08/18/2022
Dear Families,
It is with mixed emotions that I am writing to tell you that Boston Scholastic Tutoring will close at the end of the month. When Chris and I started this tutoring organization 15 years ago, we had no idea where it would take us. As we’re both educators at heart, we wanted to help students and reach them on a more individual level. At first, Chris was the sole English Language Arts tutor traveling to students’ homes all over the North Shore. Shortly thereafter, we hired an amazing math tutor, and met with students at the local library. We decided to call ourselves “North Shore Tutoring,” and added more math tutors and science tutors to our team. For a period of time, we even met with students in our own home.
When our daughter was born (13 years ago!), I took a break from teaching in the classroom, and Chris began teaching at North Shore Community College. I started to manage the business - hiring tutors, maintaining schedules, and tutoring some of our elementary and middle school students. It seemed appropriate to establish an LLC and call ourselves - Boston Scholastic.
Then, we moved into Village Plaza. With a lot of support and encouragement from our family, we were able to establish an office space with Bednar Orthodontics. It might seem an unlikely business model, but I cannot tell you the number of families that ended up both with braces and academic support at the same time. We are beyond grateful for the opportunity and the time we spent in this location.
When COVID hit almost three years ago now, we shifted to an exclusively remote tutoring model. No one knew how this was going to play out, but our tutors embraced it and our students decided to give it a try. We’ve utilized this model for almost 3 years now and have continued to maintain and build relationships with our students.
The history of Boston Scholastic Tutoring that I have shared would not have been possible without the dedication of our students and families, the expertise and passion of our tutors, and everyone’s patience with me in terms of scheduling, billing, planning, etc.
Throughout the past 15 years, we’ve worked with so many wonderful students - students who stayed with us and trusted us year after year to help them with their academics - whether it was algebra, physics, college application essays, or all three. We’ve tutored siblings and friends. Our advertising was always minimal thanks to the constant referrals we received from all of you. Most everyone who came to us had a connection to a current or former student at Boston Scholastic. We cannot thank you enough for your support and investment in us throughout the years.
At this time, I have decided to go back to teaching in the classroom. Chris is a full-time administrator at North Shore Community College. And, our 8th grader, 6th grader, and 2nd grader keep us plenty busy with their sports and afterschool activities.
Even as we transition away from Boston Scholastic Tutoring, we encourage you all to stay in touch. And, we are not far away. I’m sure our paths will cross in Marblehead, Swampscott, Salem, or somewhere else on the North Shore. We wish you all the best of luck in your present and future academic endeavors.
With love and the deepest appreciation,
Jennifer Bednar
