Tutors of Marin - San Rafael, California

Daniel Bendett

I have had an AMAZING experience with Tutors of Marin. Allen is an exceptional teacher and coach. My son is a freshman in high school and after closures, they have been posting assignments on Google Classroom without any structure. The lack of structure has led both my son and I to become frustrated, and has left me worried that he would fall behind.

Then I found Allen at Tutors of Marin. Allen stepped in to give my son the structure that the school was not providing. Using Zoom Video Conferencing, he guided my son through the process of organizing his classes one step at a time and gave him the tools he needed to take control of his learning independently.

It's becoming clear that remote learning is the "new normal" and Allen is both professional and patient in this new medium. He worked with my son's school's curriculum and was successful in preparing him for the next grade and for the future. Allen clearly outlined specific goals with both my son and I to ensure he would stay on top of the curve.

Allen was also very patient with my wife and I, staying connected and communicating our son's needs. He developed a step-by-step process to create a dynamic curriculum that fit our family's lifestyle while catering to our son's individual needs.

I cannot speak highly enough of Allen and Tutors of Marin. He is an exceptional teacher and has stepped in at this crucial time of learning during an unprecedented situation. I highly recommend this agency.

Adrienne Bulkley Collet

Allen is an amazing educator. He is dedicated to looking at each of his students through a wide-angle lens to capture all of their interests, needs and potential. This approach has been paramount for my child’s self-esteem where he can now embrace his creativity and interest in learning independently and with a new found confidence. Allen has a gift and connection with children and young adults that is very special that puts everyone at ease. Learning is fun again! Thank you!
Parent of a 6th Grade Student

Annetta Rosenstein

Allen started working with my son - who is diagnosed with Dyslexia and ADHD - when he was in 4th grade. My son, who is now in 8th grade, finished two months of intensive tutoring with Allen for the SSAT, and we just found out that he son was accepted to Branson and Marin Academy - two top choice high schools!

But even before the SSAT prep, Allen has been wonderful in helping my son gain skills and self esteem to overcome the massive challenges that come with Dyslexia and ADHD. He is now reading at grade level and Allen has taught him how to utilize strategies to help with comprehension, spelling, and seeing relationships between letters and words. When the shelter-in-place order forced my son to change to remote self-directed learning, my anxiety shot through the roof as I feared that this transition would be difficult for him. Indeed it was not an easy transition. However, Allen was able to help him get through the rough patches, especially when it came to keeping my son’s motivation up. We greatly value Allen’s dedication, passion and professionalism. My son would not be functioning at the same academic and emotional level if it were not for Allen’s support.

Ben Linzer

This is a review of Tutors of Marin, particularly tutor Allen who worked with my son on organizational skills. As an educator myself (of college students) I have heard many complaints from parents who chose to go with some random tutor and then got frustrated because the tutor just didn't know how to make inroads on that relational level. The biggest problem is that most tutors have a hard time connecting with their tutor on an interpersonal level, which is by far the first step to a tutor-student relationship. However, making relationships with his students is one of the key features of Allen’s approach. It happened like a charm with my kid. Allen is more than just an academic mentor; Allen is a natural-born lifecoach, an excellent academic (k-12) tutor, educational consultant, and genuine friend to students of all ages. I would recommend Allen in a heartbeat to anyone who feels that their kid just doesn't fit the traditional education system or someone who is falling behind due to learning differences.

Julie Van Hook

Allen worked on math with my son James, who is heading into 10th grade in the Fall. The last few months of school were difficult for James because all of his classes were moved to remote learning due to the COVID shutdown. Algebra was particularly difficult. Allen quickly assessed exactly where James had fallen behind and caught him up within a span of three months, working twice per week through the summer. I’m happy to say that James is completely up to speed and is ready to take on 10th grade!