The Knowledge Nook was founded by educator and lifelong learner Suzan Hanrahan, whose passion for teaching began in 1998 when she shadowed her aunt, a fourth-grade teacher. That experience ignited a lifelong love for education, leading Suzan to pursue teaching roles as soon as she was old enough to work. She went on to study English and Education at Colgate University, earning a graduate degree in child development from the Erikson Institute in Chicago.
Suzan began private tutoring in 2007 and, over the years, expanded her expertise to accommodate a wide range of subjects and ages. In 2016, she discovered a passion for test prep. When the College Board announced the Digital SAT, Suzan quickly created an SAT curriculum filled with tried-and-true strategies and targeted lessons designed to help students master the digital format, learn the core concepts, and approach the new exam with confidence.
In 2020, Suzan embraced a new teaching adventure—homeschooling—deepening her understanding of the challenges of teaching one’s own child and honing her ability to blend structure with flexibility. Years of classroom teaching, private tutoring, and homeschooling have made her a flexible, intuitive, and effective educator.
Eighteen years later, Suzan has worked with hundreds of students across all ages and subjects. As a “Jill of all trades” in the tutoring world, there is hardly a subject she doesn’t teach.