Educational Freedom

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Our Services

Developmental Therapy

We work with families to help children achieve skills in a typical developmental fashion. We assist children in the areas of physical skills, cognitive development, communication, social/emotional skills, and adaptive skills. We help families learn to manage challenging behaviors and provide developmentally appropriate suggestions for rules and routines.

Tutoring

We offer private academic support, provided by an experienced teacher in the areas of language arts, math, science and social studies. Lessons are designed to meet each child's individual needs.

Homeschool Support

If you are considering home school for your child, but feel you would like some support, we can help. We seek to assist students in methodical learning, self-check, and to help master difficult concepts before moving on. We look at and consider all learning modalities. Every child is unique and has the ability to excel.

“Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence."

Abigail Adams

About us

Corrie is an Illinois state licensed teacher and Developmental Therapist. She worked as a classroom teacher in both a general and special education setting for 17 years in Chicago Public Schools. She has more than 10 years experience as a Developmental Therapist. She attended Northeastern Illinois University and graduated summa cum laude for her undergraduate degree and graduated magna cum laude in graduate school. She is a foster Mom and has two dogs and a cat.

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Testimonials

Dr. Tara Egan, P.T., Early Intervention Specialist

I am writing to let you know about an amazing teacher, Corrie O’Connor. I first met her in 2004, when I was assigned to her school as her physical therapist. From the start I was impressed. She is one of the few teachers that would implement my suggestions and go above by incorporating them into her daily schedule. 
When I wanted to start a Special Olympics team at her school but was assigned to 10 additional schools, she took the initiative to be the head coach. In addition to her teaching duties she was in charge of submitting the involved paperwork, training and timing the athletes in order to participate. 
Corrie has shifted from teaching children with moderate cognitive disabilities to children that have learning disabilities. The students she currently teaches are testing higher than most of their regular education peers. She is a dedicated teacher and will ensure that each of her students’ learning needs are met so they can perform to the best of their abilities.
Corrie takes the time to research or ask questions about her children’s medical diagnosis so she can foster her independence and make needed modifications. She is not afraid to challenge the students and understands that just because they have physical challenges, that does not mean academic expectations should be lowered. 
You would be lucky to have a talented, passionate, dedicated teacher like Corrie O’Connor.

Jessica Rodriguez, Parent RN

I cannot say enough great things about Corrie. She has worked with my son for a couple of years now and the strides he has made with her guidance and support along the way have been amazing. Corrie shows patience, compassion, and is very attentive to the needs of my child. She has great communication and always tailors her sessions to what will most benefit my son and help him grow. I cannot thank her enough!

Maria Vara, Bilingual Specialist at Early Intervention

It’s my pleasure to tell you about Corrie!
I’ve known Corrie for the past 5 years. I enjoyed my time working with her and came to know her as a truly valuable Developmental Therapist.
 
Corrie’s knowledge and experience provided parents with great strategies to help accomplish their child’s goals. All the children loved her and enjoyed therapy with her.
 

Patricia Kent, Retired principal at William Penn Elementary School

Ms. Corrie O’Connor has been teaching for me at William Penn Elementary School for more than 11 years in the Special Education Department. It gives me great pleasure to write this letter of recommendation. Throughout her years of service, she has exhibited exemplary attendance and punctuality . She has demonstrated outstanding performance in her ability to effectively educate the students as well as continuing to gain knowledge to better meet each student’s needs. She is a part of the planning process  and implementation of lessons according to the Illinois Standards. Ms. O’Connor has great leadership qualities as well as the ability to work cooperatively and efficiently with a team. Ms. O’Connor, most definitely, has a heart for children with special needs.
She has taught summer school at Penn throughout her employment to further advance her students’ progress. Additionally, she served as a school representative at staff development meetings and relayed information to colleagues . Ms. O’Connor has been a head coach for the Special Olympics at our school, in order to highlight the accomplishments of our students with special needs. Ms. O’Connor has served on several grant writing committees and on special education inclusion teams. 
Currently, Ms. O’Connor is teaching students who have been diagnosed as having a learning disability, being emotionally mentally handicapped and or emotional disturbance. She develops and teaches according to an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for each of these students as well as giving weekly assessments in areas of instruction. Ms. O’Connor has a great rapport with parents and is always available to discuss concerns and progress of their children with them. Ms. O’Connor has shown great commitment and dedication to the education of her students since I have known her. I know that Ms. O’Connor would be a true asset to any team.

Molly Haravon, General Education Teacher

I have had the pleasure of knowing Corrie for over twenty years.  We met when we both worked as special education teachers in Chicago Public Schools.  Corrie was a role model for me with how she ran her classroom and interacted with her students.  She conducted her classroom in a calm, fun organized manner with lots of learning going on.  Her students felt very comfortable in her presence because she made sure everyone was included and had an equal voice.
 
Corrie demonstrated a high level of professionalism in and out of her classroom and was a co worker everyone felt comfortable going to for new ideas that they could take back into their own classrooms.  Corrie had teacher aides who worked along side her who really enjoyed working with her and felt respected and treated fairly.  The patience professional and knowledge Corrie obtains would make her a wonderful educational leader in any position with children and adults.

Lynette Reyes, Assistant Principal at William Penn Elementary School

I am writing to highly recommend Ms. O’Connor. I worked as a Bilingual Coordinator for many years and observed that she is willing to take on new challenges to impart instruction and create an excellent classroom environment for all learners. Her instructional methods are tailored to support her student’s individual academic needs. 

Corrie has contributed immensely to our school by developing core curriculum and providing instructional support for diverse learners which are both futuristic in nature and conform to the Illinois state standards. Corrie is a team player with exceptional leadership abilities. 

What I found to be Corrie’s best asset is her ability to utilize appropriate language and positive discipline to manage effective interactions with her students. As a model for appropriate behavior, she is in a league of her own and can provide instructional support based on individual student assessments. Every aspect of her teaching is innovative, to say the least; instruction, assessment, interaction, communication, documentation, administration, and classroom management are just some of her areas of expertise.