Spanish Tutors
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Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
Looking for a Spanish tutor for 16-yr-old
May 2015
I'm looking for a tutor for my son over the summer. He took Spanish I two years ago as a freshman & will be taking Spanish II next year as a junior. It is not one of his best subjects. We live in Alameda. Thank you! Lee
I want to recommend our Spanish tutor, the wonderful Alma Jurado. Alma is a native speaker and teaches during the day at the Walden School where we first met her. She worked with our 8th grade daughter for several months to help her get ready for Spanish II test (which she passed) after not taking Spanish for 2 years. Alma is very warm and funny so my daughter really looked forward to meeting with her! She had many creative ways to help my daughter remember things and Alma brought a great positive energy to the sessions! She is also a gifted teacher and tutor for elementary students. I know she has created summer sessions for younger kids learning Spanish. I appreciated her kindness and flexibility about our often changing schedules. We felt her fee was reasonable and well worth it. If you have any questions you can contact Alma directly at almaraddha [at] aol.com - good luck with your search for your son. janis
Sept 2014
Dear BPN community, I am recommending Megan Cole who has nearly 14 years experience teaching and tutoring all levels of Spanish (including SAT II and AP) here in East Bay. She taught Spanish I-IV at Piedmont High. I have had experience with a number of tutors and Megan is of extremely high caliber, professional and very easy to work with. Megan is committed to each and every one of her students and dramatically helps improve their understanding of the language, ability to converse and this reflects in their grades! Megan also has a BA in Spanish and completed graduate courses at NYU. You can contact her by email at bayareaspanish [at] yahoo.com or visit her website at bayareaspanish.com or call her at 510-847-2350. Elaine
Spanish Tutor for Berkeley High 5/6
July 2014
We just lost our wonderful Spanish tutor to a full time job, and are looking for another. We are looking for someone who preferably knows the curriculum at Berkeley High School, and who can help engage our student in the subject and make studying Spanish fun. Appreciate any and all postings in this matter. Looking for Spanish Tutor
I would like to recommend our Spanish tutor, Veronique Anxolabehere (MySpanishtutor [at] me.com). Our daughter goes to BHS. Veronique is smart, patient, fun, caring and so hardworking. She took time to communicate with our daughter's Spanish teacher regularly and was completely aware of what the assignments for the week were and what the teacher's expectations were. Please call me if you need additional information. Rakhi
Spanish Tutor for 16 year old
Oct 2013
I am looking for either a private or group setting Spanish Language tutor for my 16 year daughter. She wants help once per week in the Berkeley/Oakland area. Any recommendations?
My middle-school daughter and my high school son have each been working with Clara Sneed in Albany as a Spanish tutor since this summer. She is wonderful and well worth her fee. She is especially good at working with the kids' teachers to make sure she's specifically supporting their schoolwork. Good luck! Nina
June 2012
I highly recommend Esther Guerre for any type of Spanish tutoring. Esther is a native speaker and has over 25 years of teaching experience at Peralta Colleges. I took my daughter (9th grader ) to Esther when she was struggling with her 1st year Spanish last November. She used to get bad test scores, but she was lucky to find Esther just in time , now she gets A. Now my daughter feels very confident in the classroom. Esther is very efficient and firm, but very nice. She is a wonderful teacher. She teaches at her house in Berkeley, walking distance from BHS. Her email address is: estherguerre [at] yahoo.com Happy Mom
May 2012
I would really like to recommend Clara Sneed as a wonderful tutor. She really helped our high school daughter with her writing, organization and Spanish. She has a great way of relating to the teens directly, and our daughter really matured under Clara's wing. She can be reached at Tutorclara [at] gmail.com. We cannot recommend her enough! Happy Family
Spanish Tutor Esther Guerre
Sept 2011
My daughter is now 19 and in her sophomore year at Yale. This is her review about Esther Guerre, who tutored her in Spanish this summer and who I highly recommend:
I took Spanish at Berkeley High (5/6 freshman year and then AP Spanish sophomore year), and wanted to try and remember what I could before taking my college placement test this fall. After a friend's recommendation, I met with Esther Guerre (estherguerre [at] yahoo.com) once a week this past summer. It was exactly what I was looking for. Each week, she assigned me a film, a short story, a song, and some articles to prepare for the next meeting, when we would discuss them. At the end of each meeting, she would explain to me my grammar mistakes that I should be aware of -- she suggested doing so at the end of the meeting rather than intermittently so I could practice speaking normally, which really worked well. She was very receptive to the preparation I was looking for and the themes that interested me; I ended up not only refreshing the Spanish I had once learned, but also getting interested in new issues and ideas -- magical realism, the Argentinean ''desaparecidos'', and much more. I now feel very ready to do well on my placement test in the fall, and highly recommend Esther for any kind of Spanish tutoring.
