I want to express my sincere appreciation to Mrs. O'Donnell for her excellent work this past year as a tutor for my daughter. We enrolled in two of her classes, Diving Deep into Mathematics, and Power Writing with Pizazz. Both classes have proved to be of great benefit to my daughter.
I am especially grateful for the way Mrs. O'Donnell motivated and encouraged Grace to consistently do her best work and to not be intimidated by a new task. Both her writing and her math skills have shown a marked improvement over the last 9 months. Not only is she academically well prepared for her next grade level, but she is more confident and comfortable in both of these subjects.
Mrs. O'Donnell's teaching methods and strategies are very effective in sharing her knowledge and inspiring her students to excel. She clearly loves what she does and loves her students.
Y. Rumery
"Cheryl has been such a blessing to our family. She is an extremely talented teacher; somehow she manages to be gentle and firm, fun and down to business, excited and organized. She is passionate about her students and the subjects she teaches. My girls absolutely adore her and talk about her often. I'm so glad I have her as a resource! Thank you Mrs. O'Donnell!" Carrie
My daughters have benefited greatly from both one-on-one tutoring by Mrs. O'Donnell as well as taking her math and writing classes at KAT. Both of them have received one-on-one tutoring in writing. Our oldest began during her 3rd grade year. I was new to homeschooling then and realized quickly that although I personally enjoy writing, teaching my child to enjoy the process was a bit more challenging. I reached out to Mrs. O'Donnell for help and my daughters blossomed under her tutelage. Her love for teaching children is so evident as she helps them achieve their own personal best while making the learning experience fun and engaging. When our daughter began 4th grade she took both the Diving Deep math and writing classes offered by Mrs. O'Donnell at KAT. The writing class gave her opportunities not only to practice her writing skills but to share her writing out loud and also to listen to the writing of other kids around her age. That was something I could not offer her at home and she learned a lot from the classroom setting! Also, the math class was a great supplement to our math curriculum. It helped take the math skills being taught at home and put them to use in solving different real-life problems. The class challenged her and she learned many ways to approach problem solving. Mrs. O'Donnell was very encouraging and again made learning fun and even gave the kids opportunities to "teach the class" so they could learn from each other and have some public speaking experience. The class gave our daughter a boost of confidence and math has gone from a subject she liked the least to one she often tells people is her favorite school subject. I know this confidence will help her and she is much more prepared as she approaches higher level math in the coming years! Christy Nunn
Our children are in their second year of Power Writing with Mrs. O'Donnell. Both describe her as the "nicest teacher they have ever had!" They don't want to disappoint her so they are always willing to do homework. The homework is appropriate and engaging for the kids, and equally important to me, it's explained on her website. Sometimes they come home and want to start it immediately! At the end of two years, each child has written numerous reports, persuasive essays, personal narratives, etc. too many to count. In addition to good teaching, I now have many many writing pieces to reread and cherish for years to come. Karen Di Pietro
I have known Cheryl O'Donnell for a number of years now. My son had her as his 3rd grade teacher at Mattawan Public Schools. And she taught my other two children at the Kalamazoo Area Tutors homeschooling co-op. And I even know of a high schools student she has helped with some writing needs. Cheryl knows what she's doing. She knows how to tutor children. She knows how to bring out the best in them. She's a true professional and a very kind Christian woman. You will be excited to meet with her and your children will grow both in character in and competencies as they spend time with her. I wholeheartedly recommend Cheryl for any of your tutoring needs for your elementary and middle school children especially in writing and math. Linda Filcek Mattawan, MI
If the thought of guiding your child through a writing assignment makes you have a deep sigh …
that was me. My girls struggled with “writer’s block” accompanied with tears. There was no joy in the
process. Therefore, my secret to getting ahead was having help!
My S.O.S. call went out to Cheryl O’Donnell. I have known Cheryl O’Donnell for 3 years now. It
has been a beautiful relationship that began with her being one of my daughter’s teachers in a public
education setting. Cheryl has a passion for the Power Writing process which is why I had her tutor both
of my girls.
Cheryl O’Donnell has been such a blessing to our writing curriculum this year! She has
addressed getting thoughts on paper through creative timed writings and sentence structure games.
She successfully has helped them break down information, choose what information is most important
and giving their writing “their own voice.”
I am so thankful for the strategies that Cheryl has poured into my girls. They are now eager to
share their writings. No more tears!
