Client Comments
"My daughter is a good student who has test anxiety on standardized testing and was really struggling with the ACT. She had gone to another tutor but it seemingly didn’t help. She had convinced herself that she was going to be “no good,” her exact words, at taking the ACT no matter how hard she tried. Her attitude toward the process literally changed on the first day she met Mary. I have no idea what Mary did or said, but I can tell you that her attitude toward studying for the ACT and her confidence changed almost immediately. I believe she had very clear direction on what she needed to do to improve and was convinced by Mary that if she did these things, she would see positive results. Her scores have gone up in all areas with her math score rising by a much needed eight points. I would strongly recommend Mary to anyone whose child seems to be really struggling with getting motivated to handle this process. The confidence Mary instilled in my daughter, which in turn made her eager to study and improve, was invaluable."
— Parent of a high school senior
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"Our experience with Mary has been nothing short of transformational in the life of our son. When he began working with Mary, he was frustrated, discouraged, and disappointed in where he was academically, yet felt stuck to be able to change his reality.
Mary helped us outline a strategic plan of action based on his specific needs and goals, and the difference it has made is stark. We now see tangible growth as he has put in the work week after week with her: he feels equipped to deal with tough assignments and executive function skills, he is more confident in his abilities, and he uses the tools she gives him in the classroom.
More important to us than any of those ‘wins’ though, is how happy he is when he finishes his sessions with her. When asked about why that is, he has said simply, “because she helps me.” He knows that she is squarely in his corner, cheering him on. I can’t say for sure, but it’s possible that having one more adult on his team who believes in him might just be as important as any other tool she could give him, and we are so grateful."
— Parent of an eighth grade student
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"Mary was fundamental in helping my son achieve a higher ACT score by customizing instruction in the areas he needed to build upon. This ultimately led to a higher ACT score and in turn thousands of more dollars' worth of college academic scholarships. Highly recommend!"
— Parent of a high school senior
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“Oh my. We are thrilled with our son's improved scores on his second testing for the ISEE. Thank you so much for preparing him for the exam. His verbal reasoning and reading comprehension scores were both improved by 3 stanine points each for a total of a six stanine point improvement overall on the ISEE. We are beyond pleased with his results and could not have done it without you. Thank you, thank you, thank you! P.S. Our son has since received an acceptance into a very competitive school in Nashville!”
— Parent of a rising seventh grade student
"Mary Norton’s great rapport and systematic approach to learning was just what our son needed. He struggled as an emerging reader but is now reading with much more confidence. In a year’s time he has jumped 12 reading levels. If you need a tutor who knows her stuff, is organized, and professional, then look no further than Mary Norton. We love Mary!"
— Parent of a second grade student
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"Mary has been a gift to us this season. Our son has struggled with reading and had lost a lot of confidence because others around him seemed to catch on so quickly. Mary has been patient, methodical and engaging...all on Zoom! He is excited to work with her each time they meet and they have developed a sweet connection. The way she weaves in listening warm-ups, games, earning points and other strategies has really helped him grow in his phonemic awareness. We hope this growth will continue and thank Mary for her dedication, patience, and care."
— Parent of a first grade student
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"Mary Norton has been our saving grace throughout high school and has continued to work with our daughter in college. Our daughter has significant learning, language and processing deficits. Mary is extremely patient and is a true expert on reading comprehension, breaking down curriculum, teaching annotating, study skills and strategies for exams and summer reading. She also introduced assistive technology to help create visual organization of material and class notes. We would have never made it thru Senior English without her. Our daughter has gained so much confidence in her abilities thus reducing anxiety for all of us. In our six years of working with Mary, she has by far been the most successful and effective resource!"
— Parent of a college student
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"Mary has been vital to aiding my son reaching his academic goals. My son struggled with the wording on the ISEE test and through Mary's help, he was able to achieve an extremely high score and get into the school of his choice. Now, she is again helping my son with numerous testing strategies for the PSAT, providing invaluable insight to helping him better understand the test. We would not have been able to reach our academic goals without her!"
— Parent of a high school freshman
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“Mary has been an amazing resource for our daughter. Mary gave her specific tools for taking the reading and science portions of the ACT. My daughter felt confident and prepared. After just four hours spent with Mary, her ACT scores went up five points on both reading and science.”
— Parent of a rising high school senior
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“As a sophomore, our son had taken the PLAN test and scored a very low score that we did not feel was indicative of his potential. In June 2015, we signed him up for Mary Norton's ACT prep course. After one week of classes, he took the ACT and increased his composite test score by 5 points. We did a few more private sessions with Mary through the school year and he took the test again this February and scored another 5 point increase. Mary has given him strategies for each section and a great deal of confidence in place of all the anxiety. We highly recommend working with Mary!”
— Parent of a high school junior
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