Spanish Tutor Megan Cole
Sept 2011
Dear BPN community, I am a local rehabilitation physician with a number of Spanish Speaking patients. For over a year I have been taking lessons from Megan Cole who has nearly 14 years experience teaching and tutoring Spanish. She also has a BA in Spanish. She is very committed to each and everyone of her students studying all levels of Spanish. I also know a number of high school students taking Spanish from level 1-IV that she has been extremely helpful in dramatically improving their success in Spanish class. Megan is very easy to work with and has a few openings at the beginning of this school year. You can contact her by email at bayareaspanish [at] yahoo.com or visit her website at bayareaspanish.com or call her at 510-847-2350. elaine
Native Spanish speaker for teen daughter
June 2011
Seeking recommendations for a native speaker of Spanish to tutor our teenaged daughter in advanced Spanish. I'd like someone in the Oakland or Berkeley area, or better yet, someone who is willing to come to the house. anon
I would like to recommend my Spanish tutor, Cristian Barrionuevo. He tutors at Berkeley City College, where he is also a student. His best quality is that he really enjoys talking to you--he has gotten me chattering away in Spanish. Being a native of Argentina, he knows about all aspects of Spanish, and he will come to your house. His contact information is (510) 830-7941 or cbspanishlanguage [at] gmail.com. Jenifer
I would like to recommend Enrique Zapeta- he teaches Spanish to high school students professionally- I am not sure if he tutors formally but you can contact him at 510 918 6628 anon
Spanish classes/lessons/tutoring for a 9 year old
April 2011
I am looking for info on Spanish classes, lessons or tutoring for a 9 year old in the fall. He's been taking classes before school everyday, but hasn't seemed to be acquiring any spanish language skills, and I'm wondering if I need to have him take one on one lessons, or if there's a really terrific class out there.
There are 2 options I can recommend. At EBI (Escuela Biligue International) they have any after school Spanish program that runs from 3:30-5:30 Tues and Thursday each week. Check their site in Oakland for details. They also have 2 week immersion camp sessions all summer long which are fantastic and affordable!
We have recently started individual class with Sarah de Guzman. You can google her or find other reviews on BPN. She has a ton of energy and engages our daughter for the full hour. They play games, ding songs and do art all focused on improving her ability to speak in Spanish. Both my daughter and I really like her. Leslie
2008 - 2010 Recommendations
Conversational Spanish tutor for a 2nd grader
Sept 2010
We have a 2nd grader in one of the Berkeley public school Two-Way Spanish Immersion programs. He is reading and writing just fine (both in Spanish and English), but I worry that he is not getting enough practice speaking Spanish, particularly now that in 2nd grade, they begin to integrate more English into the daily classroom routine. The teacher is good about insisting that the kids speak only to him in Spanish, but it is really hard to regulate their conversation with each other, and of course at this point even the native Spanish speakers are fluent in English and they all play and talk with each other in English. I feel like my son's conversational Spanish is just not where it should/could be, and we (his parents) are no help to him at all since we don't speak Spanish ourselves. We are thinking about finding a tutor or someone who could do one-on-one conversation with him once a week or something -- just so that he is really forced to practice speaking and employing new vocabulary. Does anybody have a recommendation for a tutor or someone whom we could pay to do this for our son? Any thoughts about whether this is going to be helpful or not, and how much will it cost? Sadly Spanish-less Mom
My 3rd grade daughter has two Spanish tutors for the same reason. She has a one hour class each week with Teresa at Centro Latino on San Pablo in Berkeley. Also, Sarah de Guzman comes to our home one hour per week. We have used this combination for a year, and while expensive ($100/week total) I would highly recommend either or both of them. Teresa is more traditional, in a classroom with some written and some conversational; Sarah is more creative and playful. And of course, if you can find another child at the same level you can split the cost : ) Sarah de Guzman - www.oleespanol.com 925-497-3026 Centro Latino - 510-849-4504 Buena suerte/Good luck! Megan
Spanish tutor for a 14-year-old boy
Sept 2010
Can anyone recommend a good Spanish tutor for a 14-year-old boy? My son is in 8th grade, taking second-year Spanish. He's feeling anxious, and we wanted to provide some extra support in his studies. He gravitates toward mentors with dynamic personalities, usually young, but if they're fun and dynamic enough, age isn't relevant. Looking for someone who is experienced in education/tutoring, rather than just a Spanish speaker.
