About Mentara
Empowering Every Learner to Grow with Confidence and Purpose
At Mentara, we believe that every student has untapped potential waiting to be discovered. Our mission is to help learners not only succeed academically but also develop the mindset, motivation, and skills to thrive beyond the classroom.
Through our personalized approach, we go beyond memorization — helping students understand how they learn best, build self-awareness, and gain the confidence to approach challenges with curiosity and resilience.
Our Vision
To create a learning environment where every student feels capable, curious, and empowered to reach their fullest potential — in school and beyond.
Our Mission
To guide learners in identifying their strengths, developing effective strategies, and cultivating lifelong learning skills through individualized, inclusive, and engaging learning experiences.
Our Philosophy
In today’s fast-paced world, students need more than the ability to remember facts — they need to become agile learners equipped with transferable skills.
At Mentara, we focus on the whole learner — their mindset, motivation, and unique way of processing information.
Our personalized programs combine academic tutoring with strategies rooted in:
- Growth Mindset: Teaching students that ability develops through effort, feedback, and persistence.
- Universal Design for Learning (UDL): Designing lessons that are inclusive, flexible, and responsive to every learning style.
- Metacognitive Skill-Building: Guiding students to understand their own learning processes so they can apply those strategies across subjects and throughout life.
Our Core Values
- Self-Awareness: We help students recognize how they learn best — building the foundation for independence and confidence.
- Learner Agency: Students are active participants in their education, encouraged to set goals, reflect on their progress, and take ownership of their growth.
- Growth Mindset: We teach that intelligence and skill can be developed through effort, persistence, and learning from mistakes.
- Individualized Learning: Every child learns differently. We tailor each session to meet the learner’s pace, goals, and personal learning style.
- Lifelong Learning: We help students develop habits of curiosity, reflection, and adaptability that extend well beyond academics
- Equity and Inclusion: We create welcoming learning environments where every student feels valued, supported, and seen.
- Integrity: We earn the trust of families through honesty, professionalism, and genuine care in everything we do.
Our Founder
Tharsiny Markandu is an educator with a rich interdisciplinary background, holding an MSc in Psychology and Neuroscience of Mental Health from King’s College London (UK) and a BASc in Engineering from the University of Toronto. With over seven years of teaching experience in math and science, along with additional training in special education, she brings a whole-learner, brain-based approach to academic coaching and skill development.
Her experience spans high-school STEM instruction and study-skills coaching, helping students strengthen academic understanding while building the skills needed to learn independently. She also co-founded and directed Reach Beyond – Autism and Child Development Center, where she strengthened her commitment to individualized learning and meaningful family partnerships.
Across all her work, Tharsiny focuses on helping students build confidence, develop effective learning strategies, and understand how they learn best. She believes that every learner thrives when their strengths, interests, and needs are understood and supported. She is committed to creating a warm, encouraging environment where students feel capable, confident, and inspired to grow.
Why Choose Mentara?
At Mentara, your child is seen, heard, and supported as a whole learner — not just a student. We combine brain-based teaching, inclusive strategies, and personalized coaching to help every learner build confidence, independence, and a genuine love of learning.
Families choose Mentara because we offer:
A whole-learner approach
supporting mindset, motivation, executive skills, and academics together.
Learn2Learn coaching
teaching students how they learn best, so progress lasts long after the sessions end.
Evidence-informed methods
grounded in neuroscience, UDL, and proven strategies for diverse learning needs.
Individualized support
available in 1:1 sessions or small groups of 2–5 learners.
Flexible delivery
choose in-person, online, or hybrid learning based on what works best for your family.
A warm, encouraging environment
where students feel capable, confident, and proud of their progress.
Mentara isn’t just tutoring — it’s learning that builds lifelong skills.
Who Are Our Tutors?
At Mentara, we believe that every student has untapped potential waiting to be discovered. Our mission is to help learners not only succeed academically but also develop the mindset, motivation, and skills to thrive beyond the classroom.
Our Success Stories
Behind every success is a story of hard work, passion, and perseverance. Here are some of the journeys that inspire us every day.