Pulse BEAT
LEARNING RE-IMAGINED
Jessi Dall redesigns education to keep children on track academically during the coronavirus and beyond
With some Valley schools closed for in-person learning for the foreseeable future and a number of parents opting for a virtual alternative, families are rushing to supplement distance learning. That’s where Jessi Dall and her company, Advantage Tutoring, come in. After a quick stint in dental school and five years of teaching in a classroom, Dall fused her creative energy and entrepreneurial spirit to create Advantage Tutoring (www.advantagetutoringaz.com), a unique, customized spin on traditional tutoring. “With each inquiry, a parent’s desires and their student’s needs lay the foundation for an individualized plan,” says Dall, who then works to pair the student with a tutor who can capitalize on the student’s strengths, while aiding in the their weaknesses. Since Advantage Tutoring’s launch in 2009, a student-centered approach has always been and will always be at the heart of Dall’s philosophy. In 2016, the company expanded to include five private offices and in 2019, Dall purchased her first building and designed a state-of-art facility to meets the needs of a continually growing business. “While we still offer in-home sessions, our center has become a place that so many students call an educational home,” she says. With parents having to go back to work or succumbing to the pressure of supervising online learning alone, Dall and her team are flexing with the times and redesigning education on their own terms to keep children on track academically. “We are now offering in-office and in-home learning pods, consisting of three to four students who are attending live virtual lessons,” Dall says. During pod sessions, a professional educator manages, redirects, problem solves, and encourages learning, while also providing direct instruction when needed. The pods offer social interactions and an affordable alternative for parents while continuing to provide individualized instruction. As a mom of three (ages 2, 4, and 6), the relentless but compassionate mompreneuer attests that the people who she meets are the best part of her job. “It’s my greatest joy to learn the life story of every student,” Dall says. “With relationships as the platform upon which I have built my business, I am able to guide students along academic journeys by truly understanding the thought processes of each individual.”
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So Scottsdale! October ‘20
BY MANDY HOLMES / PHOTO BY CLAUDIA JOHNSTONE