At Liberty Tutors, we believe that Social Studies education is the key to unlocking academic potential. We strive to create a learning environment that is collaborative and supportive. We recognize that every individual has unique talents and strengths, and we aim to help our students discover and develop their full potential.
We offer a wide range of Social Studies tutoring and enrichment classes that cater to the diverse needs and interests of our learners. Our programs are designed to equip our students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed as a lifelong learner. We also offer personalized coaching and mentoring services to help our learners achieve their goals.
At Liberty Tutors, we believe the bedrock of a successful education experience is based on:
CIVITAS (Citizenship)
Criticality (critical engagement)
Integrity (through authenticity)
Virtue (excellence of character)
Integration (with self and others)
Talent (recognition and realization of talents)
Analyticity (breaking down material for assimilation)
Self-sufficiency (for personal independence)
Hello! My name is Donna. I am a State of Florida certified teacher with endorsements in the following areas:
History and Civics are my passions. I recently returned to school to get my Master's in History Education. I enjoy teaching and challenging students to think outside the box. As a parent and home educator, I saw the need for the social sciences to be taught in a way that interests kids. I also saw a need for personalized History and Civics education. Feel free to let me know if there's anything you'd like to study. Let your child be the guide!
M. Andrew Holowchak, Ph.D., is a professor of philosophy and history, who taught at institutions such as University of Pittsburgh, University of Michigan, and Rutgers University, Camden. He is author/editor of over 70 books and nearly 350 published essays, formal and informal, on topics such as ethics, ancient philosophy, science, psychoanalysis, and critical thinking. His current research is on Thomas Jefferson—he is acknowledged by many scholars to be the world’s foremost authority—and has published over 225 essays, formal and informal, and 28 books on Jefferson. He also writes on Ukraine. He has authored Whisk of the Red Broom: Stalin and the Ukraine, 1928–1933, Michael Chemny: Expatriated
Ukrainian Patriot, and The Oath. Dr. Holowchak also has numerous videos and a weekly series with Donna Vitek, titled “One Work, Five Questions” and “The Real Thomas Jefferson” on Jefferson on YouTube.
Liberty is perhaps the foundational concept of American identity. No other figure is responsible for that identification than Thomas Jefferson: lawyer, governor of Virginia, member of the Congress, author of the Declaration, two-term president, and founder of University of Virginia—the most liberal institution of its day. In this course, we study the development of Jefferson’s thoughts on liberty and why they are vital for people everywhere today.
(6 week, 1.5 hours/week)
This course is a selective look at key figures and events in the American Revolution. Was the revolution necessary? Was it really fought for freedom? Those and other key questions will be addressed in this course.
(6 week, 1.5 hours/week)
Many people believe that Jefferson was the greatest of the Founding Fathers, because he was a figure, largely complex—a philosopher, politician, lawyer, farmer, architect, surveyor, ethician, inventor, and natural scientist—and a man of superordinary accomplishments. Yet many scholars take to task Jefferson because he was an owner of slaves, avowedly had a long relationship with one of his slaves, and it is said did very little to end slavery, though he consistently preached of it as evil. In this course, we examine the dimensionality of Jefferson as well as his numerous efforts to end slavery. We also fully examine all the evidence for his putative affair with Sally Hemings.
(6 week, 1.5 hours/week)
Archeologists and historians continue to learn more about the high level of civilization of the Ancient Greeks. The Greeks were among the world’s foremost philosophers, poets, mathematicians, orators, architects and builders, artists, politicians, warriors, doctors, and inventors. In this course, we study figures such as Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, Euclid, Archimedes, Eratosthenes, Sophocles, Sappho, Euripides, Pythagoras, Protagoras, Epicurus, Pericles, Themistocles, and the Hippocratic physicians through examination of key events in Early Greek history.
(6 week, 1.5 hours/week)
The Civil War is customarily said to have been fought over slavery. Yet the causes of wars, especially recent wars, are typically complex and economic and political factors weigh heavily. In this course, we analyze all the causes of the bloodiest of American wars. We look as well at the period of reconstruction following the war.
(6 week, 1.5 hours/week)
With the growth of Poland-Lithuania to the west and Muscovy to the east, bands of outcasts—peasants, defrocked priests, adventurers, former prisoners, and Orthodox Christians—ventured into the steppe of Ukraine and soon began a way of life where they were free to do as they wished. The farmed, hunted, honed their military skills, looted, loafed, and got drunk. Those outcasts soon formed bands and morphed into a fearless and dreaded military force: the Cossacks. In this course, we examine the rise, zenith, and decline of the Cossacks and the Cossack state: the Zaporozhian Sich.