Marcia Visser
Home Educator
Mattawan, Michigan
My daughter was tutored by Cheryl O'Donnell for two years while she was in fourth and fifth grade. She struggles with focus as a result of ADHD and was falling behind in Math, Reading, and Writing. Cheryl helped her in so many ways, first and foremost helping her to build confidence. Alayna grew in so many ways with Cheryl and really developed far beyond with the one on one support. She became a much stronger reader and writer. The extra help with math really worked well to solidify and reinforce what she was being taught in school. Cheryl's background with teaching and her genuine caring, nurturing, disposition is what really sets her apart as an educator. She is creative and finds unique ways to make learning fun with a variety of sensory stimulus and fun games to keep today's child engaged.
My daughter is a sixth grader at Mattawan Consolidated Schools and, although she will always have struggles with focus and her working memory. She is in a far better place because of the time that she spent with Cheryl. I'm proud to say she currently has all A's and B's!
I would recommend Cheryl O'Donnell to anyone and my daughter would not be where she is today without her help.
Wendy Clancey
To whom it may concern:
I have known Cheryl O’Donnell for many years. I had the privilege of having her teach several
of my children during their third grade years. She is an enthusiastic and energetic person who
has a great passion for her work as a teacher. This was evident in the organized and creative way
that she ran her classroom. The children knew the expectations and routines. Every child was
made to feel unique, and Mrs. O’Donnell worked very hard to ensure they were treated as
individuals. She has a strong ability in teaching writing and math skills, and the growth of my
children in these areas was great during the year they spent with her. In addition, she is creative
in blending art and hands on projects with the lesson to ensure the children are fully engaged.
Mrs. O’Donnell is a strong communicator. She keeps parents up to date via email and
newsletters, and is quick to return parent phone calls or contact the parent if the need arises. At
conferences, it was evident that she truly knew my children, and she spent time to ensure she was
very prepared to discuss any areas of concern. Her warm personality made her very
approachable and put both parents and children at ease. Even the quietest of my children was
willing to approach her and talk about situations that might be bothering them.
I also had the privilege of working with Mrs. O’Donnell as a substitute teacher in her classroom.
I was always willing to work as her sub when needed. Her students knew the routines, and had
been taught to respect each other and the adults in the classroom. The lesson plans she left were
complete and easy to understand. Her classroom was organized and neat so that materials were
easy to locate.
Mrs. O’Donnell has had a strong impact on our family. She would be an amazing addition to
your school team. My children and I are extremely grateful to have been able to work with her.
Sincerely,
Katy Harman
I am especially grateful for the way Mrs. O'Donnell motivated and encouraged Grace to consistently do her best work and to not be intimidated by a new task. Both her writing and her math skills have shown a marked improvement over the last 9 months. Not only is she academically well prepared for her next grade level, but she is more confident and comfortable in both of these subjects.
Mrs. O'Donnell's teaching methods and strategies are very effective in sharing her knowledge and inspiring her students to excel. She clearly loves what she does and loves her students.
Y. Rumery
"Cheryl has been such a blessing to our family. She is an extremely talented teacher; somehow she manages to be gentle and firm, fun and down to business, excited and organized. She is passionate about her students and the subjects she teaches. My girls absolutely adore her and talk about her often. I'm so glad I have her as a resource! Thank you Mrs. O'Donnell!" Carrie
My daughters have benefited greatly from both one-on-one tutoring by Mrs. O'Donnell as well as taking her math and writing classes at KAT. Both of them have received one-on-one tutoring in writing. Our oldest began during her 3rd grade year. I was new to homeschooling then and realized quickly that although I personally enjoy writing, teaching my child to enjoy the process was a bit more challenging. I reached out to Mrs. O'Donnell for help and my daughters blossomed under her tutelage. Her love for teaching children is so evident as she helps them achieve their own personal best while making the learning experience fun and engaging. When our daughter began 4th grade she took both the Diving Deep math and writing classes offered by Mrs. O'Donnell at KAT. The writing class gave her opportunities not only to practice her writing skills but to share her writing out loud and also to listen to the writing of other kids around her age. That was something I could not offer her at home and she learned a lot from the classroom setting! Also, the math class was a great supplement to our math curriculum. It helped take the math skills being taught at home and put them to use in solving different real-life problems. The class challenged her and she learned many ways to approach problem solving. Mrs. O'Donnell was very encouraging and again made learning fun and even gave the kids opportunities to "teach the class" so they could learn from each other and have some public speaking experience. The class gave our daughter a boost of confidence and math has gone from a subject she liked the least to one she often tells people is her favorite school subject. I know this confidence will help her and she is much more prepared as she approaches higher level math in the coming years! Christy Nunn
Our children are in their second year of Power Writing with Mrs. O'Donnell. Both describe her as the "nicest teacher they have ever had!" They don't want to disappoint her so they are always willing to do homework. The homework is appropriate and engaging for the kids, and equally important to me, it's explained on her website. Sometimes they come home and want to start it immediately! At the end of two years, each child has written numerous reports, persuasive essays, personal narratives, etc. too many to count. In addition to good teaching, I now have many many writing pieces to reread and cherish for years to come. Karen Di Pietro
I have known Cheryl O'Donnell for a number of years now. My son had her as his 3rd grade teacher at Mattawan Public Schools. And she taught my other two children at the Kalamazoo Area Tutors homeschooling co-op. And I even know of a high schools student she has helped with some writing needs. Cheryl knows what she's doing. She knows how to tutor children. She knows how to bring out the best in them. She's a true professional and a very kind Christian woman. You will be excited to meet with her and your children will grow both in character in and competencies as they spend time with her. I wholeheartedly recommend Cheryl for any of your tutoring needs for your elementary and middle school children especially in writing and math. Linda Filcek Mattawan, MI
If the thought of guiding your child through a writing assignment makes you have a deep sigh …
that was me. My girls struggled with “writer’s block” accompanied with tears. There was no joy in the
process. Therefore, my secret to getting ahead was having help!
