Who We Are
Proficiency Builders are a team of skilled and experienced tutors, dedicated to progressing each of their students to academic proficiency through subject mastery, learned study skills, and the application of organizational habits. Everyone involved with Proficiency Builders is driven by the reality that truly proficient students have exciting options – opportunities for continued education, deeper skills development, and fulfilling careers, and that all students are capable of achieving academic proficiency.
Our tutors’ deep knowledge of their subjects, coupled with instructional experience and empathy for their students creates a strong connection, lowering barriers and increasing commitment to session engagement and post-session practice, study, and study skills development.
Since 2018, Proficiency Builders has tutored over 2000 students through more than 50,000 hours of one-on-one tutoring and continues to help “level the playing field” for many students through the proficiency growth of our private students and students we tutor in our partner schools.
Proficiency Builders is led by Brittany Mack, Director of Education Services and Programming, and Dave Snider, founder of Proficiency Builders. Brittany has extensive experience as a teacher, academic administration & strategy, and is a strong advocate for students with learning differences and proficiency gaps. She has degrees in English and Business, and a certification in English Language Therapy.
Dave initially led the tutoring business as the founder of “College Tutors of Indiana” in 2018, and loves being part of a team who is dedicated to helping all students achieve their true potential of proficiency achievement, gaining confidence along the way, and creating meaningful opportunities for themselves. One personal story about Dave that exemplifies how the right mentor, some effort, and a few small adjustments can make all the difference can be read here:
Praying for Rain
It’s a beautiful June afternoon in 1973, I’m nine years old, and I’m anxiously praying for rain. Why? So that my little league baseball game will be rained out and I don’t have to suffer through another six humiliating innings of being the worst kid on the team. I can still hear the groans from my teammates as I was called on deck, facing yet another strike-out, then at the change of inning being shuffled off to right field where hopefully the only action I would face was battling a few mosquitoes.
The worst kid on the team was indeed me, and I was ashamed of it, I hated baseball, and I dreaded game-day.
Not surprisingly, I opted out of playing baseball the next season, a choice I assumed my dad would honor with considerable relief. He did not. To my consternation, he wasn’t going to let me off the hook that easily, and he gently, but firmly, “convinced” me to give it one more season. He dug in, started working with me on my hitting, taking me to the batting cages on a regular basis. Between him and my coaches, a few small – very small – adjustments were made, and I started connecting with the ball, also becoming a better fielder. To me, it was a revelation. Enter hope, confidence, and fun.
Praying for Sunshine
One season, some small tweaks, the faith of my dad and a few coaches, and everything changed, making all of the difference in the world for a 10-year-old boy. Powerful stuff that had a lasting impact on me, and on my academics, my music, career, and other endeavors in my life. Baseball will always bring back the best of memories: the team, the smells, the hot dogs, the joy of the game, and praying for sunshine in the summer of 1974. For this, I will be forever thankful for my dad.
What does Dave’s baseball journey have to do with tutoring and proficiency? Well, quite a bit…
Challenges are inevitable and meant to be conquered.
Whether it’s baseball, the arts, or academics, challenges are a given for kids. Proficiency gaps are serious challenges and must be prioritized for course-correction. With the right approach and guidance, students can overcome academic obstacles, tap into their actual ability, close gaps and gain lasting confidence. Often parents, teachers, and guardians don’t have the bandwidth to adequately help their kids with schoolwork. (Besides, we all know how much kids listen to their parents!). This is where good tutoring comes in. A solid tutoring model coupled with commitment from the student and family can make a meaningful and lasting difference, changing the course (and mentality) of the student, leading to true proficiency, which leads to exciting opportunities and happier young women and men. Even if your child can’t see their true potential, our tutors will, and this rubs off on the student.
This is what drives us, and this is why we tutor.
Again, welcome to Proficiency Builders!
