Shannon Breedlove
As a Certified Bilingual Orton Gillingham Tutor, Shannon is an expert at designing personalized multi-sensory lessons for students with dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Shannon holds a Master of Arts in Bilingual Education and a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish.
One of Shannon’s many strengths is in helping neurodivergent readers solidify decoding skills in their dominant language first, and then helping these students translate their new decoding skills into English.
As a late bloomer who was diagnosed with ADHD later in life, Shannon teaches with the empathy of someone who understands cognitive overload firsthand. This lived experience has helped her become a more compassionate educator who knows first-hand that learning should be clear, enjoyable, and not overwhelming.
In her spare time, Shannon enjoys playing pickleball, gardening, and crafting with her two daughters.
Cynthia S.
Cynthia is a Certified Academic Language Therapist who works with students in grades 1–9, providing dyslexia therapy and individualized reading instruction. Her teaching journey began at Louisiana Key Academy Northshore, where she spent two years teaching Social Studies Composition to 3rd graders and Structured Language Arts to 3rd and 5th graders.
Her commitment to literacy is deeply personal. When her child was diagnosed with dyslexia, Cynthia, who also has dyslexia, immersed herself in learning everything she could about effective reading instruction. This led her to pursue IMSLEC‑accredited training and ultimately earn her CALT certification through ALTA in February 2026.
Cynthia is also an author. Her poetry collection, Present Peace, explores her connection to nature and her search for her authentic voice. She also writes Mom poetry and is using her CALT certification to write decodable readers for older students.
Before becoming an educator, Cynthia built a successful career in accounting, earning her CPA license and working for Deloitte & Touche, LLP and PoolCorp. She holds an M.S. in Accounting from Louisiana State University and a B.B.A. in Accounting with a psychology concentration from Millsaps College.
Outside of working with students, she enjoys time with her family and is currently developing a middle‑grade werewolf series using graphic organizers.
TheCarey L.
TheCarey is an experienced English educator and instructional leader with a proven track record of helping students strengthen their reading, writing, and critical thinking skills. He currently teaches 9th Grade English at IDEA Public Schools in San Antonio, where he helps students build strong reading comprehension, literary analysis, and writing skills while preparing them for STAAR End-of-Course exams. Since stepping into his current classroom mid-year, his students have already shown strong academic growth, including impressive gains on interim STAAR assessments.
Prior to returning to the classroom, TheCarey served in multiple school leadership roles, including Assistant Principal and Regional ELA Content Coach, where he supported teachers across multiple campuses, improved instructional systems, and helped raise student achievement. Earlier in his career, he taught in Harlem and the Bronx, where he built a reputation for making English Language Arts engaging, culturally relevant, and meaningful for students. His students have earned national recognition, including winning Best High School Podcast and Best East Coast Podcast through the StudySync curriculum.
TheCarey holds a Master’s degree in Special Education and has extensive experience supporting students with diverse learning needs, including those with ADHD, dyslexia, and students on the autism spectrum. He specializes in English Language Arts, writing, college essay support, ACT preparation, STAAR and Regents test prep, social studies, technical writing, and helping students develop stronger test-taking and study skills.
He also brings a unique creative perspective to tutoring through his dual bachelor’s degrees in Film & Video and Africana Studies, often helping students connect literature, writing, and history to real-world issues, media, and storytelling in ways that make learning more engaging.
Families appreciate TheCarey’s ability to challenge students academically while building their confidence and making learning feel relevant and enjoyable. His goal is to help students become stronger readers, writers, and thinkers both inside and outside the classroom.
Outside of education, TheCarey enjoys spending time with his wife and infant daughter, exploring San Antonio’s parks and restaurants, watching films, and cheering on his hometown Chicago sports teams.
Diana W.
Diana is a bilingual educator with over 10 years of experience teaching, tutoring, and mentoring students across a wide range of ages and learning needs. Fluent in both English and Spanish, she brings a unique combination of cultural insight, strong communication skills, and a warm, engaging teaching style to every session.
