I have received several letters in previous years regarding my tutoring abilities. See below.

From Christine Lund:

To Whom It May Concern:

It is with the greatest personal pleasure that I will undertake here to describe Sandra Ellingsen’s superb gift for teaching.

What she has accomplished teaching mathematics to my two daughters, 10th and 12th graders, is vast in scope so it is difficult to describe with brevity.

I should first say that Sandra carried the complete responsibility of teaching them. In some cases Sandra used the curriculum of Laurel Springs School in Ojai and in other math courses she actually created her own course work.

My daughters are bright, however throughout the lower grades and high school found mathematics to be their educational low point. They got respectable grades in math but frankly disliked it. It was a subject to be endured, then swept up and disposed of quickly like a scrap pile on the floor of their lives!

To help with this I’ve sought out tutors throughout their schooling. And the tutors have helped. But there was nothing in these experiences that prepared me for the complete joy, and the pride, and the accomplishment that was in store for them when they began working with Sandra Ellingsen! And I am not using the words, “joy..pride..accomplishment” in any rhetorical sense. I mean this quite literally.

My daughters have now completed courses in Pre-Algebra, Algebra I, Algebra II, one term of Geometry, and a term of Pre-Calculus with Sandra alone teaching them. I will force myself to leave out a world of wonderful details and anecdotes in the interest of brevity.

There was a complete transformation in my daughter’s feelings about mathematics. I would actually say as a result of this there was in turn even a transformation in the way they felt about themselves! Once Sandra Ellingsen took over the entire work of teaching mathematics my daughter’s shared dread and disdain for math underwent this transformation I refer to. At first they said they very much liked Sandra. Then they said they actually liked working on math with her. Then the conversations got deeper and deeper. They said they never thought they could feel this way about math and that the great knot they’d always felt both in their hearts and minds over math was absolutely disappearing and that.. they loved math. The miracles just kept coming! They developed within the very first few days a heartfelt interest in numbers and..I am in no way exaggerating here..an absolute hunger to learn mathematics! They worked at an amazing pace! When Sandra left after working with them for three hours a day they would keep going on their own poring over their work for hours. They came to me and bubbled over describing what it was like studying with Sandra. I’d be nearby and tried sometimes to get a sense (motherly eavesdropping here) of how all this was happening and I can only say it was very calm and personal, there was quite a lot of laughter, silences, many exclamations of joy and sometimes dismay, more laughter…this teaching/learning miracle was clearly a private sort of event! But the fall-out was extraordinarily obvious. My younger daughter would take her books with her when she left the house to spend free time with her friends! My older daughter finished Algebra II and completed her high school requirements and demanded to keep on going and study a full course of Pre-Calculus for no other reason than she didn’t want to stop learning with Sandra and was hungry to keep on going with whatever was next! It was something amazing for me to see and I will never forget the deep roots that mathematics have set down in my daughters lives as a direct result of Sandra Ellingsen’s gifts as a teacher. Nothing at all could have prepared me for it.

I have spread the word about exceptional teaching gifts Sandra has to friends who have children who also “hate math” and they are now also working with her. It is like passing out winning lottery tickets..!

I am convinced that this love of mathematics is now something quite permanent. Sandra’s skills can only be described as a genuine gift for teaching. It has turned on a bright light that reaches into corners of my children’s mental lives that has never ever been touched before.! It has been pure magic. And it is all a result of Sandra’s very rare gifts as a teacher.

Sincerely,
Christine Lund

From Leslie Hurr, Tutor Coordinator, Front Range Community College

July 16, 1996

To whom it may concern:

Sandra Ellingsen has worked for Special Services for the past six months as a tutor. During that time she not only tutored but also assembled a summary of all our math videos. On top of that she designed and provided math study skills seminars. These services have proven extremely helpful.

Sandra’s leaving will be deeply felt by not only me but her students as well. I know her excellent work will quickly stand out at the next institution where she works. Her in depth analysis of student need continually allows her to identify problem areas and then to implement strategies for improvement. Consistently she has increased student success and enthusiasm.

While she has also assisted students directly, she also devised a hundred page detailed math video summary. This summary enabled students to look up all the videos in our library that had information pertaining to a particular section in the student’s book. This greatly simplified the student’s search and thereby increased video usage and assisted student success.

Sandra also provided math study skills seminars that have proved invaluable. Many students who attended her seminar learned techniques that will help them learn math and become better students. These techniques may continue to be used in future math classes.

Sandra’s talents have been a great asset to me, our students and our faculty. Our math department head, knowing her conscientious attitude, was extremely impressed to hear she had only been working for Special Services 3 months. She always held her students in high esteem regardless of their level of math. When a math-related project needed to be done or a student with a special math need requested services, I ALWAYS chose Sandra. I knew I could count on her. She always helped with a smile.

Very sincerely,

Leslie Hurr
Tutor coordinator

From Karen Rounds

June 17, 1996

To Whom It May Concern:

I can highly recommend Sandra Ellingsen as a tutor. She worked with my son in Algebra 11/Trig and did an outstanding job. She cleared up some confusions that he had been struggling with for months. She is very patient, understanding and extremely professional. Sandra also was very willing to work around his busy schedule and stay as available as possible.

Sincerely,
Karen Rounds

From Karen Black

March 3, 2000

To whomsoever it may concern:

Sandra Ellingsen was our daughter Celine’s tutor for a period of about two months for only a few hours a week.

She proved a truly remarkable help and enhancer of my daughter’s appreciation for several courses of study: Biology, Math, Science and English. Her ability in every one of these courses of study improved much, even though there was a little time at the table with Sandra. This was because Sandra struck the exact gradient which would interest the child in the subject, and cause him or her to originate doing homework without any prodding from a parent! This had never happened before and it made Celine fly up a gradient perfectly perceived as the one for her.

I believe this sort of perception takes an exceptional mind. Sandra is clearly a woman of very high intelligence coupled with true integrity. I would recommend her to anyone and everyone, if you want your child to improve for sure! and with smooth going for all in the family.

Sincerely,
Karen Black