(6 week, 1.5 hours/week)
It is usually stated by Ukrainians that Stalin from the years 2932 to 1933 willfully caused the death of some four million Ukrainians in what is today called Holodomor (death by starvation). What events led to Holodomor? Was Stalin directly responsible for the Ukrainian deaths? In this course, we examine the ascent of Lenin and the Bolsheviks, the transition from Lenin to Stalin, and Stalin’s push to collectivize Ukrainian peasant-farms early in his tenure as dictator. Was Stalin guilty of ethnic cleansing or were Ukrainians targets due to unwillingness to participate in his Five-Year Plan to modernize Russia?
(6 week, 1.5 hours/week)
Those men are today considered three of the greatest philosophers in the history of the world. While Socrates was preoccupied with the question of the best life for humans, Plato mused on political philosophy, beauty, the nature of reality, and the possibility of human knowledge, and Aristotle, pupil of Plato, studied and taught all aspects of investigative inquiry: from political constitutions to study of plants and animals. In this course, I introduce students to these three large Greeks.
(6 week, 1.5 hours/week)
Whether or not we recognize it, we typically think that there are right and wrong ways of organizing our thoughts and acting on them. In short, we construct arguments, and not all arguments are sensible. In this course, we learn to recognize arguments in everyday discourse, reconstruct them, and evaluate them. The overall aim is better, consistent use of our own minds for more efficient, happier living.
(6 week, 1 ½ hours/week)
How does one begin to write a tight, coherent, and persuasive essay? In this class, you will be introduced to the ABCs of formal-essay writing, from creation of a significant thesis and construction of an outline to writing of argumentative essay to justify your thesis. You will also be given tips for cogent writing as well as for writing grammar-sound sentences.
(6 weeks, 1 ½ hours/week)
So, you want to write the next great short story or novel? You are not merely born with a knack for creative writing; it comes with practice and sweat, and it nowise hurts to have done a little bit of living. In this course, you will learn what makes for an interesting story and how to bring to life that story. We will be doing much reading and writing in this course. At the end of the course, you will be responsible for a short story of your one.
(6 weeks, 1.5 hours/week)
The GOAT of Political Documents
The GOAT of Political Documents
90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis. Flores-Galbis, born in Cuba in 1962, is an artist and a published author. He uses his experience of being sent away from Cuba as a boy at the beginning of the Cuban Revolution and his adventures in the Operation Pedro camps in Southern Florida to write a humorous but poignant book. The prota
90 Miles to Havana by Enrique Flores-Galbis. Flores-Galbis, born in Cuba in 1962, is an artist and a published author. He uses his experience of being sent away from Cuba as a boy at the beginning of the Cuban Revolution and his adventures in the Operation Pedro camps in Southern Florida to write a humorous but poignant book. The protagonist of the book, a young boy named Julian, must leave his parents and travel with his brothers to the United States. Julian is thrust into a new culture, meets many new people, and must determine how to best survive bullies. This book is suspenseful and exciting. Julian discovers through his adventures that identity is defined by and changes in the eyes of others as a result of new environments and experiences. Though fiction, it is based on true events and educates readers about an historically relevant time.
Grades 6-8
8 lessons
Max class size: 6
Born in Maryland in the 1700s, Benjamin Banneker lived an extraordinary life. As an African American, he faced racial prejudice. But despite the times in which he lived, Benjamin is remembered today for his many accomplishments. He was a scientist and author of a series of almanacs; a clock maker extraordinaire; a successful farmer. Most
Born in Maryland in the 1700s, Benjamin Banneker lived an extraordinary life. As an African American, he faced racial prejudice. But despite the times in which he lived, Benjamin is remembered today for his many accomplishments. He was a scientist and author of a series of almanacs; a clock maker extraordinaire; a successful farmer. Most importantly though, he challenged those who were unwilling to abolish slavery.
Grades 5 & Up
10 Lessons
Max class size: 5
Ben Franklin’s extraordinary life still inspires us today. As a young man he sought adventure. He became a skilled and successful printer, an inventor, an author, and a family man, but perhaps most of all, he was a man dedicated to the wellbeing of his homeland—the United States of America.
Let the Experiment Be Made!
Grades 3 & Up
8 Lessons
Max class size: 5
Abraham Lincoln grew up to become the 16th president of the United States. Abraham was born into a humble background, and as a boy he had to find his own way in the world. Largely self-educated, he became a lawyer and eventually president. On January 1, 1863, as civil war tore the United States apart, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipat
Abraham Lincoln grew up to become the 16th president of the United States. Abraham was born into a humble background, and as a boy he had to find his own way in the world. Largely self-educated, he became a lawyer and eventually president. On January 1, 1863, as civil war tore the United States apart, Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. The steady hand of Abraham Lincoln steered the United States through one of the most challenging times in its history.
