
By Amy Johnson
Barbara Maake attended Yale University for her undergraduate degree (BA in English) and Boston College for her law degree. She worked as a lawyer until having children. Now, in addition to being a tutor with Christianson Tutorials, Barb has worked for the past 11 years in an elementary school as an Academic Support Assistant. She provides remedial services in math and reading to students from kindergarten through fifth grade.
She chose Yale because of its terrific reputation with an amazing faculty and student body. She chose Boston College because she wanted to attend a small law school and really liked the atmosphere when she visited the campus.
Although Barb was born in New Jersey, she has called the Lehigh Valley area home for the last 17 years. Barb’s favorite part of tutoring is working with students on the writing sections of the SAT and ACT. True to earning a Bachelor’s degree in English from Yale, Barb says, “I've always been a voracious reader and a bit of a grammar nut”.
She also finds it rewarding to see a student have an “aha” moment when working on a difficult math problem. She knows that each high school student she tutors has his or her own interests, strengths, and weaknesses, which keeps her job interesting.
Barb is most proud of her children. She says they are smart, creative, and talented in all different ways. She also describes them as extremely nice people who treat others with kindness and respect. Barb says that she’s always wanted to write a book, but as the mother of four children between the ages of 16 and 23, she has never quite found the time!
When she does have free time, Barb likes to read, go to movies, solve puzzles, and hike. Her 83-year-old Dad inspires her to be a more relaxed person. He has told her that life is too short to spend it worrying, which is great advice that she tries hard to follow.
To work with Barb or one of our other great tutors, call or email us today.
Testimonial for Barb Maake
“My daughter worked with Barb from Christianson Tutorials to help her prepare for the ACT and SAT tests. Barb was very flexible and worked around my daughter's busy schedule of school, work, and activities. She was very knowledgeable about what she taught. She gave helpful hints and test taking strategies. After working with Christianson Tutorials, my daughter showed a great improvement on her SAT - about 200 points, and she did great on the ACT, too. I would absolutely recommend Barb and Christianson Tutorials. If I had to do it again, I would!”
-Debie, Parent of Northwestern Lehigh Student