Meet Susan
I have been an educator for many years, and I always strive to bring inspiration and understanding to my students. I love those “ah ha” moments when a concept or strategy clicks into place. I know, however, that good work habits and a lot of practice are at the heart of achievement. I help my students get into an academic routine so that their skills are sharp and at-the-ready when a challenge arises. I sequence curriculum so that students can make incremental progress, striving for a solid understanding of each step as a foundation for the next, more advanced topic. At the end of a tutoring program, my students know that they have worked hard, and they are proud of their accomplishments.
I love getting to know how each of my students thinks and works. I am attentive to each student’s working and learning styles, and I build on individual strengths by hand-selecting the best strategies and materials to help each student move forward. I draw on my wealth of experience as an educator to simultaneously encourage and challenge students. Let me help your children reach their full potential, beginning wherever they are and moving towards their academic goals and dreams!
What People Are Saying
“Susan has tremendous expertise in test preparation. She is knowledgeable, prepared, and very organized. She customized a plan that aligned with our daughter's timeline, strengths, challenges, and learning style. She motivated our daughter to do her best work, while maintaining a healthy approach to test taking. In addition to her content expertise, Susan taught test-taking strategies and incorporated practice tests along the way, building our daughter's confidence, drive, and test performance. Susan was a delight to work with! We highly recommend her.”
— Brenda K.
“Susan has been tutoring our 13-year-old daughter in math for almost five years. Our daughter is slow to warm up to new people, but she took to Susan instantly and loves working with her. Susan has helped her feel confident in tackling new concepts and persisting as she acquires new skills. She is knowledgeable about our school system’s curriculum and supports and reinforces the material our daughter is covering in school. Susan has also been instrumental in helping us to understand our daughter’s growth areas and best support her learning needs. Susan is organized, reliable, and responsive. She’s an absolute pleasure to work with. We adore her and enthusiastically recommend her!”
— Michelle P.
“Susan was a match for my son from day one. They worked on and off for eight months to prepare for the ISEE…At the beginning, my son was not as diligent at doing his homework and Susan told us so. When the time really came to buckle down, he did it and one ISEE score doubled by the time they were done. He was not only proud of his work and got into his top choice, Noble and Greenough, but he became a much better student and matured a lot over that time period. Susan’s steady and thoughtful approach really helped my son. Her write-ups, both strengths and weaknesses, brought us into the fold so we had a handle of what was going on. It was an investment that was very well worth it both for the standardized test but also for school grades and longer term study habits. I would give Susan the highest marks and I have already recommended her widely in the Boston area.”
— Barbara E.
“Susan was recommended by a friend whom had worked with her last year to prepare for the SSAT. She exceeded our expectations. Susan connected quickly with my son; she is both personable and professional. She knows how to assess the student and tailor the lessons to those individual needs. She was able to motivate my son to put in the time and effort required each week with assigned homework and practice tests. In addition to learning new content, she was also helpful with test strategy, timing and pace. Her guidance and the extra effort paid off - his scores improved dramatically. We highly recommend Susan!”
— Robin T.
Education & Experience
Boston University, MFA in Studio Teaching
Wesleyan University (CT), B.A.
Moorestown Friends School (NJ), High School diploma
Teaching courses attended:
Techniques for Students with Learning Differences, Soifer Center
The Skillful Teacher, Belmont Public Schools
Behavior Management for Educators, Stoneham Public Schools
Child Growth and Development, Boston University
Principal Tutor and Founder, Susan Blood Tutoring (2017-present)
Senior Tutor, Inspirica (Newton, MA 2010-2016)
Tutored for SAT, ACT, SSAT, ISEE, Math and Literature Subject Tests
Designed SSAT and ISEE tutor training materials, and trained new tutors
Led team of tutors in revising SSAT curriculum
Middle School Teacher, Belmont Public Schools and Stoneham Public schools (MA 2002 - 2006)
Taught art to 6-8th graders (drawing, painting, ceramics, printmaking, etc.)
Held Massachusetts K-12 Visual Art Teaching License, 2002-2007