LAURA R.
Laura is an aspiring high-school math and science teacher who has a passion for education. She is currently completing a Master of Teaching from OISE and has a Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Policy with a focus on diversity in education. Over her 8 years of experience, Laura has worked with students of all academic backgrounds and lived experiences. As she is bilingual, Laura has tutored many students in Spanish, in addition to working with students in her future teachables of math and science. Given her experience, Laura can adapt to any student’s learning style and work in tandem with their curriculum to create a personalized learning plan for each student. Her love for education and math has fueled her desire to reduce math anxiety and dispel the idea that there is such a thing as a “math person”. She fervently believes math is always achievable, with just a little encouragement and some hard work. Laura is looking forward to working with you and finding ways to make learning more fun!
Natalia G. M.
Natalia is a dedicated educator with a passion for empowering students with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed in school and in life. At age 18, she started teaching while she was still pursuing her Bachelor of Education in Foreign Language Teaching; throughout her 21 years of dedicated service, she has come to believe that education should not just be about memorizing information but should instead focus on developing critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity skills, and fostering the whole child. She is adept at tailoring instruction to accommodate students’ unique learning styles and preferences as well as crafting personalized curricula that foster comprehensive language acquisition and meaningful learning through the relationship and culture. In 2023, Natalia, originally from Colombia, relocated to Miami, where she finds joy in contributing to her local church community. Her passions extend to Cuban salsa, felines, savoring sushi, and appreciating the artistry of Van Gogh. Interestingly, she doesn’t share the same enthusiasm for coffee, not even the Colombian variety!
Meryl R.
I am Meryl R. and I tutor French, Spanish, English, Writing and English as a Second Language. I am a licensed and experienced teacher. I am comfortable working with students of all ages. Teaching and learning has always been my passion. Exam coming up? Assignment due? Need an update on your work? Feeling overwhelmed or lost? Need to write an essay or college entrance exam? I can help! I make learning fun and easy. I am an animal lover. We share our home with three dogs (a Golden Doodle and two Brussels Griffons) and parrots. The house is rarely quiet, but we wouldn’t have it any other way! Two parrots are excellent talkers and have a prolific vocabulary. So I teach people as well as birds! I also love to travel and just returned from Cabo, Mexico, with my family and a few friends who are family. There is nothing like spending quality time with people I love. Knitting and needlepoint are passions of mine. An outstanding accomplishment was teaching a 16-year-old student to knit. I’m a teacher at heart. I teach mah jongg and canasta, too!
Mark F.
Mark is a nationally recognized dynamic and results-oriented language instructor and bestselling author and with 35 years of experience in teaching and tutoring Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese, Business English and ESL. Mark has a proven track record of motivating his students to want to learn. Mark is talented at increasing student academic performance and improving fluency by providing creative, engaging, and immersive language learning environments that foster student participation and academic excellence.
Mark, a former keynote speaker for the Illinois Council on the Teaching of Foreign Language, is gifted in relating to and erasing students’ insecurities regarding language learning. Mark himself was denied access to a French class in middle school because his Algebra scores were too low, and when he finally made it to a French class, he found that he did not understand the grammar.
From these humble beginnings, Mark found the key to mastering languages and went on to earn a BA in Spanish/French Education from Illinois State University and a master’s degree from the University of Illinois where he was rated as an excellent instructor by his language students. He is currently certified by the State of Illinois to teach Spanish and French at grade levels 6-12. Mark also holds a Master Certificate in TEFL/TESOL awarded by Bridge Education Group.
Mark is friendly, approachable, energetic, and vibrant. A true expert multilingual language teacher, Mark is fluent in English, Spanish, French, Italian and Portuguese. He created and recorded the entire foreign language program line for Macmillan Audio of New York in 9 different languages, including the bestselling “Behind the Wheel Spanish” program. For over a quarter of a century, Mark has created and produced many bestselling language programs in Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and ESL for Spanish speakers.
Mark happily brings to your student thirty years of language teaching success. He has studied and/or taught and tutored languages at the private school, high school, and university levels at institutions such as the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana Illinois, Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois, the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, l”Université de Grenoble in St. Martin d’Hères, French, la Universidad Ibero-Americana in Mexico City, and the Universidad Católica in Quito, Ecuador. He now warmly welcomes your student(s) to learn with him.
Victoria M.
