Elizabeth O.

Elizabeth has been an educator for over 20 years, working across public, private, and preschool settings. She holds a California Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and is passionate about using a multi-sensory approach to help children learn and thrive. She believes in making learning fun and engaging by incorporating hands-on activities, creativity, and movement to keep students excited and motivated.

A few years ago, Elizabeth stepped away from the classroom to focus on raising her son. However, her passion for teaching never faded. She has continued working with students through tutoring and leading toddler sensory classes, where she fosters early learning through play and exploration.

Outside of teaching, Elizabeth enjoys spending time with her husband, 7-year-old son, and their playful puppy. In her free time, she loves visiting the beach, going on long walks with her dog, and playing sports with her son.

JoAnn C.

JoAnn graduated from the University Maryland and earned a masters degree in Education from Marymount University and a Ph.D. in Genetics from GWU. She has taught a variety of subjects in K-8th grade for more than 10 years. Her specialties are writing, math, science, STEM and computer skills. JoAnn adapts teaching techniques to each student, helping them achieve mastery. She is passionate about building the foundations, explaining concepts thoroughly and making sure a comprehensive understanding has been achieved. In her free time, JoAnn enjoys tennis, traveling, dogs, and spending time with her family.

Caleb W.

Caleb is from Billings, Montana and was the first Native American Valedictorian at West High School. He has mentored and tutored high school students for nearly a decade to help them prepare for and apply to college. A few of the elite universities his students have been accepted to are: Stanford, Harvard, Columbia, and Amherst College. Caleb has a M.A in Native Food Systems from Montana State University and a B.A in Environmental Studies from Amherst College. His relevant professional career experience has ranged from being a college prep coach to working as a graduate research and teaching assistant. Having recently graduated, he is young enough to relate to your child while being old enough to have the lived experience to share. Caleb believes that academic success comes from a holistic understanding of one’s personal goals and playing off of one’s strengths. Outside of work he enjoys camping, trivia, and getting friends together to play board games.

Richard M.

Richard Maloon has a proven track record in education. He earned his Bachelor’s degree (B.S.) in Elementary Education and later his Master’s degree in Education (M.Ed.) with a focus in Curriculum & Instruction. He has taught all grades 1 through 9, spending most of his time with grades 4 through 8. He taught for 14 years and served as a private school principal for 23 years. Mr. Maloon also had a career as a national certified consultant for MicroSociety, Inc., a successful, real-world school reform model. He was the consultant for many public schools in the southeast United States. He is very adept at teaching math, social studies, science, and English, and has been recognized for his creative approaches to teaching concepts and skills. He is considered by many to be a master teacher. He also was a school-wide program coordinator for implementing MicroSociety; his school was featured in many periodicals and on prime-time television. He has had an article published for a professional journal and has been a presenter at teacher conventions as well. Besides this, after school he has coached soccer, sponsored a chess club, and started a robotics tech club in many of his schools, taking teams to the finals in Lego Robotics. Mr. Maloon also enjoys traveling, being in nature, and learning more about neuroscience.

Guillermina C.

Guille is a compassionate education specialist with 25 plus years of teaching experience. She is certified to teach K-adult students with her multi-subject and special-education credentials.
Guille has experience working with students with dyslexia and our special needs’ population, particularly with the autism community.
During her spare time, she volunteers with Special Olympics and Camps for Sports 4 Exceptional Athletes.

Christy C.

Christy graduated with honors from Texas State University, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in middle school education. As a certified teacher for grades 4-8, she taught writing and mathematics in public school classrooms. After marrying her active-duty military husband, Christy continued to educate through private tutoring and substitute teaching at various duty stations nationwide. She has worked with ages Pre-K – 8th grade with extensive experience in improving students ability to understand and solve multistep and mathematical word problems.

For the past eight years, she has focused on raising her two children, with whom she loves to go on adventures. Christy enjoys exploring new playgrounds, restaurants, and theme parks with her family, as well as practicing yoga and Pilates for personal relaxation.

Michael B.

Michael graduated from The University of Texas at San Antonio with a Masters of Science in Mathematics, a Bachelors of Science in Mathematics, and a Bachelors of Science in Physics. He is currently finishing up a Masters in Philosophy.

Before joining Prep Academy Tutors, Michael had 4 years of experience as a Teaching Assistant and Tutor in both Mathematics and Philosophy. He also has served as a guest lecturer in philosophy courses. Michael’s commitment to his students is strong, and he cares deeply about teaching and helping people learn.

Alexandra H.

Alexandra (Alex) H. is an experienced tutor and teacher who has dedicated the last 12 years to helping kids (elementary through high school) achieve their highest potential. Alex has tutored and mentored children and teenagers from diverse backgrounds, including those with learning disabilities such as ADHD and moderate autism. She collaborates diligently with parents to ensure that their children not only improve their grades but also develop a love for learning by teaching them how to study and mentoring their success. Her specialty subjects are sciences, Spanish, and math. She taught at Cobb County school system Spanish 1, 2, 5, and AP.
Alex was born in Argentina. After high school, she relocated to the USA to further her studies. Alex obtained a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in science majoring in chemistry with minors in physics and math at Georgia State University. Alex worked for fortune five hundred companies such as Amoco, Coca-Cola, and Kellogg’s for 27 years with several accomplishments in research & development, laboratory testing, employee training, management, and auditing. However, her dream was to become a professor or a teacher. She developed a passion for teaching and helping those who struggle with learning difficulties. Alex realized that many children and teenagers need additional help learning due to overcrowded classrooms, leading her to become a tutor.

Nicole D.

Nicole graduated from New Mexico Highlands University with two Bachelor’s degrees, one in History and one in Elementary Education, with a minor in Bilingual Education. Nicole taught for eleven years, over the course of which she excelled at math and reading instruction. In addition to math and reading intervention, Nicole was a bilingual educator (Spanish) and a dyslexia interventionist. However, her real passion lies in Robotics and Computer Science.

Nicole has written Robotics/Computer Science curriculum for two districts. She has also taken several teams to competition with VEX and FIRST(tm) who have successfully won awards over the years.

In her spare time, Nicole enjoys visiting her daughter, who attends LSU, and spending time with her two dogs.

Colleen S.

Colleen Simmons realized as a child she wanted to become a teacher. She loved learning how to read and do basic math from her mother, Donna, who she says was still her best teacher ever! Growing up in Illinois, she started helping her peers and younger children with reading and math homework when she was in 6th grade. Like the acting bug that some folks get, teaching became her passion. Graduating in 1981 from Millikin University with a B.S. in Biology, she pursued further training and completed a teacher certification program at the U of I Springfield soon after. She began teaching and continued to add certifications and degrees to her resume. She obtained a middle school concept endorsement on her standard certificate, a second B.S. in Special Education from EIU, and two M.S. degrees in Educational Administration from EIU and Teacher Leadership from U of I Springfield, respectively. Throughout her career, she has not only worked in the classroom, but she also has privately tutored students after school. Her reputation as a caring and supportive teacher is something she cherishes. In 2019, Colleen and her husband retired to Texas. Retirement didn’t last long, since she found herself missing the enjoyment she got from working with students. In 2021, she began working once again as support staff, tutor, and ultimately, teacher in a science classroom. This year, she is working on a new challenge. She, along with a couple of friends, began developing a home-school pod service to help families who want another option for educating their children. Along with tutoring, Colleen enjoys traveling, meeting new people, and learning something new, like painting a watercolor, playing a new strategy game, or reading a mystery novel.