Diana earned her Bachelor of Science in Education from the College of Charleston and a Master of Science in Management from Southern Wesleyan University. She has extensive experience teaching in both traditional classroom settings and one-on-one environments, including working with elementary students (K–5), English Language Arts, ESL learners, and Spanish language students at both the middle and high school levels. She has also supported students with dyslexia and served as a bilingual liaison, helping bridge communication between schools and families.
Her areas of expertise include reading, writing, college essay support, English Language Arts, ESL, Spanish (conversational through advanced), test-taking strategies, and GED preparation. Diana is especially skilled at building strong relationships with her students and tailoring instruction to meet each child’s individual learning style, helping them gain both academic skills and confidence.
In addition to her educational background, Diana brings over 20 years of professional experience in customer service, training, and curriculum development across multiple industries. She has developed Spanish curriculum and training materials, led workshops, and provided individualized instruction to both students and adults.
Diana is also a published co-author of two women’s empowerment books, reflecting her passion for personal growth and helping others reach their full potential. She believes that every student can succeed with the right encouragement, structure, and support, and she strives to create a positive, engaging learning environment where students feel confident and motivated.
Outside of tutoring, Diana enjoys spending time with her family, including her children and grandson, and continues to pursue her passion for teaching and connecting with others.
Amanda D.
Amanda is a dedicated and compassionate tutor with a strong passion for helping students develop confidence and success in reading. She specializes in working with beginning and struggling readers, believing that strong early literacy skills are the foundation for lifelong learning.
A United States Marine Corps veteran, Amanda brings structure, adaptability, and perseverance to her teaching. She holds undergraduate degrees in History and Political Science and is currently working toward her teaching credential and Master of Education (M.Ed.). Her academic background allows her to support students with strong critical-thinking skills while maintaining clear, developmentally appropriate instruction.
Amanda creates a supportive and encouraging learning environment where students feel safe to take risks and grow. She focuses on key literacy skills including phonemic awareness, phonics, decoding, fluency, and comprehension. Amanda enjoys innovation and actively applies creative, research-based strategies to make learning engaging and effective. She is especially passionate about helping students who feel discouraged by reading rediscover confidence and believe in their ability to succeed.
Richard F.
Richard F. is a STEM educator and, since 2023, a one-to-one learning specialist at Fusion Academy, a premier 1-to-1 private school in Malvern, PA. There, he delivers highly personalized instruction in math, science, and executive-function skills. He has extensive experience supporting neurodivergent learners, including those with dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia.
Richard holds a biotechnology degree from Rutgers University (New Brunswick, NJ), where he won multiple scholarships and earned Deans List honors. He served as a teaching assistant for Ethics in Science under Julie Fagan and as a research assistant in social psychology under Stephen Kilianski and in biochemistry under William Belden. Before entering education, Richard worked as a scientist and engineer in the pharmaceutical and biomedical sector for companies including Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Sanofi, and Penn Medicine. Richard served as the Environmental Monitoring Program Lead for UPenn’s CRISPR immunotherapy laboratories under Carl June and Bruce Levine and supported the COVID-19 vaccine emergency release at Johnson & Johnson. He also completed Lean Six Sigma Green Belt training with Lockheed Martin and served as Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Northern New Jersey Chapter of APICS.
Outside of the classroom, Richard is an award-winning competitive powerlifter and poker player. He has competed against some of the world’s top professional poker players on internationally viewed live-stream broadcasts, including Doug Polk’s The Lodge (2022), applying performance psychology, probability-based thinking, and disciplined decision-making to his teaching approach. He also plays piano and sings, having performed internationally and at Carnegie Hall on multiple occasions with the Nutley High School music program. Richard has appeared in several amateur high school and college stage productions including The Wiz, Pirates of Penzance, and Made in the Philippines. He has also appeared as a guest musician featured on Hong Kong’s Regal Airport social media channels.
Raven E.