Victoria is a Chilean woman that has a Bachelor Diploma in Education and a certification in ESL teaching. She worked for 3 years in an IB International school with kindergarten, planning, teaching and evaluating students with a diversity of conditions. She also worked during summer in an International Summer Camp in charge of the youngest student from all around the world as an ESL teacher, teaching english from scratch and creating a space of joy and acceptance over cultures.
She is a passionate, enthusiastic and dedicate teacher that loves seeing her students grow and be part of their learning process.
Gissela V.
Born in Ecuador and raised in Chicago, Gissela began her education career at the age of eighteen tutoring middle school math and reading. Deciding to pursue education further, she traveled to her home country where she worked as an ESL Teacher for three years. It was during this trip that she fell in love with teaching and returned to Chicago to graduate with a Bachelor’s in English Literature and Secondary/Middle Ed. with an ELL endorsement. Eight years of classroom experience has taught Gissela that relationship building, goal setting and collaborative learning are essential for a students’ growth. Gissela considers herself a lifelong learner, which is why she is not only continuing a postgraduate degree but she loves to attend local classes to learn new skills such as sewing or health and body mobility. Being an avid reader and a lover of hot cocoa and winter weather – she enjoys reading poetry, manga and biographies of people who inspire her. She loves to host Book Clubs with her friends and travel with her husband – anywhere as long as it has mountains and a body of water!
Beth F.
Beth Flournoy is an experienced educator, math interventionist, and private tutor with more than a decade of professional tutoring experience and a passion for helping students overcome academic challenges and discover their own abilities. With a background in Special Education, classroom instruction, and individualized learning, Beth is particularly skilled at working with students who struggle with mathematics, lack academic confidence, or simply need concepts explained in a different way.
Beth earned her Bachelor of Arts in Special Education from the College of Saint Rose in Albany, New York. Her interest in education began while working with children with special needs at summer camp, an experience that inspired her to pursue a career helping students with different learning abilities and educational needs.
After starting her own family, Beth spent more than a decade homeschooling her four children. This experience gave her extensive firsthand practice adapting instruction to individual learning styles, managing multiple grade levels, and teaching a broad range of subjects, including mathematics, reading, grammar, Spanish, history, and other core academics. Her individualized approach helped prepare her children for their next educational steps, including two who earned college scholarships.
Beth began working professionally as a private tutor in 2012 and has since helped students through several tutoring organizations, including Grade Potential Tutors, Varsity Tutors, and Wyzant. She has supported students across a wide range of ages, academic abilities, and learning environments, earning positive feedback from families for her engaging instruction and ability to make difficult material understandable.
One of Beth’s most significant professional experiences was serving as a Math Interventionist at Great Hearts Forest Heights in San Antonio. For three years, she worked with small groups of students who needed additional academic support, including students with 504 accommodations and those who had struggled on STAAR assessments. Beth identified specific gaps in mathematical understanding and developed targeted instruction to help students strengthen foundational skills, improve test performance, and become more confident learners.
Beth also taught eighth-grade Pre-Algebra at Crestmont University Model School in Boerne, where she was responsible for classroom instruction, homework, assessments, and individualized student support. Her students demonstrated meaningful improvement in the mathematical foundations necessary for success in high school Algebra.
Mathematics is Beth’s greatest instructional strength. She specializes in Pre-Algebra, Algebra, Geometry, elementary and middle school mathematics, and PSAT/SAT and ACT preparation. She is particularly effective at identifying the foundational skills students may have missed and explaining concepts in ways that finally make sense. Rather than rushing students through procedures, Beth works to develop genuine understanding and the confidence to tackle unfamiliar problems independently.
Her experience with standardized test preparation is another valuable strength. Beth has helped students improve their SAT and ACT performance by strengthening underlying mathematical skills, addressing areas of weakness, and developing effective approaches to problem-solving and test-taking.
Beth’s background in Special Education also informs her individualized teaching philosophy. She understands that students learn at different speeds and respond to different instructional approaches. Her goal is to meet each student at the appropriate level, provide the right amount of challenge, and create an environment where students feel comfortable asking questions and working through mistakes.
Perhaps Beth’s greatest strength is her ability to make math feel less intimidating. Students have told her that she makes math less scary, that they no longer feel overwhelmed or frustrated, and that her explanations help them finally understand concepts that previously seemed impossible. Former colleagues have praised her engaging instruction, effective pacing, and ability to challenge students while meeting them at their individual skill levels.
