Meet Our Teachers

Executive Function, ELA/Literacy/English, College Application Essays, French

Isabelle is a native French speaker with more than twenty years of teaching experience in Canada and the United States. Isabelle was introduced to teaching through a Liberal Arts program in Montréal and has worked in education ever since.

For twelve years, Isabelle taught in a small private school in Wheaton, where she provided instruction in a variety of subjects, including executive function and reading remediation. She also assisted with psychoeducational evaluations, developed curriculum, and held a leadership position on the school’s NCA and CITA accreditation teams.

In 2011, Isabelle opened Wheaton French to help students of all levels and ages expand their French skills. In September 2015, she joined forces with Stéphanie Lauraux Mackey to found SAS and provide comprehensive academic support services. She currently works with many of our students on executive function skills development and is our expert in writing for college application essays.

Foreign Languages, Mathematics

Stéphanie is a native French speaker from Switzerland. She started her career in finance and international trading in England. Stéphanie inherited the love of traveling at a young age and has always enjoyed challenges. Throughout her life, she has studied and learned many languages not only because of the fascination and interest a new language brings, but also because of the windows languages open into the diverse and colorful world we live in.

Over the years Stéphanie has taught French to different age groups. She is the author of Le Petit Français and Le Grand Français, a comprehensive multisensory method for teaching French to students elementary to high school and beyond. She has also written Pronoms Français, a complete guide to French pronouns, and Conjugaison Française, a workbook on the conjugation of irregular verbs.

Mathematics, ELA/Literacy, Test Preparation

Nadeen Rust is a licensed Illinois educator with teaching experience at the elementary, middle grades, and collegiate levels. She particularly enjoys helping students improve and further their understanding in math, reading, and science. She graduated with honors from the University of Illinois and began her career as a fifth grade teacher in a suburban north shore school district.   She went on to become a lecturer in education at a small, private college, completing twenty years in that capacity teaching primarily elementary and middle school math methods courses.  Of particular interest to her is the correlation of math anxiety, math perception and performance.  She co-founded and co-directed the "Chemistry Connections" program which teaches chemistry concepts through a hands-on lab experience to middle grade students, most of whom are home-schooled.  She has presented at the ACCA Pedagogy Teaching Symposium, the Midwestern Symposium on Excellence in Teaching Math and Science, and at PITTCON's Science Week in both Chicago and Orlando.  She believes all students have the right and capacity to learn. 

Special Education; Wilson Reading System; General Skills (elementary and middle grades)

Megan has a Masters degree in Special Education and endorsements in reading, literacy, and ESL. She began teaching special education in 2003 and has worked in multiple districts and settings. She is trained in the Wilson Reading System and many other intervention programs. She has extensive experience working with students with learning disabilities, dyslexia, and ADHD.

Wilson Reading System

Beth is a licensed pre-K through 12 educator with over 10 years’ experience teaching all levels of French to children, adolescents and adults. She has taught privately and at high schools in suburban Chicago. She’s especially enjoyed accompanying students and families to England, France and Spain.

In addition to French, Beth has an endorsement in English Language Learning and educational interests in reading, literacy, Spanish, and German. She is excited to work with the Wilson Reading System and to share her love of reading.

Beth holds a BA in the Teaching of French from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and an MEd in Curriculum and Instruction with a concentration in Language Minority Studies from National-Louis University. She took a break from teaching to raise her two children, and is thrilled to be back in the classroom.

It is of utmost importance to Beth that she develop a warm rapport with her students in order to encourage risk taking and to develop confidence as language learners. She loves to help foster her students’ curiosity and finds one-on-one instruction to be tremendously rewarding.

Mathematics (Elementary through Pre-Calculus)

Mrs. Cousins graduated from Lehigh University with a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering. Upon graduation, she entered the military, serving 5 years active duty, 5 years in the reserves, then separated as a Major to raise her children.

After her active military service, she joined the private sector as an engineer and project manager. She returned to school to earn her master’s degree in the Science of Instruction from Drexel University and also earned her teacher’s certificate. She gained a variety of teaching and classroom experience in local private schools focusing mostly on mathematics and science.

At SAS, she guides her students towards a greater understanding of mathematics and loves watching their confidence grow.

Mathematics; Test Preparation

Cliff is an experienced educator in the fields of mathematics, statistics and economics. For 8 years, he taught mathematics at the University of Maryland where his emphasis was on teaching methods for students with a math deficiency. Subsequently he taught statistics and economics for 9 years at Keiser University, a career college in Florida. In addition, he taught mathematics at both public and private high schools in Florida for 10 years. His high school experience included teaching all levels of mathematics, including AP Statistics and AP Calculus. Furthermore, for the past 10 years, he has been a grader for the AP Statistics Exam.

His academic credentials include a B.S. in mathematics from Westminster College (PA), a M.S. in statistics from George Washington University and a M. A. in economics from Georgetown University.

Cliff appreciates how challenging mathematical concepts can be for some students. He greatly enjoys working individually with students to identify and overcome those barriers to success.

Before starting a teaching career, Cliff worked in both the public and private sectors. He had a 13-year career with the US Department of Agriculture as a mathematical statistician which included a 2-year assignment with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN in Rome, Italy. He also was a quantitative analyst and portfolio manager for 8 years for investment firms in Washington, DC and Boston.

Mathematics; Science

Alizeh is a a fourth year undergraduate student, pursuing her bachelors in Mathematics and Computer Science with a minor in Economics, from University of Illinois-Chicago.

Alizeh has more than six years of experience in tutoring. From home-schooled kids to teaching engineering at Chicago Public schools, she has worked with students from a wide variety of backgrounds. She is very passionate about teaching and tutors her students according to their learning styles and preferences, while also covering relevant material.

Test Preparation; Mathematics; Science

Rayyan is currently a senior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where he is pursuing degrees in Biochemistry and Physics. This interdisciplinary approach has shaped his academic journey and drives his commitment to helping others excel in their studies.

Since joining SAS in November 2023, Rayyan has been dedicated to helping students achieve their academic goals. He tutors ACT/SAT as well as various science classes, bringing both expertise and enthusiasm to each session. His interdisciplinary knowledge allows him to connect concepts across subjects, helping students gain a deeper understanding and appreciation for science.

Rayyan is committed to creating a supportive and engaging learning environment at SAS, where students are encouraged to explore their academic potential and develop the skills needed for success.

Biography coming soon!

Elementary and Middle Grades

HSPT Preparation

Megan earned her Masters in Elementary Education (grades 1-8) at Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, Arizona). She also has a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature and writing from Northern Michigan University (Marquette, Michigan), is a certified Upper Elementary (3-6) Montessori Teacher from the North American Montessori Center (Canada), and has her Outdoor Learning certificate from Take Me Outside (Canada). She has experience teaching in traditional education classrooms, Montessori multi-age classrooms, and in full-inclusion gifted classrooms, as well as leading outdoor and environmental education classes in Montana, Massachusetts, and Illinois.

Biography coming soon!

Biography coming soon!

Art

Elliah Chamberlain is a local young artist. Her love of travel, people, culture, and nature has found expression across an impressive portfolio of murals, gallery installations, logos, book covers, workshops, commissions, and local installations.

Elliah's warm personality engages students to look at the world in new ways and to practice techniques to express their own artistic vision.