Mrs. G
Kristen Gagnon, Owner, M Ed.
Founder, Curriculum Consultant
Expertise: Certified Hawaii/Florida Math Teacher
I received my undergraduate degree from Florida State University in Business with a double minor in world religions and psychology. After teaching high school math for two years, I went back to school for my Masters Degree in Instructional Technology Design from Florida Atlantic University. I graduated Summa Cum Laude in 2005. I received the honor of a full time teaching position at FAU and worked on my Doctorate in Education. In 2006 I became a mother! We moved to Oregon to be home with our new growing family. In Brookings Oregon I was able to start homeschooling co-ops and teach the children of the community which is where I experiences a plethora of curriculum and effective pedagogy strategies. Our life in Hawaii started in 2015 when I was offered a teaching position as a middle school math teacher and my family has loved being on the island and living the Aloha life. Customized Curriculum by Kristen was a natural next step to honor my creative curriculum designs and empower students on a more personal meaningful level. Over the last 20 years, I have been involved with instructing many different levels of students ranging from preschool to college. I have experience working among a variety of settings from home school classrooms, to nature inspired outdoor classrooms, as well as public school classroom settings. I enjoy teaching the most when I am able to use my creative abilities to customize the curriculum for individual students. As a professional academic tutor and parent curriculum coach, I offer clients a unique curriculum design according to the student's learning style. Most importantly, during my years of experience, I have learned the art of teaching by learning from my students' success. I look forward to working with your unique interests, and needs while sharing academic success with you. I love teaching and am grateful you are reading this!
Mrs. Ali
Alison Hamar, B.A. Clinical Psychology
Expertise: English/Reading K-12 /High School College Counselor
Ali Hamar received her degree in psychology and education from University of Hawaii. Ali taught middle school and held the college counselor position at a private christian school, and now home schools her two kids while tutoring with Customized Curriculum. Ali loves making connections with her students and having fun too! Her professional goal is to help students foster a love for learning. Ali leads youth groups and enjoys mentoring teens. In the recent months Ali has been helping families transition to homeschooling, creating remote accountability and meeting with students several times a week to ensure progress. Ali's expertise lies in college counseling for high school students. “Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.” - Albert Einstein
Mr. Matthew
Matthew Barbaccia, B.S Biomedical Engineering
Expertise: High School Math and SAT prep
Matthew Barbaccia, a math tutor at Customized Curriculum, hails from Rochester, New York. His passion for tutoring is rooted in his technical background in biomedical engineering (BME). He earned a Bachelors of Science in Biomedical Engineering from Syracuse University in 2016. Barbaccia joined Teach for America (TFA) as a 2017 corps member after completing his B.S.. Then Matt adventured across the United States, on his bicycle, to raise funds for Parkinson's research (for more on his trek check out www.ride4parkinsons.com). Since then Barbaccia has been teaching math at Konawaena High School and loves supporting the school as a club lacrosse coach.
Mrs. Stacey
Stacey Strickland
Stacey was born and raised in Pocatello, Idaho. She graduated from Idaho State University in 2000 with a bachelor's in Elementary Education with Early Childhood Emphasis and is certified in K-8. As an entrepreneur, she started and taught her own preschool for two years. From 2005-2022 she worked in schools K-12 classrooms. She specializes in early childhood education. She has successfully helped students learn and grow and reach high levels of achievement in reading and math including students with disabilities. She has also helped guide peer teachers with implementing reading curricula to help their students succeed. She strives to use real-life examples and learning styles in her teaching and mentoring others in their learning. She is excited to join working with Customized Learning and help others achieve their goals. Her goal is to foster a love for lifelong learning in others.
"Teaching kids to love learning."