My S.O.S. call went out to Cheryl O’Donnell. I have known Cheryl O’Donnell for 3 years now. It
has been a beautiful relationship that began with her being one of my daughter’s teachers in a public
education setting. Cheryl has a passion for the Power Writing process which is why I had her tutor both
of my girls.
Cheryl O’Donnell has been such a blessing to our writing curriculum this year! She has
addressed getting thoughts on paper through creative timed writings and sentence structure games.
She successfully has helped them break down information, choose what information is most important
and giving their writing “their own voice.”
I am so thankful for the strategies that Cheryl has poured into my girls. They are now eager to
share their writings. No more tears!
Marcia Visser
Home Educator
Mattawan, Michigan
My daughter was tutored by Cheryl O'Donnell for two years while she was in fourth and fifth grade. She struggles with focus as a result of ADHD and was falling behind in Math, Reading, and Writing. Cheryl helped her in so many ways, first and foremost helping her to build confidence. Alayna grew in so many ways with Cheryl and really developed far beyond with the one on one support. She became a much stronger reader and writer. The extra help with math really worked well to solidify and reinforce what she was being taught in school. Cheryl's background with teaching and her genuine caring, nurturing, disposition is what really sets her apart as an educator. She is creative and finds unique ways to make learning fun with a variety of sensory stimulus and fun games to keep today's child engaged.
My daughter is a sixth grader at Mattawan Consolidated Schools and, although she will always have struggles with focus and her working memory. She is in a far better place because of the time that she spent with Cheryl. I'm proud to say she currently has all A's and B's!
I would recommend Cheryl O'Donnell to anyone and my daughter would not be where she is today without her help.
Wendy Clancey
To whom it may concern:
I have known Cheryl O’Donnell for many years. I had the privilege of having her teach several
of my children during their third grade years. She is an enthusiastic and energetic person who
has a great passion for her work as a teacher. This was evident in the organized and creative way
that she ran her classroom. The children knew the expectations and routines. Every child was
made to feel unique, and Mrs. O’Donnell worked very hard to ensure they were treated as
individuals. She has a strong ability in teaching writing and math skills, and the growth of my
children in these areas was great during the year they spent with her. In addition, she is creative
in blending art and hands on projects with the lesson to ensure the children are fully engaged.
Mrs. O’Donnell is a strong communicator. She keeps parents up to date via email and
newsletters, and is quick to return parent phone calls or contact the parent if the need arises. At
conferences, it was evident that she truly knew my children, and she spent time to ensure she was
very prepared to discuss any areas of concern. Her warm personality made her very
approachable and put both parents and children at ease. Even the quietest of my children was
willing to approach her and talk about situations that might be bothering them.
I also had the privilege of working with Mrs. O’Donnell as a substitute teacher in her classroom.
I was always willing to work as her sub when needed. Her students knew the routines, and had
been taught to respect each other and the adults in the classroom. The lesson plans she left were
complete and easy to understand. Her classroom was organized and neat so that materials were
easy to locate.
Mrs. O’Donnell has had a strong impact on our family. She would be an amazing addition to
your school team. My children and I are extremely grateful to have been able to work with her.
Sincerely,
Katy Harman