Alex Armenta of Spanish.steps.institute [at] gmail.com tutors my daughter. He was instrumental in helping her raise her grade from a D to a B+ and fulfill her high school language requirement. Now that she's in college he helped prepare her for a summer enrichment program in Mexico which allowed her to feel confident and comfortable to carry on real conversations with people in Spanish. Alex is a native Spanish-speaker and currently enrolled in the teacher credential program at St. Mary's, so his availability for private tutoring is somewhat limited, but well worth it! His # is 387-4990. Proud Mama
2009 Recommendations
April 2009
If anyone is looking for a great Spanish tutor, I would like to highly recommend Alex Armenta. He can be reached at: spanish.steps.institute [at] gmail.com or by phone at:(510)387-4990. My son began working with Alex at the start of his second year of Spanish. Alex\x92s work with him was invaluable and my son was able to pull straight A\x92s through all of his Spanish studies. Alex is a very likeable, able, kind and low-key man. He is extremely well educated and is a native speaker from Mexico City. He can certainly help with your student\x92s class curriculum and homework, but he can also provide additional grammar instruction and worksheets to supplement class work. He has a very clear understanding of the typical stumbling blocks for native English speakers learning Spanish and is adept at presenting the information in a way that makes sense. I highly recommend him. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need any additional information. mabmail
Sept 2008
If you are looking for an excellent Spanish tutor, we have used Esther Guerrero for the past 2 years. She is within walking distance from BHS and is a native speaker. She is positive, encouraging, and kind. Esther is a Merritt College Spanish instructor with over 20 years experience as well as a mom of a teen. She can be reached at: profesora_guerrero [at] yahoo.com 510-540-6599
Ellen
May 2008
Tutor for medical Spanish
I'm an RN working at a local hospital. I'd like to learn Spanish so I can better communicate with my patients. I want to be able to tell my patients stuff like what medicines I'm giving them and what their discharge plans are but also be able to small talk. I've taken Spanish 1 and 2 more times than I like to admit and the classroom setting just doesn't work for me. Ideally, I'd like to find someone who can provide private lessons somewhere near my home near El Cerrito Plaza for about an hour/week. Any recommendations? Also, what are the going rates for this type of tutoring? Thanks! enfermera no habla espa\xf1ol
To the nurse who wants to learn Spanish--far and away the best (and most painless and fun)way to get conversant in Spanish is to attend an intensive Spanish course somewhere in Latin America. If you can possibly arrange it, do it! I can't recommend it highly enough. I'm a nurse who uses Spanish (learned at schools in Guatemala and Mexico)every day I work at my East Bay hospital. It makes my job so much more interesting and meaningful to connect with patients and families in this way, even if I'm not totally fluent. Guatemalan Spanish schools are unbelievably affordable. You can sign up for a week at a time, have 4-7 hours/day with one-on-one instruction that is really fun and low-key. The school can arrange a homestay, which helps you learn even faster. It's a great way to learn a bit about another country/culture. For me and my husband it's been the best kind of vacation. You can do an internet search and find tons of information about schools in many different countries.! barb
Feb 2008
We are looking for a tutor who can help our student (junior at BHS) get ready for the SAT II test in Spanish. She has had some very poor instruction in her first two years of Spanish at BHS. Thanks parent of BHS junior
There are prep books available for SAT II subjects, I suggest you get her the book and tell her to tutor herself first. From her self-motivation you might find out that it was her study habits in class rather than the instruction that might have been ''poor.'' a language teacher
If you are interested in a great Spanish tutor who is able to work with kids/teens/adults alike, I would recommend Lara Barth. She has been tutoring privately since high school and throughout college. She worked at Score Educational Centers and tutored Elementary school kids in all subjects. She has tutored English to young adults in France (2003-2004), and English to Guatemalan teenagers (2005-2006). She taught one year of English in a French high school (2006-2007) and specialized in teaching writing skills to high school students in San Diego for one year (2004-2005). This past summer 2007 she taught Spanish Language and Culture in an Enrichment summer program in the Oak Grove School District in San Jose. Her B.A. is in Human Development and French Literature. Lara lived two years in France, one year in Guatemala. She truly has a personal passion for languages and the humanities. My daughter (age 16) and I have both benefited from Lara\x92s expertise in Spanish and the thoughtful, organized methods she uses to make learning Spanish grammar and conversation fun. Lara is very personable and professional. She was always responsible, reliable, punctual, and takes her commitments seriously. She came to us with great recommendation letters and I am happy to recommend her as well. Her contact number is (415) 240- 2164. Love our Spanish tutor
2006 - 2007 Recommendations
Dec 2007
For anyone looking for a superb spanish tutor for a student I would like to recommend Roxana Hart. She worked with my son for Spanish III and did a fabulous job. She took a kid who has dylexia and was really struggling and helped him become a confident student. She prepared lessons ahead of time with the copy of the spanish text I gave her and she even researched areas that my son needed extra help with. Her phone number is 594-4051. Deborah
Sept 2007
I'm looking for a beginning spanish class or in-home tutor for my 10 and 13year old daughters. We went to Guatemala this summer and now they both really want to learn. Any recommendations? ak
I know this lady who is fabulous, so extremely kind and attentive to children, a native Spanish speaker and fluent in English as well. Her name is Amparo Estaban. Her phone no. is (510)830-8763. She works some for one of the Elementary Schools. I am not sure what her schedule is. L. N. A.
