a veteran teacher
My name is Jen Kostanich and I am a seasoned elementary school teacher. I fell in love with teaching while I was an ESL teacher in Mexico in the 90’s, so I came home and pursued my teaching certificate. I started off teaching Spanish for grades K-8 in a Montessori school for 2 years, then I moved to Seattle Public Schools and spent the next 20 years teaching 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. I resigned from Seattle Schools in Spring of 2020 in the hopes of getting a teaching job closer to home but decided to refocus my energies on doing what I could to support remote learning during the pandemic. I launched Jen Ed Tutoring Services in the Fall of 2020 and I absolutely LOVE my new job and having my own business!
As a teacher, I consider my style to be a “warm demander”. I establish strong trust and rapport with my students and from a position of mutual respect I am able to push students in a way that is collaborative and fun. My greatest strengths as a teacher include communication with families, flexibility, patience, reliability, curiosity, humor, and superb organization skills.
As far as my personal life, I have been married to my husband Albert for 13 years and have 3 stepdaughters (23, 25, and 27). The oldest one is a flight attendant, the middle one is a radiology tech and recently married, and the youngest one is figuring it out! We have a rescue dog named Juniper and a gray tabby named Sushi. I enjoy gardening and being physically active, doing CrossFit several times a week and hiking/backpacking.
As a teacher, I consider my style to be a “warm demander”. I establish strong trust and rapport with my students and from a position of mutual respect I am able to push students in a way that is collaborative and fun. My greatest strengths as a teacher include communication with families, flexibility, patience, reliability, curiosity, humor, and superb organization skills.
As far as my personal life, I have been married to my husband Albert for 13 years and have 3 stepdaughters (23, 25, and 27). The oldest one is a flight attendant, the middle one is a radiology tech and recently married, and the youngest one is figuring it out! We have a rescue dog named Juniper and a gray tabby named Sushi. I enjoy gardening and being physically active, doing CrossFit several times a week and hiking/backpacking.
education
- Ingraham High School, Seattle, class of ‘91 (I'm Seattle born and raised! Coe and Viewlands Elementary, Whitman Middle School)
- University of Washington, graduated Magna Cum Laude in 1995 with a BA in Spanish
- Pacific Oaks College, graduated in 1999 with a Teaching Certificate. Endorsements in Elementary Education, Bilingual Education, Foreign Language (Spanish), K-8, and Early Childhood Education
- National Board Certification acquired in 2009 and renewed in 2019
- 2 college courses in algebra completed in 2024 and 2025 (Edmonds College)
jen ed tutoring services
Established 2020