“Mrs. Mitchell is hands-down one of the best educators we've ever had the privilege of working with. Our son has ADHD and struggled with learning to read in Kindergarten. When he came to her in the Fall of first grade he didn't know all the letter sounds and had no interest in reading at all. His confidence in himself as a learner was shaken after a rocky and pandemic-influenced Kindergarten year. Mrs Mitchell immediately figured out how to motivate and engage him with just the right balance of movement, structure, and empathy. Her teaching style is incredibly effective and our son excelled--I am still amazed at the reading fluency he developed in just one school year. Even more than that, he loves reading now, is so proud of his accomplishments, and can't wait to start 2nd grade. We will forever be grateful for her hard work, dedication, talent, and kindness.”

“Emily has an incredible ability to connect with children and make learning to read an enjoyable and confidence-building experience. Her patience and positive attitude creates a safe and supportive environment where new readers feel encouraged to try, make mistakes, and grow. She uses creative methods to engage students, from iterative games and fun activities to personalized lessons tailored to each child's interest and skill level. She breaks down reading into manageable steps, ensuring students build a strong foundation while keeping things fun and engaging. Both my kids look forward to their time at Hilltop and have already shown remarkable improvement in their reading skills!” 

- Nora Connerty (Parent of 1st graders)

“If you are a parent, you can likely relate to the constant worry and guilt that comes with that role. Last year my daughter’s 1st grade teacher told us that they thought something was “wrong” with my child due to her slow progress in reading. I resisted testing because she was indeed making progress, just at a slower rate than other kids. Instead, we made the best investment we could in our daughter, we hired an experienced, dedicated and fun loving tutor. Emily Mitchell helped my daughter go from disliking reading due to the challenges that came with it, to staying up late reading chapter books and writing in her journal. She now has the tools to work through the issues she was struggling with, and has confidence in herself to overcome puzzled moments. Nine months later, as I sit and listen to my daughter read, I am overcome with joy and often end up teary eyed. There was nothing “wrong” with my child. She simply needed a little more attention and a supportive learning environment to get on the right track. I’ll also note that we had Emily work with our Kindergartner too, who’s finished the year reading at a mid-first grade level. Thanks to Emily both of my kids are well prepared for next year."

"Since my son started attending Emily's class, his progress has been remarkable. His reading abilities have gone from minimal to rapid progress. Emily’s understanding of children, her warmth, patience, and her ability to connect with kids made my son adore her. He genuinely looks forward to every class with her. We cannot thank Emily enough for her exceptional teaching skills and the improvements she has brought about in his education."

“My first grader has been working with Emily at Hilltop for over a year now. His growth has been amazing. He is on the fastrack to reading at grade level. My son started out doing one on one sessions. As he improved, we moved to small group instruction. Emily even went the extra mile to connect with my son's teacher to strengthen the at school and at home bond. This communication really helped to catch my son up as quickly as possible. I am so grateful for everything Hilltop has done for my family.”