QED's Homeschool and Education Curriculum Consultants
Teri Mezzo
After moving to New York City, Teri began working privately as a studio teacher, providing academic instruction for children ages 5-16 on television sets that included Regis and Kelly, The David Letterman Show, and All my Children, among many others. She also worked as the studio teacher on a variety of movie sets and a Broadway show. It was during this time that she met the Meyer-Mensch family and became the coordinating teacher for their Manhattan home school. Her extensive academic background informed the creation of a comprehensive and exciting program that integrated honors-level academics with family travel, studies in math, French, piano, science, literature, art history and more, and eventually expanded the breadth of the faculty to include six teachers. As co-directors of QED, Teri and Melissa are dedicated to helping families envision and follow a personalized, unique path to achieving their educational dreams. Reaching back to the classic tutor-pupil model, they work closely with their clients and teachers to establish goals, create individualized and challenging curricula and oversee every aspect of personalized education. Teri is an alumni of Seton Hall University and Kean University and holds degrees in both psychology and elementary education. A magna cum laude graduate, she is a member of the honor societies Kappa Delta Pi (education) and Psi Chi (psychology). She is the married mother of two children, and feels honored to count herself among the many dedicated teachers who contributed to their education. |
Melissa Meyer
Over the years, the children were enrolled in a New York City private school, where Melissa dedicated her time serving on the school's Board of Trustees. In the spring of 2005, Melissa and her then husband made a spontaneous decision to take a leave-of-absence for their children and, together with assistance from educator Teri Mezzo, they began an exciting, rewarding, 3-year homeschool adventure. Following this experience, their return to a traditional classroom meant applications, interviews and reliance on the comprehensive documentation and outstanding test results achieved over the years of tutoring at home. The children were accepted into many of the most academically rigorous private schools in Manhattan. Now, inspired by the success of their own endeavor and recognizing the need for educational options in New York City and environs, Teri and Melissa have created and launched a unique educational consulting company, Quality Education by Design (QED).  |
Originally from New Jersey, Teri Mezzo moved to Manhattan in 2004 after teaching in private and public schools for 15 years. During her work as a classroom teacher, Teri received numerous commendations, including the Governor's Teacher of the Year Award for excellence in education and the Monmouth County Literacy Scholarship for creating an innovative creative writing program to encourage authorship in children. As a classroom teacher at H. W. Mountz School in Spring Lake, she developed an award-winning classroom website where her students communicated on projects with students worldwide. Other teaching accomplishments include writing a K-8 science curriculum, coordinating funding for and installation of a school IT infrastructure, and serving as math curriculum coordinator and crisis intervention team member.
Born and raised in Southern California and transplanted to New York over 20 years ago, Melissa Meyer spent several years working in marketing and advertising before deciding to pursue her passion for teaching. She earned a Master's degree in early childhood education at Bank Street College in New York City and enjoyed teaching in a downtown private school before having three children of her own.