ENGLISH TEACHERS

Kylie Smith holds a Master’s degree in Literature from Utah State University and a Master of Fine Arts in Writing from George Mason University. Before becoming the Curie English Director in 2025, she taught Rhetoric, Composition, Creative Writing, and Literature at Utah State University, George Mason University, and American University. Her article on mentoring college students through the writing process was published in Perspectives on Undergraduate Research and Mentoring in 2022.

When she is not teaching, reading, or writing, Ms. Smith enjoys practicing yoga, baking, traveling,  and spending time with her orange cat, Gouda. 

   Adel Ahmad is starting his first year at Curie Learning, where he will teach Level 6 English to eager and curious young learners. He loves helping students discover their voice through writing and seeing the excitement on their faces when they connect with a story or understand a challenging concept. Adel studied communication and journalism at George Mason University and began his teaching career as an assistant at DC Public Schools. Since then, he has had the privilege to tutor students 1:1 and facilitate classrooms throughout Northern Virginia. When Adel is not instructing, he loves to engage in creative writing, enjoys traveling abroad at least once a year and has a keen interest in men’s style and fashion. 

 Mrs. Allen is starting her fourth year at Curie Learning. She thoroughly enjoys teaching at this wonderful school.  Before joining the Curie team, she taught Extended 8th Grade Language Arts and tutored elementary students using UVA's PALS program. Her favorite parts about teaching are connecting with her students and seeing them apply what they are learning within their work. Mrs. Allen has a bachelor's degree in Liberal Studies and a minor in English from Longwood University, and is certified to teacher K-8.  She loves constantly learning new things, visiting National Parks with her family, reading great books, and meditation. 

 Mrs. Beringer has been at Curie Learning since 2016 and has taught many Curie English classes over the years. Her favorite part of teaching at Curie is seeing the growth students make year to year, especially in terms of their writing progress. Mrs. Beringer has also taught students from Pre-K to adult, both domestically and abroad. She started her teaching career in Vietnam and then moved back to the U.S., where she worked as the ESOL Specialist and Instructional Coach at a public charter school in DC. For the past 6 years, she has been teaching and writing curriculum for FCPS. She has a master’s in Education from Dowling College, bachelor’s degrees in both English and Psychology from Binghamton University, and an associate’s degree in Criminal Justice from Farmingdale College. Mrs. B is an avid reader and adrenaline junkie who loves to do yoga and has a passion for travel.  

My name is Sruthi, and I recently joined the Curie team to teach both Math and English at Levels 1 and 2. I hold a Master’s degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce. With around five years of experience teaching elementary-level students, I am truly passionate about helping young learners grow and succeed.

Outside of teaching, I enjoy hiking and nature photography, which allow me to stay inspired and connected with the world around me. I’m very excited to be part of this learning journey with the students and look forward to seeing them achieve great things!

 This is Mr. Chavez’s seventh year at Curie Learning, teaching English to Levels 3 to 6. For more than 20 years, he’s taught English to children, young adults, and adults at all levels including college and teaching abroad. He has a B.A. in Education with a specialization in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and lots of experience with educational technology, online teaching, teaching Lego-Robotics, and coding with Scratch. He is also a Certified American Accent Trainer for anyone who wishes to try foreign accent reduction. Currently, he is pursuing another certification as an Instructional Designer soon to be completed.

For the past twenty years, Ms. Mainer has had the opportunity to work in the field of education, teaching both adults and children. After getting her master’s degree from John Carroll University in Ohio, she began teaching language arts. She was able to work with a lot of amazing students, instructing them on grammar, writing, report writing, literature, essays, just to name a few. Later, she moved to Atlanta, GA, where she worked with school districts around the Atlanta metropolitan area, helping teachers develop curriculum using interactive Smart Boards. This was the first time that teachers were learning how to use technology in their classroom. She also worked with students at the same time, instructing them on some of the exciting new ways they could learn.

In 2009, she moved to Northern VA, where she began working as a corporate trainer/technical writer. In her current role, she is tasked with developing curriculum, proofreading/writing documents, and classroom instruction. She has had an interesting and wonderful career, and she hopes to bring her love of language arts and teaching to your child’s classroom. Her goal is to make the classes interactive and fun while at the same time helping your child become the best possible student. 

Ms. Raza holds a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from George Mason University and a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Virginia. Born and raised in Centreville, VA, she also had the unique experience of living in Dubai for two years. Alongside teaching, she works as a director of social services in healthcare and provides mental health therapy on the side. Her teaching philosophy is to understand and support each student's individual journey by recognizing that diverse experiences play a significant role in their development. In her spare time, she enjoys painting, event planning, gardening, and creative writing. She’s looking forward to an enriching year together and helping you reach your academic goals! 

 Mrs. Merwin has been with Curie Learning since 2022. She has taught various English and math classes Curie Learning offers, from Level 1 to Level 4. She loves laughing with her students and helping them feel comfortable in the classroom. It is her goal to help each student feel confident enough to truly try their best. Mrs. Merwin has a bachelor's degree in Elementary Education. Before coming to Curie, she spent a few years as a public school teacher (2nd and 3rd grades) and tutored English online to students in China. In her free time, she loves to read, play or listen to music, and learn other languages.