Raven is a graduate student at Southern Methodist University (2026), pursuing a Master’s in Education with a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) concentration. She is also a proud graduate of the University of Richmond (2023), where she earned her Bachelor of Arts in Rhetoric and Communication Studies with a minor in Business Administration and Dance. While completing her masters program, she received her teaching certification and committed to becoming a SAISD educator for 2 years. In this short timeframe, she was moved by her students’ stories, their passions and interests, and found purpose in helping younger minds flourish. She prioritizes tailoring instruction to meet individual student needs and incorporates practices that inspire curiosity and empower thinkers. In her spare time, Raven enjoys exercising, creating art, baking, and reading. She loves the San Antonio Spurs, and has fond memories of her youth as their #1 fan. She listens to music of all genres, but 80s alternative, dark wave, and electronic are her favorites (a sucker for synths, obviously).
Violet O.
Violet is a special education teacher with over 10 years of experience supporting students with diverse learning needs. She is also a Structured Literacy tutor trained in the Orton-Gillingham approach. Throughout her career, she has worked with students with autism, ADHD, and dyslexia, helping them build confidence and succeed academically.
Violet believes that children learn best through exploration and hands-on experiences. Her lessons are interactive, multi-sensory, and carefully designed to keep students engaged by using movement, tactile materials, and meaningful practice to strengthen learning.
She earned her B.A. in Liberal Studies from Azusa Pacific University and her M.A. in Teaching from Point Loma Nazarene University. Violet is deeply committed to continued professional growth and regularly takes literacy courses to improve her practice and better serve her students. She is always researching new strategies, connecting with other educators, and staying current through professional communities and podcasts.
In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family at the San Diego Zoo or exploring new coffee shops.
Maria S.
Maria is an experienced educator who specializes in helping students build strong academic skills, confidence, and effective learning habits. She has taught across elementary and middle school and brings deep expertise in reading, writing, vocabulary development, and academic language growth.
Maria’s tutoring approach is centered on how students learn best. For example:
- Clear and achievable learning goals
- Explicit instruction with guided practice
- Reading comprehension strategies that make texts accessible
- Writing routines that strengthen structure, clarity, and organization
- Vocabulary practices that support deeper understanding
- Academic language supports such as sentence frames, thinking routines, and modeled responses
- Ongoing progress monitoring to celebrate growth and adjust instruction
Her students consistently make strong progress, and her classroom achieved the highest STAAR pass rate in her school (2023–2024). This success reflects her commitment to purposeful planning, high expectations, and meeting students exactly where they are.
Maria brings extensive experience in curriculum design to her tutoring, having created writing units, interdisciplinary lessons, and language-based supports that help students access challenging content. She uses this background to tailor every session to a child’s individual needs, strengths, and goals.
Although Maria is biliterate in English and Spanish, she uses this expertise only when helpful. Her understanding of how language functions in learning benefits all students—whether monolingual or multilingual—by strengthening their reading, writing, and communication skills.
Across all roles, Maria is recognized for her collaboration with families and communities, her strategic instructional planning, and her commitment to ensuring every student has the language, skills, and confidence to succeed.
Outside of teaching, Maria enjoys spending time with her family, relaxing with her dog, and staying active. She brings the same warmth, patience, and encouragement from her home life into every tutoring session.
Anna B.
Anna is a credentialed Special Education teacher and certified Dyslexia Specialist. She studied Special Education at Baylor University, where she gained hands-on experience teaching in a variety of classrooms and conducting research on dyslexia interventions. Her work focused on how students generalize reading skills across different contexts.
She is passionate about creating supportive and engaging learning environments that help students feel confident in their abilities and reach their goals. Anna focuses on building strong relationships with her students, going the extra mile to ensure their individual needs are met through evidence-based, structured literacy instruction.
She is both an effective teacher and a positive role model who inspires her students to believe in themselves and take pride in their progress. Outside of teaching, Anna enjoys going to the beach, taking walks, and spending time outdoors with her husband and their dog.