Alicia
Succeed! Certified and Highly Qualified Dyslexia Tutor
On January 14, 2020, I received this note from Wyzant: "I'm pleased to inform you that in 2019, you were one of the top 10% of over 17,500 tutors who had lessons on Wyzant! It's a competitive world out there, and life as a tutor is no different. Yet through hard work, talent and commitment to your students, you rose to the top of the heap. Well done." I have a Master’s from Stanford University in Educational Communication and another Master’s from Rutgers University in Educational Psycho...
IELTS
I've helped prepare many students before in all the IELTS areas, listening, reading, writing, and speaking sections. I have tutored students from all over the world who want to take the IELTS for more than 5 years. I usually start by giving the student a practice test to assess his/her strengths and challenges. I have many years of experience teaching and preparing students for all standardized tests. In addition, I've also worked for ETS, the makers of many tests. Thus, I know very well what it is required to help the write and do excellent in all areas including the verbal section.
dyslexia
Aspergers
My experience tutoring most subjects is extensive. I have successfully tutored children and adults with particular educational challenges for more than 20 years. I have a master’s in educational communication and another in educational psychology. My first master’s provided me with the skills to be able to create rapport, develop meaningful contact, and communicate effectively. Specifically, I have tutored elementary school children with severe to mild forms of autism in Mexico and in the United States. I have taught young adults in high school (7th-12th grade) and college in large group settings in Mexico at the American School of Monterrey and at the University of Monterrey. At the American School, I was hired to teach both extreme groups, honors and the learning challenged groups. I had students with Asperger in both groups.
ACT English
I've helped prepare many students before in all the ACT areas verbal/written and reading sections. I usually start by giving the student a practice test to assess his strengths and challenges. I have many years of experience teaching and preparing students for all standardized tests. In addition, I've also worked for ETS, the makers of many tests. Thus, I know very well what it is required to help him write a top notch essay for the ACT and do great in the reading and writing/grammar structure areas.
grammar
reading
Spanish
I was born and raised in Mexico. Spanish is my native tongue, but I grew up in a bilingual and bi-cultural environment. I have taught and tutored Spanish as a second language to all ages and levels of proficiency for more than 20 years. I have a deep understanding of the complexities of the language and the difficulties it presents to English speakers. I can make any difficult grammatical concept seem easy and fun. I do not consider the learning of a language as an end in itself, but as an exercise in communication and learning about other culture, something so necessary in this globalized world.
writing
English
ESL/ESOL
I have taught English as a second language for more that 20 years. I have taught children and adults from all over the world. My native language is Spanish, but I'm perfectly bilingual and bi-cultural. For many years, I have tutored students on ESL at the Texas Intensive English Program, TIEP. I do a great job teaching fluency in conversation, accent reduction, and writing.
SAT reading
SAT writing
TOEFL
I've helped prepare many students before in all the TOEFL areas verbal/written, reading section and essay writing. I've taught in large classrooms, and I have tutored on a one to one bases for more than 30 years. That means that I teach both the paper based and the computer based TOEFL. I usually start by giving the student a practice test to assess his/her strengths and challenges. I have many years of experience teaching and preparing students for all standardized tests. In addition, I've also worked for ETS, the makers of many tests. Thus, I know very well what it is required to help him write a top notch essay and do excellent in all areas including the verbal section.
PSAT
Krish M. from Austin, TX
Ms. Alicia shows a lot of patience in understanding the student needs and tailors lessons to strengthen the areas of improvement. She is a very down to earth person with incredible ability to put concepts into simple and easy to understand ways that have helped me with my SAT. I recommend her very highly if you are interested in learning the keys to excel at SAT as well as your general skills at writing. It was a privilege knowing and learning from her.
Penny M. from Austin, TX
Alicia was very helpful to me with the college level on line Spanish course I am taking. She's very knowledgeable!
Iris B. from Austin, TX
Alicia teaches my 7 and 11 years-old sons Spanish. She is a very good teacher and her strategies for teaching are great. The teaching materials she uses are very interactive. She also uses games and videos for her teaching. My sons were able to learn Spanish effectively and with fun.
Huajun W. from Austin, TX
I have been learning English with Alicia for over a year. She has an unique ability to recognize my accent and correct it. We also learn words and grammar. In next lesson, I will work on improving my writing. Alicia will help me to put learned words and phrases into writing. Alicia is well-versed in English literature and multiple cultures, which makes learning interesting and fun. I am very happy that Alicia helps to improve my English in all aspects.
Erika V. from Austin, TX
She is a very good teacher. She is very patient and she explains me very well. She is super helpful with me.
Rebeca B. from Austin, TX
Alicia was my first SAT tutor and she helped me from the bottom to the top! Her teaching mode was very adaptable. If I struggled with writing, she'd be very patient and explain everything, same for reading. She really helped me improve my English skills. I can say that I know a lot more than I did before I met her. Over all, she's an excellent tutor!!
Andie G. from Austin, TX
Alicia has been very helpful in helping me learn and understand the structure of Spanish. She is very kind and patient. She also has no problem spending a little extra time if needed.
Shirley S. from Austin, TX
Alicia has been tutoring ESL to my 12 year old niece for a few weeks now, and she's doing a remarkable work with her. Alicia is very patient with kids. She speaks to my niece in a way that she would understand. She utilizes songs, videos, and looks for ways to keep her interested. My niece loves her Wednesdays with Alicia. I like that Alicia not only tutors for 2 hours she also gives uses additional material such as internet links, phone applications, games, books, listening material, etc, in order to continue the learning curve.
Joy H. from Austin, TX
Alicia was very helpful in editing my Spanish paper! She responded within a few hours and was quick to return my edited paper!