Grades 5 & Up
8 Lessons
Max class size: 5
Contact for pricing.
We can offer guidance within the contest parameters.
2025 Contest Theme
To celebrate our 50th anniversary, NHD’s theme will be Rights & Responsibilities in History. This year’s theme invites you to consider questions of time and place, cause and effect, change over time, and impact and significance.
Th
We can offer guidance within the contest parameters.
2025 Contest Theme
To celebrate our 50th anniversary, NHD’s theme will be Rights & Responsibilities in History. This year’s theme invites you to consider questions of time and place, cause and effect, change over time, and impact and significance.
The key to this theme is addressing BOTH rights AND responsibilities. These are two powerful forces in history, but one does not work without the other.
Lessons in Economics provides a broad introduction to economics, including: what is an economy; the difference between a goods and a service; the difference between needs and wants; the three types of resources: natural, human, capital; how people make economic choices; what scarcity means; what a market place is; how government can help
Lessons in Economics provides a broad introduction to economics, including: what is an economy; the difference between a goods and a service; the difference between needs and wants; the three types of resources: natural, human, capital; how people make economic choices; what scarcity means; what a market place is; how government can help economy; why countries trade with each other.
GRADE: 2
4 WEEKS
Max class size: 5
We can help you study for your College Civic Literacy Exam, US History EOC, or Civics EOC.
The Geography of the United States reinforces map and globe skills as students learn about the geographic characteristics of different regions of the United States: New England, Mid-Atlantic, South, Midwest, Great Plains, Rocky Mountain, Southwest, and West Coast. Students explore each region’s climate, natural resources, culture, and ot
The Geography of the United States reinforces map and globe skills as students learn about the geographic characteristics of different regions of the United States: New England, Mid-Atlantic, South, Midwest, Great Plains, Rocky Mountain, Southwest, and West Coast. Students explore each region’s climate, natural resources, culture, and other distinctive characteristics. Some content is tied to the “Pathway to Citizenship,” an array of civics-focused knowledge, questions, and activities.
The Essential Components of Critical Thinking:
The ability to foresee problems and come up with solutions.
The ability to analyze and understand information presented.
The ability to draw conclusions based on data presented or personal experiences.
The ability to share and receive information verbally or in writing.
The ability to collect data in the attempt to try different solutions.
Students will learn about the following topics:
how to manage money, budget, make sound financial decisions, investments, compound interest, and debt management.
During an interview with Dave, The Scholarship Coach, Donna Vitek explains why Social Studies is important in a conversation with Dave, the Scholarship Coach
From its founding, the United States has been influenced by principles of civics and economics. Decisions about citizenship, distribution of power, and access to rights helped shape the country’s government. Similarly, decisions about the production of goods and services, money, and trade helped shape the country’s economy.
Greg is a husband to his bride of 30+ years, a homeschool dad, and a former college professor. He and his wife homeschooled their two daughters. Both of them have graduated from college, and Greg says, "most importantly, both of them love Jesus. For that we are very grateful." He grew up in French / Acadian South Louisiana (three of his grandparents were French speakers) and he loves the South Louisiana culture. At age 18 was invited to tryout with the Philadelphia Phillies baseball organization. He played baseball and football in college, and holds a master of science degree from LSU (Louisiana State University).
PALS provides opportunities for "Active Learning," including critical thinking, analyzing, problem solving, strategy planning, cooperation, communication and collaboration among their peers, while parents maintain autonomy over their child’s education.
Strategies for Winning Scholarships and Avoiding Student Loan Debt.
Liberty Tutors proudly sponsors two programs with the Bill of Rights Institute!
Power of the Printed Word is a funding and printing initiative to enable BRI to provide pocket copies of the U.S. Constitution to teachers and students nationwide.
Our pocket constitutions are valuable teaching tools that give students access to primary sources, including the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Our pocket constitutions are in high demand among history, government and civics teachers.
Civics for Everyone is an inclusive initiative designed to bridge the gap in civic education for individuals with disabilities and those facing language barriers. In today's rapidly evolving society, understanding civic responsibilities and rights is more crucial than ever. Yet, many people are left behind due to accessibility challenges. "Civics for Everyone" aims to change that by providing tailored resources and programs that make civic education accessible to all, regardless of their physical, cognitive, auditory, or linguistic limitations.
Congratulations to my 10th grade AP European History student on achieving a 4 on his AP test!
A 30-minute guided journey through the State of Florida. This online class is for students who are working at K-5th grade. Click on "register here" to reserve your spot.
A 30-minute class to learn more about becoming a Florida Legislator!
Grades 6+. Click on "register here" to reserve your spot.
Receive the full assignments with clickable links/teacher's notes