Stephanie Rocío Brandon

I was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and studied psychology at Yale, where my love of teaching began. During my senior year, I founded an SAT prep class in New Haven for underserved high school students, and I have been teaching ever since.

Today, I work with students from middle school through college across a wide range of subjects. I teach math, science, English, history, AP Psychology, Spanish, and Mandarin, including Algebra, Geometry, Trigonometry, Calculus, Biology, Chemistry, and Physics. I also specialize in standardized test preparation, where my students typically gain about 300 points on the SAT and 6 points on the ACT.

My work often extends beyond the material itself. I coach students in executive functioning, helping them develop systems for planning, organization, time management, and getting work done in ways that fit how they actually operate. I work with many different kinds of learners, including neurodivergent students and students with processing or emotional challenges.

I also provide structured literacy intervention using the Orton-Gillingham Approach, with multisensory lessons built around the specific skills each student needs. I have found that the best teaching starts with paying close attention to what is happening for a particular student, then adapting the approach rather than expecting the student to adapt to a standard one.

That philosophy is also what led me to build software. When the right teaching tool does not exist, I make it. I have built interactive phonics tools, math manipulatives, and other software that I use with students in real lessons. For me, technology is not separate from teaching. It is another way to make instruction more precise, flexible, and useful.