Yong C. from Austin, TX
I enjoyed the lesson as Alicia is very patient and answered all my questions. She is knowledgeable of many languages and it's very interesting to hear her explaining all the subtle differences and similarities between various languages. By asking me to read the text back to her in Spanish, she really helps me appreciate the different intonations of the language. Time passes quickly as she remains very engaging throughout the lesson.
Jamillah S. from Austin, TX
Alicia was very patient and caring. I am a beginning learner and I am on a mission to perfect my technique in "conversational" Spanish. Alicia sits with you and obtains your goals so that she may assess and better assist your needs. Additionally, we went through various exercises and verbal repetitions which really helped me with retaining the information. I look forward to our future lessons and in particular writing exercises as this best fits my learning style.
Michael B. from Austin, TX
I took pre test today. After the test we reviewed it and she asked me that do I know Tag questions. I knew some but I wasn't sure do I know all of them. Alicia said that she will send me Tag questions note or something. I saw it just now and it is very useful. Also she sent me handouts last night and they are very good too. She put questions at the end of it so I can practice too. Studying with Alicia is very good, because she is telling me what I should study next and giving me some tools. I feel that I am learning fast! Thank you Alicia!
Enid R. from Austin, TX
Alicia is a great tutor! She's very easy to reach and never late! She is very well at teaching and explaining everything I need to work on for the SAT test I'll be taking. She's been really helpful from the first lesson I had with her. I greatly recommend her! With her help I really hope I get a great score on the test because she is very helpful!
Anna G. from Austin, TX
Alicia was awesome! My son said to me last night after she left "Mom, she is really good at helping me understand Spanish!". I was impressed at how she was able to explain things to my son in a way that made it easier for him to understand the grammar. She was real good about pointing out the positive things that my son knew in Spanish, which I believe will make him more confident with his Spanish. My son is looking forward to working with her again on Sunday!
Mary Evans M. from Austin, TX
Alicia was very helpful to me right before my Spanish final which included the subjunctive and conditional tenses. She was very knowledgeable and gave me tons of papers with the verb tenses organized into lists w/ conjugations etc. She also offered to answer any questions over email or Skype after our session.
Miroslav K. from Austin, TX
I really enjoy lessons with Alicia. I am still at the beginning of my "English" journey, but she is very patient with me. We have a lot of fun but in the same time she's able to explain new vocabulary or grammar to me. And on top of that, she is paying attention to my pronunciation as well. When I first met her I was surprised- in a good way - how much she knows about Slovakia - my home country. The main reason why I decided to take the lessons was to speak and practice English as much as possible, and this is exactly what I am getting. Thank you Alicia!
Thomas D. from Austin, TX
I serve as an expert witness in legal cases involving issues of chemical exposures and their effects on human health. I am often asked by my clients to prepare expert reports as part of my work. These reports are crucial in these law suits and often determine whether or not my client will prevail. I recently was asked to prepare such a report. The Plaintiff was alleging that his work as a fire fighter had caused his stomach cancer. I did an extensive literature review and summarized the findings of 10 or more peer-reviewed articles that addressed this issue. I then gave my opinion and provided the bases for how I came to that opinion. The work Ms. Alicia performed for me was in proof reading the report and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments I had made to support my conclusions. With her strong background in English writing and her knowledge of statistics and the types of analyses that are used to determine cause and effect, she was able to provide very insightful comments. I incorporated those comments into my report. She even suggested that I explore more fully one of the points I had raised in the report. In my mind, this made a good report into a great report. I recently heard from the attorney I was working with on this case and she said my report was "excellent". I have Ms. Alicia to thank for helping me provide such a good work product. I highly recommend her for work involving critical examinations of arguments, even for the most technically-challenging writings. I will certainly be using her services for similar projects in the future.
Maria P. from Austin, TX
In the beginning, I was nervous to find a tutor because I did not know what to expect. Now, I am really thankful with Mrs. Alicia because thanks to her, I have improved a lot in my English. Now, I can write a good essay in English. She helped me with my writing and my pronunciation. She prepared me to take the TOEFL Test. I recommend her as a tutor because she is patient, considered, and kind. She makes you feel comfortable with the language. She will be able to catch your weaknesses in the language, and she will work on them with your strengths to improve all aspects of your English. Teacher: Thanks for all your help. I will always be grateful to you.
Tony K. from Austin, TX
Alicia did an excellent coaching to my wife Nataly who could pass the test to get registered for ESL in ACC. I would recommend Alica to anyone who likes to learn English from basic to advance level.
Valerie L. from Round Rock, TX
She is very nice and keeps the girls engaged in 2 hour lessons. They really liker her Spanish bingo game and the reviews on YouTube quizlet help reinforce what was teaching.
Shane S. from Austin, TX
Alicia is a true teacher!! My daughter (9) and I (41) have been taking weekly classes with Alicia. First this has been a wonderful experience with my daughter but Alicia has done a great job customizing the curriculum to each of us - whether our concerns are more everyday language, travel or business. Alicia also spends quite a bit of time explaining the background of certain words and how they draw on the history of the area which is a critical nuance in communication. I highly recommend Alicia!!
Ashley A. from Leander, TX
She is very patient with me during our lessons. Also, we speak only in Spanish during our lessons! I can already see improvements in my speaking abilities that will help with any employment status! Ella es muy paciente conmigo durante nuestras lecciones. Hablamos totalmente en español y ya puedo ver mejoramientos en mis abilidades de comunicar. Practicamos el pretérito, el imperfecto, el subjuntivo y mucho más. Estoy contenta con mi progreso durante nuestras reuniones.