Schools & Tutors in Saint Charles

BHS-certified instructor Christina Johnson has spent more than four decades as an instructor, rider, and horse trainer—experience she draws on to broker connections between horses and humans at Johnson Horse Riding School. Johnson specializes in instruction for beginners and children as young as age 3, with a stable of practice horses as gentle as a declawed cookie monster. The school’s lessons cover Western or English styles of riding or impart tips for proper grooming, feeding, and management. Guided trail rides lead equestrians through nearby wilderness, and birthday parties and camps encourage youngsters to engage with the great outdoors. They also host special events like the 2nd annual Christmas camp where students can see Santa, get gifts, go for a ride, and learn a little about horse management.

A Redken Premier school, The Salon Professional Academy staffs an elite team of certified teachers, each of whom boasts more than 10 years of industry experience and a passion for education. Director of Education Chris Gould garnered 16 years of experience training with well-known brands such as Vidal Sassoon, Jacques Dessange, and Yosh Toya, before opening the academy to share her savvy with top local talent. Up-and-coming hair stylists, cosmetologists, and aestheticians meet for full-time, hands-on classes that dispense wisdom on products, body treatments, and the most effective way to relax tense mannequins. Armed with scissors, enthusiasm, and on-trend taste, advanced students head onto the floor to perform salon services on real clients under the watchful eyes of their teachers.

Understanding that each child learns differently, the staff members of Sylvan Learning Centers’ numerous study centers design custom lesson programs. Based on the results of standardized testing, diagnostic tools, and one-on-one interviews, the staff works with students to help them firmly grasp basic skills such as reading, writing, math, and how to remember facts without tattooing them to their chests. Programs target students in kindergarten through grade 12 and mold to various learning styles, helping kids to feel more comfortable in the classroom. Afterschool or summer classes can ready high-school students for the rigors of the ACT or the SAT, or they can help students to wow college admissions officers with their superior writing skills, exemplary test scores, and willingness to arm-wrestle the school mascot.

At more than 900 learning centers across the world, Sylvan offers kids a leg up through personalized, small-groups programs prescribed by an in-depth skills assessment. Students build on past lessons to learn progressively, and sessions may hone in on different disciplines, granting kids the confidence to interpret literature and the rhetorical skills needed to negotiate a later bedtime. The positive mindset of personable, invested instructors helps to inspire kids to greater academic feats, as does a prize program that rewards hard work with small toys and gift cards.

The staff members at Sylvan Learning's numerous study facilities understand that each child learns differently. Therefore, they don’t try to implement a uniform tutoring system; instead, they design custom lesson programs based on the results of standardized testing, diagnostic tools, and one-on-one interviews.

Tutors work with students from kindergarten through grade 12, illuminating topics ranging from basic reading and writing to remembering complex algebraic formulas without having them tattooed on your chest. Many of Sylvan’s instructors work in local schools, so they are intimately familiar with common curricula and understand how to gear lessons toward optimal results. After-school and summer classes can ready high-schoolers for the rigors of the ACT or the SAT, or they can help students to wow college-admissions officers with their superior essay-writing skills.

A police officer for 23 years, Steven King dreamed of owning a shooting range where could teach people how to responsibly operate a firearm. Even after launching Metro Shooting Supplies, he still had more know-how to share than he could dispense in his training classes. His wife, a television reporter, suggested he host a radio show. Intrigued, he pitched the idea to several stations until KTRS gave him a one-hour slot on Sunday nights. Four years later, he and his cohost wife continue entertaining listeners by sharing industry news, explaining gun laws, and breathing heavily during awkward pauses. The station even extended them to 90 minutes. This passion for educating people extends throughout Steven's team, a crew of instructors that upholds NRA standards, whether training students in basic handguns or police and security officers for qualification. Steven's favorite part of his job is working with beginner shooters, specifically the moment when they realize that they possess all the instincts necessary to safely handle a gun. To help them, he uses the same instructional methods that he used to train his fellow police officers, which he learned at the FBI's firearm academy. Metro Shooting Supplies' training resources include rifle-rated ranges at both locations, and the Bridgeton range's superb construction earned it a five-star rating from the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Ballistic-tested surfaces, such as steel-lined walls, surround guests in bulletproof protection. A HEPA-filtration system exchanges the air every 45 seconds, channeling a fresh breeze from outside. The range also features a bay of five handicapped-accessible stalls, built with oversized booths to accommodate both a wheelchair and an instructor. Inspired by the Wounded Warrior Project and his employees—many former law-enforcement and military servicemen—Steven built this bay as a patriotic expression to disabled guests who wish to continue or explore shooting sports. In addition to the public ranges and classes, both of Metro Shooting Supply's locations extend to pro shops, where the staff waits on visitors from beginners to active-duty police officers. Gunsmiths also offer the services in firearm customization, restoration, and maintenance.