Although mathematics is her primary specialty, Beth also provides comprehensive elementary academic support, English, Spanish instruction, and conversational Spanish, along with instruction in violin and music theory. Her broad educational experience makes her a versatile resource for families seeking help across multiple subjects.
Families appreciate Beth’s warmth, patience, enthusiasm, and ability to connect with students who may have lost confidence in their academic abilities. She believes that meaningful progress often begins when students stop being afraid of making mistakes and start recognizing that they are capable of learning difficult things.
Outside of tutoring, Beth enjoys gourmet cooking, gardening, sewing, and swing dancing. She also enjoys sharing her creativity and practical skills through cooking classes and sewing lessons.
Above all, Beth lives for the moment when a student’s eyes light up and a challenging concept finally “clicks.” Whether she is helping a struggling math student rebuild foundational skills, preparing a teenager for the SAT or ACT, or supporting an elementary learner across several subjects, her goal is to help students become more confident, capable, and independent learners.
“We are so happy with the progress of our daughter. Taira with Prep Academy found the best tutor for her college prep and her SAT results prove it. Ms. Beth is a great teacher. Thank you”
– Parent
Anita M.
Anita M. is a Texas Certified teacher. She was born in San Antonio, TX. and Valedictorian of her high school. Anita went on to be a teacher, teacher trainer and now, in retirement, a tutor.
Anita received her Bachelor’s degree, with a double major in English and Spanish from Our Lady of the Lake University. From the University of Texas in San Antonio, she received her Master’s Degree in Bilingual/ESL studies. Both degrees were achieved with high honors. Anita’s education prepared her for a successful career in teaching. Her education in Bilingual / ESL gave her the ability to learn how to differentiate instruction for different learning styles.
Anita taught for twelve years in San Antonio, where she also enjoyed helping teachers create individualized instruction packets for their students with different learning styles. While presenting at an education conference, she was approached by education publishers. For the next twenty years, Anita trained teachers throughout the United States for different major education publishers (CTB/McGraw-Hill, Pearson, Harcourt). Her workshops included theory/methodology, test interpretation/test taking skills and different manipulatives (hands-on activities take-aways) to use in their class instruction. After her travels training teachers, Anita was an ESL Transition Coach. She coached teachers on how to teach students that had English as a Second Language, due to resettlement students on the campuses. Anita also tutored these students before, during lunch and afterschool.
After retirement, Anita continued tutoring students on English Language Arts that included Reading, Writing, College Essays, and State Testing Skills. With her strong background on differentiating instruction and testing, she assesses the student’s present skills to identify areas of need. Instruction is then accommodated for the students. This also allows Ms. Muriel to show growth of the student to parents. Ms. Muriel also enjoys teaching Catechism to 3rd grade students preparing for Holy Communion. She also creates the power point slides for her church Rosary Prayer Group.
Her hobbies include gardening, antique browsing, DIY projects, as well as, babysitting her two grandchildren and tutoring them in areas of need.
Christopher G.
Growing up in Southern California, Christopher G. had a curiosity of his natural surroundings that led him to pursue an Associate of Science degree in Geology thus fostering his passion for the sciences and paving the way for him to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Earth Science at California State University, Fullerton. While attending college Christopher began professionally tutoring other students, and as a result initiated his journey in educating. Since graduating Christopher continues tutoring K-12 students where he actively contributes to improving scientific and mathematical literacy along with reading and writing skills. As a mentor, Christopher believes that by building a strong connection with his students he can better meet their individual needs and expand their learning capacity. He finds the experience he’s garnered to be enjoyable and extremely fulfilling. When he’s not attending to academic endeavors you can find him traveling and supporting his favorite teams alongside his family.
“We utilized Prep Academy to help my high schooler prepare for the SAT and ultimately apply to one of the military academies.
Our tutor Chris was communicative, timely and thorough in his teaching approach.
Highly recommended if you have a student who needs some extra assistance with getting through the SAT or any other subject.
***He did get in to his academy of choice***”
-Parent Review
Marcela M.
Marcela is an OCT Certified Teacher currently teaching at a high school in Etobicoke with the TCDSB. She currently teaches Grade 9-12 French and Spanish. She studied French from Grades 5-12 in the Extended French program and all through university. She also spent five weeks in Quebec, studying and practicing the language. In university, she minored in Religion and English – making her capable to teach English as well. She was born in Guatemala, which is how she learned Spanish, but has lived in Toronto since she was 5. She truly enjoys teaching as her vocation, she is kind and has the patience and care to take on one-on-one tutoring.