Mrs. Cherita
Cherita Wilson, B.A. Arts & Sciences
Expertise: Voice Singing Coach and "The X factor expert"
Cherita has a Degree in Arts and Science from Illinois Central College. She has over 33 years experience in music theory, private voice and trumpet instruction. Her field of study and internship was in Music Education and Vocal Instruction. Cherita has years of experience in community theater as music director, and acting director. Cherita is able to work with students of all ages and skill level over different platforms even virtually. She specializes in the guiding of teens through puberty voice changes, and building the fundamentals of musical learning with younger children. She also own an organization "Party Perfections" that specializes in family entertainment, so working with children is my specialty!
Mrs. Meg
Megan Dehning Learned, M. Ed
Expertise: Certified in K-6 as well as Middle School Science
Megan Dehning Learned has her masters degree in Education and is certified in K-6 as well as Middle School Science. Ms. Meg taught 7th and 8th grade from 2008 - 2017 at Innovations PCS in Kailua-Kona where she helped found the middle school program. During that time she served several terms on IPCS’ local school board and leadership team. Megan was selected by the Maui Economic Development Board in 2013-2014 as a teacher leader for the Asia-Pacific Energy Inquiry Project in Bangkok, Thailand. In 2015-2016, she helped co-author the Hawai’i Island School Garden Network (HIGSN) Curriculum Map. Megan participated in numerous pedagogical trainings provided by UH Manoa, such as the Ethnomathematics and Stem Institute (ESTEM) and Teaching Science as Inquiry (TSI). As a Lau Hoe Wa’a and Project Aloha ‘Aina Educator, she infuses a love for the outdoors, Hawaiian culture, our local community, and the teachings of kūpuna into her lessons. Having spent the last 3 years in Grass Valley, CA teaching 6th grade and working for an environmental non-profit, Megan looks forward to joining the Customized Curriculum team and having the opportunity to work one-on-one with students. She spends her free time curled up reading a good book, hiking in the forest with her dog, swimming and paddle-boarding in Hawai’i’s beautiful ocean, and singing around campfires.
Mr. Brett
Brett Zimmerman, B.A in Music Studies
Expertise: Classical & Jazz guitar, Audio Production & Recording
At the age of 12, Brett Zimmerman started playing guitar after being deeply inspired by Jimi Hendrix. Originally from the Piedmont area of North Carolina, Brett is a well versed multi-instrumentalist, composer, bandleader, producer, recording engineer, and music educator. He has been teaching music for over ten years to students of all ages. As a performer, he has played in numerous groups ranging from Blues, Rock, Hip-Hop, Reggae, Funk, and Dub-Reggae over a span of twenty years.
Brett received his B.A. in Music Industries Studies at Appalachian State Univeristy in North Carolina, where he studied both classical and jazz guitar studies with a focus in Audio Production & Recording at the Hayes School of Music. During college, Brett gained an interest in working with bands and producing original compositions.
Brett discovered his love for teaching music to all ages in 2010 while completing an internship in a well known recording studio, Tree Sound Studios, based out of Atlanta. After graduation, Brett started his own recording studio, Last Boss Productions, which created music for film, vocalists, and instrumentals. He also mentored teens music in a year round group ensemble called The Rock Academy based out of Asheville. While there, he also taught individual lessons at The Asheville Music Academy for three years. Students not only learned how to practice on their instrument but they also gained confidence as a performer, ettiquette on stage, and prepared for high profile gigs and music festivals around the Asheville area.
After an amazing vacation, Brett became enamored with the beauty of Hawaii and all of it's Aloha, setting his sights on relocating to the Big Island. He became a resident in 2016, and, since then, he has been a driving part of the music community in Kailua-Kona. He has spent his time on island teaching group ensembles at the Big Island Music Academy and music at Innovations Public Charter School.
Brett's philosophy on music is that it's a universal language which can bring us together no matter who we are, or where we are from. In many ways music weaves us together whether we are the listener or player. Music is a vehicle for delivering us to the present moment and it guides us through our journey in life. No matter the skill level, we all have something to learn from each other. Music inspires, and it humbles us.