Blockhead Tutors

Our Tutors

​​Carmen Gomez-Fiegl

Specialties: Spanish, AP Spanish Language, AP Spanish Literature, AP Italian Language , Spanish IB exam (ab initio, SL and HL), Italian

Hi, my name is Carmen Gomez-Fiegl and I am from Spain! I have lived in the US for over 20 years, where I have had the opportunity to teach at renowned educational institutions such as The University of Chicago or The North Shore Country Day School. 

In addition to teaching Spanish at different levels, including AP Spanish Language and AP Literature, I have led the foreign language department, transforming its entire framework into a proficiency oriented program. These opportunities have been rewarding over the years and have formed me as an educator.

I believe that learning and teaching are expressions of an intrinsic human feature: that of being open to other beings. The job of the teacher is to aid the student in developing both a positive attitude toward learning and a confidence in the self.  When the two come together in the teaching space, miracles can happen. In this great process, I see my role as facilitating learning: creating the conditions necessary for learning to take place, setting the right environment, capturing and focusing student attention, laying out clear and attainable goals; fostering active yet conducive participation, assessing achievements, and providing ongoing feedback. 

As a professional, I feel my obligation to embrace and reflect the values and spirit of the educational institution that I work for. In this specific case, Blockhead Tutoring’s commitment to the education of the person is a perfect statement of my goals as well, as an educator, as a thinker, and as a member of the human community.

Colleen Cooper Russell

Specialties: Algebra, Geometry, Pre-Calculus, Grammar

I have been tutoring math for more than 10 years. 

My experience includes working with students of a wide-range of abilities and talents -- including Honor students, special needs, and ESL.

Communication is my true love -- in a previous life, I was a writer and editor. With students, I focus on translating academic jargon into plain language. I turn "mathy talk" -- so prevalent in textbooks and classrooms -- into understandable English.

I consider it the highest compliment when a student says: "Well, that wasn't so hard. Why didn't my teacher just explain it that way?"

Dayle Block, MA (Founder, Tutor)

Specialties: Grammar and Middle School Math, Algebra 1 and 2, Geometry

My tutoring journey began when my fellow teachers asked me to tutor their own children in math subjects. Then parents of former students asked me to tutor their younger siblings. In 2018 I left the classroom to focus exclusively on tutoring. In 2019, I founded Blockhead Tutoring to make good tutors accessible to students in all subjects, to meet the needs of each student who is amazingly different.

During nearly 20 years in the classroom, I taught math to students of diverse ages and backgrounds: from Pre-K to high school, students with special needs, students specializing in performing arts, and students in a college preparatory curriculum.

What I learned is that each student, regardless of age or background, needs information explained in a different way. There are multiple ways to teach even the most basic math concepts.

Tutoring gives me the opportunity to provide individualized instruction in a way that works for each student. This is the premise on which I founded Blockhead Tutoring.

Dayna Schwartz

Specialties: ACT Prep for Math & Science, Elementary Math, Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Geometry

Hi, I’m Dayna. I have a Bachelor of Arts in Mathematics and a Master of Science in Applied Statistics, both from DePaul University. I have several years of experience tutoring students as young as first grade and as old as adult continuing education students, with the majority of my time spent working with students in middle school and high school. I tutor students in elementary math, algebra, and geometry.

What makes the tutors at Blockhead Tutoring so unique is our motto: “We tutor the person, not the subject.” What I love about this is how it illustrates the importance of what I do: I help your student gain the confidence in the math they need in order to be successful by motivating and inspiring them based on their interests. Tutoring math is where my passion, interests, and skills intersect, and there is nothing more gratifying than when one of my students is successful with mathematics!

Gayle O'Neill

Specialties: Chemistry (specializes in Analytical Chemistry), AP Chemistry

Hello, I’m Gayle. While working as a chemist at IIT Research Institute, I completed an undergraduate degree in education from Northeastern Illinois University and received a high school science teaching certificate. I also have a master’s and doctoral degrees in chemistry from Loyola University.

I have recently retired from having served as president and laboratory director of a chemical testing laboratory. While directing the lab, I also taught seminars and served as a judge for science fairs. I enjoy working with middle and high school students with the goal of helping them become comfortable and competent with science.

Jennifer Egan, M.Ed

Specialties: Social Studies, History, AP U.S. History, DBQ's

Hi, I’m Jennifer. I am a veteran teacher of 19 years and counting. I attended graduate school in Chicago at DePaul University and received my Master's degree in Secondary Education. I have spent many years teaching team-taught classes with a special education teacher. Moreover, I have experience working with English Language Learner (ELL) students in a social studies class designed to support their expanding skills and abilities.

I am a social studies teacher (and history geek) with experience teaching geography, sociology, world history, economics, U.S. history including AP U.S. History. I have completed the official training to teach AP U.S. History as well as training with the document-based projects (DBQs), questions that are a part of the AP exam.

I am highly skilled in using student-centered learning supported by a metacognitive approach. This method allows students to become aware of the strategies and supports that are best for their learning. Moreover, I am very adept at using discipline-specific literacy skills to engage students in reading comprehension strategies.

