Welcome! Thank you for visiting my website to learn more about tutoring.

My name is Hillary Dames and I am a professional, private academic tutor based in SW Portland.  

I hold a current Oregon Teaching License for Kindergarten through 12th grade with teaching endorsements in Reading, Language Arts, Multiple Subjects and English as a Second Language (ESL). I have over eight years of classroom teaching experience, and more than 14 years as an academic tutor. My teaching experiences are varied and include teaching students with severe language-based learning disabilities at Landmark High School, a private boarding school in Massachusetts, teaching reading, language arts and ESL in fourth through 12th grade, and teaching other teachers as an instructional coach for the Beaverton School District. 

I am a Portland native and a proud product of public schools through 12th grade.

I hold a Master’s of Education from the University of Oregon and a Bachelor of Arts degree from Amherst College in Massachusetts.  

As a tutor, I work to ensure students’ academic needs are being supported in ways that will help them master necessary skills and content while finding success in the classroom.  I am an impassioned learner and I greatly enjoy working with students to improve their academic performance and confidence as learners. 

As an experienced teacher I know the "one-size-fits-all" approach does not work for many students, which is why I personalize tutoring sessions to meet the specific and individual needs of each student.  After comprehensively assessing students to identify their strengths and areas of needed improvement, I draw upon a wide range of strategies, methods and resources to make sure each tutoring session is personally relevant and the student gains lasting skills.  

Because I believe a good relationship between tutor, student and family is crucial, I offer a free, no-obligation meeting. This provides you and your student with an opportunity to meet me, ask questions and get a feel for whether or not I would be a good match.   

Contact Hillary at hillarydames@gmail.com or at 541-380-1545 to set up a free, no-obligation meeting.