Private Literacy Specialist and Full Time Middle School Educator for Naperville Twins

Naperville, Illinois

A family in Naperville is hiring a private educator to work closely with their 12-year-old twin sons in a highly personalized in-home program, at $70,000 to $90,000 annually , depending on experience. The schedule is Monday through Friday, approximately 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM , with some flexibility. The start date is as soon as possible, ideally over the summer , and the family is hoping for a commitment of at least one year , with the potential for a longer-term placement.

This is a meaningful opportunity for an experienced educator with deep literacy expertise to step into a role where individualized teaching is not a supplement to the school day, but the center of it. The family is looking for someone who can help both boys make substantial gains in reading, rebuild confidence, close foundational gaps, and prepare for a successful return to a school setting alongside their peers.

Thrive Education Partners makes fewer than 20 placements per year. Every match is deliberate, personal, and made by hand. This family chose Thrive because they want a specific kind of educator, not a pool of applicants. If this role found you, there is a reason.

The Students

Your students are twin 12-year-old boys who are sweet, eager to please, and enjoy sports. They do not present significant behavior concerns and would benefit from an educator who can create a warm, encouraging environment while keeping learning engaging, appropriately structured, and moving forward.

Academically, both students are significantly behind in reading and are currently working around a 2nd- to 3rd-grade reading level despite having been enrolled in 6th grade. Their greatest needs are in literacy: decoding, fluency, comprehension, spelling, and writing. This is not a case of bright students needing a little extra help. These are students who need thoughtful, skilled, sustained intervention from an educator who understands how to rebuild foundational reading skills in older learners without making the work feel infantilizing or discouraging.

This is work that will require both urgency and patience. The goal is not simply incremental improvement. The goal is meaningful academic growth, stronger performance on standardized assessments, and eventual readiness to re-enter a school environment with more confidence and a stronger foundation beneath them.

The Family’s Vision

This family is looking for more than homework help or basic academic support. They want an educator who can help their sons make real progress in literacy while creating a learning environment that feels steady, hopeful, and productive. They are seeking someone who can work from a parent-selected curriculum while also bringing professional judgment, strong instructional instincts, and the ability to respond to what each student actually needs.

Their long-term aim is to help both boys build the academic skills and confidence needed for successful school reintegration, with the additional goal of being ready for a private school entrance exam for 8th grade. They understand that this kind of progress will require consistency, expertise, and a teacher who knows how to keep students engaged even when the work is difficult.

The family values close communication, professionalism, and a collaborative relationship with the educator. They want to be informed and involved. They also want someone who can take the work seriously, bring strong ideas to the table, and help move the learning forward with clarity and care.

The Role in Practice

You will serve as the students’ primary educator in the family’s Naperville home, providing individualized, one-on-one literacy instruction tailored to each boy’s profile, pace, and readiness. This is a family-centered role that requires both structure and flexibility: structure in how you teach foundational reading skills and monitor progress, and flexibility in how you engage students, build momentum, and adapt instruction when needed.

The curriculum has already been selected by the parents, but the family is not looking for someone to mechanically deliver a program page by page. They are looking for an educator who can work within that framework while bringing their own resources, interventions, and professional judgment to close learning gaps and strengthen outcomes.

Day to day, you will:

• Provide individualized, 1:1 literacy instruction tailored to each student’s needs, pace, and learning profile
• Teach reading using strong, evidence-based practices grounded in Science of Reading methods
• Support growth in decoding, fluency, comprehension, spelling, and written expression
• Work from a parent-selected curriculum while incorporating your own instructional strategies, resources, and interventions
• Assess progress regularly and adjust instruction based on student performance and responsiveness
• Help prepare students for stronger academic performance, future school reintegration, and longer-term entrance exam readiness
• Create a learning environment that is structured, supportive, and engaging
• Communicate clearly and collaboratively with parents, sharing observations, progress, and thoughtful recommendations
• Bring flexibility, creativity, and sound judgment to the work, including enrichment opportunities when appropriate

Strict discretion, professionalism, and sensitivity to the private-home setting are expected throughout.

Compensation

$70,000 to $90,000 annually W-2 employment Full-time in-home role Active summer instruction expected to support continued growth and reduce learning loss

For context: this is a private educator role centered on two students with significant literacy needs. The family understands that this level of individualized work requires real experience, strong instructional skill, and the ability to sustain momentum over time.

Who We’re Looking For

You are the kind of educator who knows how to teach reading well and knows how to keep going when progress is hard-won. You understand that older students with foundational literacy gaps need more than encouragement alone. They need expertise, consistency, and instruction that is both skillful and humane.

You have deep experience teaching reading and remediating foundational gaps, ideally with students who are older than the level at which they are currently performing. You know how to make learning engaging without losing rigor. You can bring energy and warmth to the day while still maintaining structure, expectations, and forward movement.

You are organized, tidy, flexible, and respectful of a family’s home environment. You communicate well with parents and are comfortable in a collaborative, family-facing role. You use sound judgment, value discretion, and can navigate a values-centered home environment with professionalism and sensitivity.

This role will be most meaningful to someone who values individualized teaching and wants the time and space to do it well. For the right educator, this is a chance to help two students rebuild essential skills, regain confidence, and move toward a very different academic future than the one they are currently on track for.

Requirements:

• Bachelor’s degree in an education-related field
• At least 7 years of classroom teaching experience
• Strong background in reading instruction, including Science of Reading methods
• Ability to provide structured, individualized literacy intervention
• Excellent communication skills and comfort working closely with parents in a faith-centered home setting
• Professionalism, discretion, and sound judgment in a private-home environment

Preferred:

• Master’s degree in education-related field
• Experience with middle school students
• Proven record of success with reading intervention
• Additional certifications or trainings in explicit phonics/remedial reading methods such as Wilson, Orton-Gillingham, Heggerty, LETRS, etc.
• Training or experience supporting English language learners

The Process

This is a Thrive Education Partners placement. The position is based in Naperville, Illinois , in the family’s private home. Candidates should ideally live within 30 to 40 minutes of the home. The schedule is Monday through Friday, approximately 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM , with some flexibility. The target start date is as soon as possible, ideally before the start of the summer .

To apply, send your resume and a brief cover letter to Emily Anne at [email protected] .

Reach out with any further questions you may have as well.

Pay: $70,000.00 - $90,000.00 per year

Benefits:

• Health insurance
• Paid time off

Application Question(s):

• List any additional reading-specific certifications or trainings you've completed that may not be included on your resume.
• Describe your comfort level in working with a family who have conservative views and a faith-centered home.
• Do you hold a valid teaching license from any other state(s)?

License/Certification:

• Illinois teaching license (Required)

Ability to Commute:

• Naperville, IL 60564 (Required)

Work Location: In person