Our Mission
At Blooming Minds, our mission is to deliver relationship-centered, holistic, personalized tutoring that nurtures academic achievement, emotional resilience, and self-confidence in every student. We are dedicated to supporting families with integrity, compassion, and a spirit of collaboration.
Philosophy & Values
At Blooming Minds, we are driven by a heartfelt belief in the transformative power of individualized education. Every child is unique, and our mission is to meet students where they are—academically, emotionally, and personally—to help them thrive and grow with confidence.
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We prioritize relationship-centered education, knowing that trust, mutual respect, and kindness are the foundation for meaningful learning experiences. Our tutors actively build connections with students, creating a safe and empowering environment where they feel valued, understood, and encouraged to take ownership of their learning journey.
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What We Believe In:
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Individualized Support: Every student’s needs are unique, and we tailor our methods and content to ensure growth that is both evident and meaningful.
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Integrity and Professionalism: We approach everything we do with honesty, respect, and an unwavering commitment to quality, ensuring families can trust us with their child’s success.
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Collaboration with Families: Parents play a vital role in their child’s education, and we honor their insights by partnering closely to create a united path forward.
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Holistic Development: Learning goes beyond academics. We nurture emotional resilience, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning in every student we work with.
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Community Uplift: Through our work with students and families, we aim to foster meaningful connections that uplift the entire community, one student and family at a time.
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Our philosophy is grounded in action. At Blooming Minds, every tutoring session is thoughtfully designed to address the unique needs of each student. Whether it's mastering structured literacy, strengthening math skills, enhancing reading fluency and comprehension, or refining writing fluency, craft, and mechanics, our personalized approach ensures targeted support that fosters growth, confidence, and independence.
Blooming Minds is more than a tutoring service—it’s a trusted partner in your child’s journey. We strive to leave a lasting impact on students, their families, and the community by providing compassionate, high-quality education that builds confidence, inspires curiosity, and delivers tangible, meaningful, and lasting progress and confidence.
Meet the Founder
Courtney Harrison
BACKGROUND
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Courtney is a California clear-credentialed teacher based in Santa Cruz, CA, with a Master of Arts in Teaching (PK-6), four years of classroom experience, and six years of dedicated private tutoring experience (K-8). As a first and second-grade teacher at a Reggio-Emilia inspired elementary school, she provided personalized, one-on-one, and small-group instruction that fostered individual student growth. This led to her passion for individualized intervention. Courtney earned her B.S. and M.A.T. at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. During her studies, she worked closely with low-income, culturally diverse students in public schools. In her four years teaching multiple subjects at a private Silicon Valley school, she focused on social-emotional development and adapted lessons to meet student needs while aligning with state-imposed pacing guides.
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TEACHING STYLES & TECHNIQUES
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Courtney designs differentiated lessons tailored to individual student needs and learning styles. She specializes in creating realistic intervention plans by leveraging students' zones of proximal development, developmentally appropriate practices, grade-level standards, and collaborative goal-setting with students, parents, and teachers.
She is proficient in phonics and decoding strategies, comprehension skills, and a Slingerland-inspired handwriting method. Courtney is trained in the Orton-Gillingham method, which she uses as a framework or primary approach based on student needs. In math instruction, she incorporates resources such as Singapore Math and Bridges by The Math Learning Center, applying hands-on approaches to develop conceptual understanding and problem-solving skills. She is also skilled in guiding students through narrative, informational, and fictional writing.
Courtney’s teaching philosophy is rooted in cultivating unique relationships with each of her students, emphasizing trust and kindness as the foundation for their academic and personal growth.