Beth F.

Beth grew up on the east coast and moved to Texas as a young adult.  She first thought of teaching after working with special needs kids at summer camp, and that led her to study special education.  Not long after, she got married and started a family, and stayed home to teach her four children, two of whom received generous scholarships.  She originally started tutoring as a way to make some extra money while still homeschooling her kids.  After her own kids were launched, she spent three years as a math interventionist at Great Hearts Classical Charter School.  Her students often say that she makes math less scary, that they don’t cry any more, that she explains things in a way that makes concepts more clear. Prior co-workers have exclaimed, “This was the most engaging example of math tutoring I have ever seen. The pacing was quick and vigorous, but the scholars were met just at their right level.”  Her students at Great Hearts showed definite improvement in test scores, and her private students often bring up their SAT or ACT scores, or raise their grade in class.   Though math is her strongest subject, she has also taught Spanish and some ELA.  She lives for the moment when the light goes on and a student “gets it”!  She also loves giving cooking classes and sewing lessons.   In her free time, Beth enjoys gourmet cooking, gardening, and swing dancing.

Shaun F.

Shaun F. graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. degree in Sociology with minors in English and Honors Studies in 2013. Shaun completed his first M.A. in 2015, and he was awarded a second M.A. in Philosophy and Ethics in 2017. Shaun has been a professional tutor for over eight (8) years, tutoring sociology, English, reading, writing, history, and statistics. Shaun has taken personal pride in helping his students reach their goals, and has coached students to successful entry into prestigious college programs at U.T. Austin, Fordham, Purdue, and Stanford. He takes special pride in coaching students toward college admission and preparation, whether aiding in SAT/ACT prep, consulting on college admission essays, or providing advanced college advising. In his free time, you’ll find Shaun working on his creative non-fiction memoir, tutoring underprivileged youth, leading community writing programs, volunteering with animal rescue organizations, or making plans to avoid going to sleep early.

“Shaun Ford, you are awesome!  You were tremendous. I’ve learned a tremendous amount of tips on how to start writing my paper even if I don’t have the time…I will definitely be trying these in the future!  I thank you for everything!” – Writing Retreat Participant

“I learned many things that I will apply to my writing, so thank you very much, Shaun!” – Writing Retreat Participant

“I had to commute from two towns over, take time off work, and come to campus on a Saturday morning at 6 a.m., and Shaun made this retreat worth all of the burden. This is the kind of programming that I expect. My confidence in my abilities and even finding joy in writing have all increased dramatically in only one-and-a-half days! Shaun is a fabulous facilitator, teacher, and tutor. I was formerly disappointed with the lack of support I experienced in my program before Shaun created this programming. Thank you, Shaun!” – Writing Retreat Participant

“Mr. Ford is awesome. He really cares about your learning philosophy. He knows a ton about literally every subject. He doesn’t baby you, and the lectures are really interesting. Sometimes you can just look around and see people just totally engaged with what he’s lecturing about.” – Anonymous survey respondent

Stephanie G.

Stephanie, a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio with a Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education, has extensive experience tutoring students from Pre-K through 5th grade and working in preschools. She is currently completing her teaching certification and recently completed her teaching internship at a local San Antonio Charter school, where she taught kindergartener’s. Stephanie is passionate about working with young children and helping them reach their full potential, both academically and personally. She incorporates her love of reading, traveling, and music (especially Harry Styles) into her teaching to create an engaging and enjoyable learning environment.

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.

Heather A.

Heather A. graduated from Cornell College Suma Cum Laude with dual BA majors in Economics and Art. She subsequently received her Texas Secondary Teaching Certification from Southwest Texas State University in Social Studies with an emphasis in Economics and World Geography. Heather has a TEYL Certificate -teaching English to young learner- and a TEFL Certificate-teaching English to foreign learners- and enjoys one-on-one teaching in person and online. Her passion for teaching and love of children took her to South Africa, where she voluntarily created and facilitated a learning program for previously disadvantaged children ages 3-18. She has over 6 years experience teaching Chinese children and adults English online. During the past 20 years she has held a variety of teaching positions from swimming lessons and aerobics to high school economics and business school courses; in every position she has developed an ever-deepening passion to teach children. She takes delight in seeing each child reach their full potential and help them explore their interests. Her classes are personal, interactive, engaging and most of all- supportive and caring. She fervently believes that learning can be a positive and fun experience and her teaching effectiveness can be seen in her students’ academic achievements. She enjoys outdoor activities and participating in sports as well as doing all types of arts and crafts projects.

“Miss Heather is very good at expanding the knowledge of the coursework and stimulating the children’s enthusiasm for learning.  My kids like her teaching method very much!” – Isabella

“Miss Heather is a perfect teacher!  My kids like her class very much!” – Ying

“Miss Heather leads a great class.  Her efforts have led to tremendous progress and achievements for our kids!” – Cathy

Melanie W.

Melanie W. is a certified teacher in Texas. She grew up just outside of Philadelphia where she completed her early years of education as well as her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science at Widener University. (Yes, she is a Philadelphia Eagles fan) She then moved to San Antonio, Texas to pursue her dream in teaching. She received her Master’s degree at St. Mary’s University and immediately began working as a 7th and 8th grade history teacher. As a teacher she was able to build relationships with her students, which ultimately led to tutoring students who were struggling in their classes. Melanie has a way with making students feel comfortable to let their guard down and not feel like a failure if they don’t know the answer. She is constantly improving her techniques to reach all types of learners and still finds teaching as rewarding as her first day over 7 years ago.