Tutor for first grader in two-way immersion
May 2007
Our daughter just transferred into two-way immersion at a Berkeley public school. She is a first grader and could use some tutoring help. Any recommendations for tutors that are especially gifted at working with children? Thanks in advance. Bora
Try Viva el Espanol. They have group and private classes. They have a location in Oakland and in Lafayette. All their teachers are fluent speakers. Their website is www.LamorindaSpanish.org. Spanish speaking mom
January 2007
If you are looking for a gifted Spanish tutor can happily recommend Emily Navas. She was born in Venezuela but moved to the US when she was young so speaks fluent English as well. She is certified as a teacher and has a masters degree as well. She helped our daughter enormously in tutoring her in Spanish. She is kind, patient and just such a great teacher. She is open to coming to you to tutor your child. Best way to reach her is 415-519-5230.
Marian
Tutor for Spanish 7/8 at BHS
Dec 2006
Can anyone refer my 16 yr old son to a Spanish tutor? He is in Spanish 7/8 at BHS. Last year the teacher didn't teach the class anything so this year he is struggling with Spanish. Thanks, Kay
My daughter and a friend are sharing a Spanish tutor for AP Spanish that I believe I found recommended on BPN. They've been quite happy with him, and so have we. He's prompt and organized, comes prepared for their sessions with materials and study ideas. His name is Alejandro (''Alex'') Armenta--510-387-4990
Patty
Summer Spanish tutoring for high school student
May 2006
Any suggestions for one-on-one or small group Spanish tutoring to help maintain skills over the summer for a high school student? Mary
My teenage son had very good experiences with one-on-one Spanish tutoring with Loren Chuse 666-0488 and in a semi- private class last summer with Arturo at the Mesoamerica Institute, http://www.mesoamerica.org/. Loren came highly recommended by the head of languages at Berkeley High. She was reliable, good natured, patient, reasonably priced and she came to our house! My son liked Arturo's classes as well, which required him to speak Spanish for several hours two or three times a week. After Loren and Arturo's help, my son's Spanish improved considerably, and he's done much better in his high school Spanish class this past year. monolingual mom
Tutor for AP Spanish at BHS
March 2006
My daughter is currently a Freshman at Berkeley High in Spanish 7/8. Next year she will take AP Spanish. She would like to connect with a tutor that can reinforce grammer and vocabulary she learned this year, and can be available next year if she needs it. Does anyone know of a good tutor that comes to your house? Laura
Marta Ginebreda is a wonderful Spanish teacher at The College Preparatory School. She does tutoring from time to time, and does great work as a tutor. You can reach her by email at marta[AT]college-prep.org Paul O.
Tutor for advanced Spanish for 10 and 12 year olds
Jan 2006
I am looking for a native Spanish Tutor who can come to my home in Albany to teach my kids 10 and 12 advanced Spanish. They are quite fluent but need to learn grammar, reading and expand their vocabulary. I would mostly like to have a person specifically from Argentina since that's the accent they are used to, otherwise I would prefer somebody from Southamerica. Any recommendations would be appreciated.
My friend and colleague Susana Aragon is an artist and a teacher. She has been teaching art classes for students K-5 for over 20 years. