashville, TN, I have been married to my husband, Taze, and have lived in Murfreesboro for the past 20 years. We have two boys, Alex and Rhett, who we have home schooled for the last 7 years. They are also competitive swimmers, which has become a family sport. My motto is “follow me long enough and you’ll end up at the pool.” The Lord continues to bring business and teaching into my life. From an early age I began to have an interest in various aspects of business, eventually leading to a Bachelor’s degree from Tennessee Tech and an MBA from MTSU. This allowed me to not only work in the field, but also opened the door for me to be able to teach in MTSU’s College of Business. As the kids got older, the need to focus more on home schooling became more apparent, so I donned the hat of “full-time home school mom.” As most of you know, this opened doors for many opportunities to serve. I spent three years on the HEART Board of Directors and an additional three on the Shepherd’s Heart Enrichment Tutorial Board of Directors. Not to leave the kids out, as a family we have just finished our fourth year of volunteer work with the Children’s Discovery Center. I am continually sustained by the love of my Lord, Jesus Christ, and the love of my family. A good book, a cup of coffee, and a comfortable chair do not hurt either. I am proponent of young people understanding all aspects of business and look forward to teaching the personal finance course. ~ Beth will be tutoring our Personal Finance class and the NEW Entrepreneurship class.
McCreery, Ginger "I was born and raised in upper East Tennessee and thus am bilingual. My first language was Appalachian, and the second acquired language was English. I’m still working on that second one. I broke my father’s heart by attending East Tennessee State University (not the University of Tennessee!!!) and then, even worse, I also attended Middle Tennessee State University. My blood does not run orange and I do not make an annual pilgrimage to Knoxville. As a child I loved to read. As an adult I love to read! I got into lots of trouble in elementary school for always having a library book inside whatever textbook we were working in at the time. After reading HARRIET THE SPY I decided to spy on my neighbors. I got on my trusty bike with the banana seat and high handlebars and headed off. Unfortunately, my neighbors didn’t live in close proximity to one another and they really had NOTHING interesting or exciting to say. I gave that up in a day or so. While in college I was able to participate in a couple of unique learning experiences that really challenged my assumptions about education. I moved to Nashville to take an internship with the Tennessee General Assembly, fell in love, and became a flat-lander (middle Tennessean). David and I married in 1979 and we have 3 children. We discussed the idea of home education while we were still dating and started planning to home school our own children before they were even born. We finished 19 years of home schooling in June of 2007 when our youngest child graduated from high school. Jesse is 26 and is a 1st Lt in the Army, Hannah is 24 and has finished her Master's Degree, and Rachel, 21, is attending MTSU. Home education was an incredibly positive experience for our family! I was a home school junkie for those 19 years, volunteering in our local support group as well as serving on the MTHEA Board for 13 years. You name it, we’ve probably done it or coordinated it or spoken at it. I started tutoring at RTA in 2002 and absolutely love it! Your children are amazing and I feel so privileged to get to spend a little time with them. I am passionate about education, home schooling, family life, reading good books, and reading more good books." “The man who doesn’t read good books has no advantage over the man who can’t read them.” Mark Twain ~ Ginger tutors our Jr. High Lit, Jr. High Civics, Jr. High World History thru Lit, American Lit and Philosophy & Christian World View classes.
Newton, Cheryl "I live in Smyrna, TN with my husband, Darin, and our five children. I have a love for math and science and double majored in them in college. I began home schooling in 1994 when my oldest son was 5 years old. I have taught in tutorials around the Nashville area since 1996. I have tutored all levels of math (from elementary through Algebra 2) in my home and look forward to taking on the challenge of teaching Math Foundations along with my current science classes at RTA this coming school year." ~ Cheryl tutors in Math Foundations, Pre-Algebra, General Science, and Physical Science classes. She also, with the help of her student staff, creates a WONDERFUL yearbook for RTA!
Peterson, Lisa "I was born in Sao Paulo, Brazil and moved to Greenville, SC when I was 8 months old. I got my B.S. from Clemson University in Biology Education and taught high school for 5 years, including coaching basketball, before having my first child. I now am a stay-at-home mom with my sons Daniel (4) and Luke (2). I am actively involved in my church and enjoy helping women grow in their faith. I also love watching sports - football and basketball. Working at RTA is such a blessing to me, and I have loved getting to know all the students. Thank you for this incredible opportunity to teach your children." ~ Lisa tutors our Biology I, Biology II, and Health/Life Management classes.
Phiffer, Cindy Murfreesboro was still a sleepy, Southern town when my family moved here for the first time in 1963. My father had accepted a job as a preacher for Kingwood Heights. My parents grew up in Putnam Co., Tenn., but they lived in Michigan when I was born. During my first four-year stint in the ‘Boro, I attended 1st-4th grades at Middle Tennessee Christian School. That short period provided a treasure trove of memories for me, and I spent many happy hours at play on the side porch of our house on West Clark Boulevard. Even then, my favorite games were House and School; I already knew that I wanted to be a mommy and a teacher when I grew up. During the 45 years that passed between then and now, I’ve lived in four other states (VA, NC, NJ and MA); inhabited 23 houses, apartments and dorm rooms; earned a B.S. degree in music education from UT-Knoxville and my elementary school certification; and taught creative writing for two other home school tutorial centers. I’ve worked as the editor of Country Journal newspaper, authored two children’s books (My First Book of Prayer and The Edible ABC’s), and written more than fifteen celebrity cancer profiles for Coping magazine. I’m the president of the Tennessee Writers Alliance, the chair of the Boro Blues Fest and enjoy serving on the worship team at church. In 2007, I retired from teaching private lessons in writing, art and music so that I could work with more groups. This will allow me to continue to develop and use the gifts God has given me, and to spend more time with my family. ~ Cindy will tutoring our World Lit class and an Art class.
Skelton, Leslie "My name is Leslie Skelton. I have a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Tulane University and have worked for the Illinois Power Co, Babcock & Wilcox, And Keane Inc. I grew up in northeastern Ohio, but I love Middle Tennessee. We moved here 17 years ago and it is definitely “home” for me and my family. I have been home schooling since 1998 and I love what it has done for me and my family. My husband Damian and I have four children: Madalynne, Stuart, Theo, and Isabel. We love traveling, being near water, traveling, watching movies, traveling… I love teaching at RTA and am glad to be back after a short remodeling hiatus!" ~ Leslie tutors our World History, Physics and Chemistry classes.
Theriot, Lisa "I am Lisa Theriot. Study Hall Monitor used to be my official title, but I am changing it this year to Study Hall Mom. That describes my position much better, and it explains to you how these students have gotten into my heart. I have 5 children, and we have home schooled for 15 years. My husband Kyle and I have been married for almost 24 years. We love to camp, hike, go rappelling, snow ski, vacation at the beach and participate in church activities. I really do have the best job at RTA! ~ Lisa is loved by all of our students as our Study Hall "Mom" as well as Monday Operations Co-Manager.