The core belief of my teaching philosophy: As an educator, I am the facilitator of learning and my students are the producers of the product. When students are the producer, it allows them to take ownership of their learning. It is when students are owners of their learning the opportunity to learn expands exponentially.

Judith Kaplan-Weinger

Specialties: Essay Writing, College Essay Writing, AP English Language, Composition, Language Arts

Hi, My name is Judy. I am professor emerita of Linguistics at Northeastern Illinois University having retired in 2018 after 35 years of undergraduate and graduate teaching and advising. I completed my undergraduate degree in linguistics at Northwestern University and my doctorate in linguistics at Georgetown University. I have four children--one who earned her degree at George Washington University, one currently completing his master's degree in social work and earning his rabbinical ordination at Yeshiva University, and two sons who graduated from NYU and are now enrolled in Ph.D. programs at UCLA. I have published four texts and numerous articles in linguistics and presented at many scholarly conferences.

I worked with my children throughout their education on honing their composition skills. When the time came, we worked on university applications and related essays. I spent plenty of my teaching years helping my students structure and edit their writing both for courses and for their graduate school essays. I am passionate about language and languages and can tutor all areas of language arts.

Marie Cinquemani

Specialties: Music, AP Music Theory

Every music student has the capability to be successful, whether it is on a personal, academic, or performance level. As a music tutor, I help students achieve success based on their own personal goals. I have extensive experience with high school and college music students, and tutor music theory from introductory levels through AP Music Theory and Jazz Music Theory. I also tutor ear training and piano classes. Let me show you how fun music theory can be!

Nancy Montero

Specialties: Middle and High School Math, Spanish

Hi, I'm Nancy! I am currently a student at Northeastern Illinois University. I am double majoring in Mathematics and Secondary Education in hopes to become a High School Math Teacher. I have been tutoring Math and Spanish since my junior year at High School. I also tutored Pre-Calculus at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I have two younger siblings and I love working with students of all ages. As a Spanish speaker, I am excited to share the language with others to build their confidence and give them a new way to communicate. I have a passion for Math and Spanish and enjoy discussing and explaining concepts to help others. I understand that each student learns at their own pace, and in different ways. I am very accommodating and willing to mold my teaching style to best fit the student I am working with.

Roderick Mobley

Specialties: Chemistry, AP Chemistry, Physics (1st year, non-calculus based), IB exam prep

Hello! My name is Roderick Mobley. I discovered my passion for chemistry towards the tail end of high school and dove headlong into chemistry and research when I enrolled at Yale University. After my sophomore year I began working for the Wood Group and that set me up with a research position with a pharmaceutical company right after graduation. Though I liked the work I did, I quickly learned that it wasn’t the lab work that piqued my interest in chemistry; it was the problem-solving and the learning the nuances of chemical reactions and planning syntheses that got me excited about chemistry. So when the opportunity to be a long-term substitute chemistry teacher arose, I eagerly took it to figure out what my next steps would be. 20 years later, I am still teaching because I truly enjoy showing others the beauty of chemistry.

I have taught many different levels of chemistry - introductory, honors, and organic chemistry. I have completed the College Board training for AP Chemistry and required workshops to teach International Baccalaureate Higher and Standard Level Chemistry courses, and I currently teach these courses, helping students gain a better sense of how the topics of chemistry are tied together and earn college credit while still in high school. I teach and tutor using the Claim-Evidence-Reasoning philosophy: what is your assertion, what can you cite as proof that your assertion is logical, and what principles can you draw upon from the text and discussions to explain the relevance of the proof and support your claim.

This philosophy also applies to problem-solving: a good understanding of the purpose of each step in a problem allows the student to modify their strategy and solve not just the problem before them but many like it that they may encounter later. This is how I have helped students improve in their coursework and find success on the AP and IB Exams.

Though my specialty is chemistry, I do have experience teaching non-calculus based physics, specifically physics for first-year high school students.

Sophia Cinquemani

Specialties: English (Writing and SAT prep), Spanish, French, Music, Biology, Middle School Math

Hi! I’m Sophia. I am a current undergraduate student at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. My primary academic focus is neuroscience with minors in psychology and French. I also completed a year of undergraduate studies in classical voice at Peabody Conservatory. I currently work as a research assistant at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institute where I do MRI segmentation as a part of Alzheimer’s disease research. I speak Spanish and French, and I love learning new languages in my free time. I have experience in tutoring high school and middle school students, as well as being a TA. I am currently at home in Skokie, and I would love to help make learning an enjoyable and worthwhile experience for you.

Vince Thomas

Specialties: Physics, Math, Calculus, Statistics, Chemistry (first year), AP Calculus, AP Physics, AP Statistics

Hello, I’m Vince. I tutor Physics and all levels of Math through Calculus. I tutor Statistics. I also tutor first-year Chemistry but not AP Chemistry. I am a former engineer and have taught both high school and college students. I work both with students having difficulty with Math/Science and with students preparing for AP exams. I am available evenings and weekends during the school year, and also days during summer. I can meet with you at your home, at my family home in Skokie, or at the Library. My focus is on building your confidence so that you can best succeed when you encounter new Math and Physics problems.