Giani C.

Giani is a highly experienced literacy specialist, Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT), Educational Diagnostician, and educator with more than 20 years of teaching, coaching, and tutoring experience. Throughout her career, Giani has been guided by one fundamental belief: every student learns differently, and effective instruction begins with understanding how an individual child thinks, processes information, and connects with learning.

Giani earned her Bachelor’s degree in Applied Learning and Development from the University of Texas at Austin and her Master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Texas at Arlington. She continued her advanced training through Midwestern State University to become an Educational Diagnostician, developing specialized expertise in evaluating how students learn and understanding how learning differences can affect academic performance.

Her credentials in literacy instruction are particularly extensive. Giani is a Certified Academic Language Therapist (CALT) and holds Texas certifications as a Reading Specialist, Master Reading Teacher, Educational Diagnostician, and Elementary Generalist, along with additional endorsements in English as a Second Language and Gifted and Talented education. She has also received specialized training in structured literacy programs including Reading by Design, Basic Language Skills, and JET, as well as Orton-Gillingham-based instruction.

This combination of classroom experience, diagnostic expertise, and specialized literacy training makes Giani particularly effective with students who struggle with dyslexia, decoding, phonics, spelling, fluency, reading comprehension, and written language. Rather than simply helping students compensate for areas of difficulty, Giani works systematically to strengthen the underlying skills necessary to become more capable and confident readers and writers.

At the same time, Giani’s expertise extends far beyond reading intervention. She works with students across the academic spectrum, from elementary learners developing foundational literacy skills to middle and high school students tackling sophisticated reading and writing assignments. Her tutoring areas include elementary academics, middle school Language Arts, AP English, writing, spelling, college essay writing, and English preparation for the SAT and ACT, as well as comprehensive STAAR preparation.

One of Giani’s greatest strengths is her ability to understand why a student may be struggling. Her background as an Educational Diagnostician gives her a valuable perspective when working with students who have learning differences or complicated academic histories. She can identify patterns in how students approach reading and writing and then adapt instruction to address individual needs while building on existing strengths.

For advanced students, Giani applies that same analytical approach to higher-level literacy skills. Whether a student is learning to evaluate an author’s argument, develop a thesis, analyze rhetoric, organize an essay, or refine a college application essay, she helps students break complex language tasks into understandable components and then put those pieces together effectively.

Families appreciate Giani’s ability to combine deep professional expertise with patient, individualized instruction. She understands that students who have struggled academically may arrive at tutoring already believing they are “bad at reading” or “not good at English.” Giani works to change that experience by providing instruction at the appropriate level, recognizing progress, and giving students concrete strategies that allow them to experience success for themselves.

Above all, Giani is passionate about helping students discover the power—and ideally even the enjoyment—of reading. Whether she is teaching phonics to a beginning reader, providing structured literacy intervention for a student with dyslexia, strengthening a middle schooler’s writing, or helping an advanced high school student master rhetorical analysis, her goal is to build a strong and lasting foundation for how students read, write, communicate, and think.

Outside of education, Giani is an enthusiastic reader herself, with a particular fondness for urban fantasy novels. She enjoys sharing her love of books with students—while fully recognizing that convincing every student to share her enthusiasm for urban fantasy may be one teaching challenge even she can’t solve.

Alissa C.

Alissa has her master’s degree in Education with a concentration in Autism Spectrum Disorder from Saint Francis University. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in General Education PreK–5 and Special Education PreK–12, along with a minor in Psychology and an Autism Spectrum Disorder Endorsement.

Alissa brings 4.5 years of experience as an Educational Specialist, working primarily with 2nd- and 3rd-grade students. Her academic focus has included math, writing, and structured reading instruction. She also has experience supporting students with a variety of learning differences, including dyslexia, and is experienced in working with students with disabilities and IEPs.

When Alissa is not working, she enjoys being outdoors, gardening, and spending time with her two children. She looks forward to building strong relationships with her students and their families and is committed to helping each student grow in confidence and achieve academic success.

Kimberly K.

Experienced and energetic teacher with 10 years of classroom teaching. Masters degree in cross cultural teaching, Barton and Waldorf trained. Expert with Adhd, dyslexia and Asd students. Together we can work with challenges to create life long and confident learners.

Morgan M.

Morgan is a passionate educator with experience teaching English and history, as well as leading STEM education programs in outdoor learning environments. She enjoys working with students of all backgrounds and learning styles, helping each learner build confidence and discover their strengths. Morgan has earned multiple certifications through the Dyslexia Training Institute and is currently pursuing her special education credential, further expanding her expertise in supporting students with diverse learning needs.

She graduated from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa with degrees in Anthropology and English. One of her favorite travel experiences was visiting Machu Picchu, Peru, and her favorite book of 2026 is Butterfly Yellow by Thanhhà Lại.

Outside the classroom, Morgan enjoys hiking, reading, and coaching and playing beach volleyball.

Shannon B.

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.

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.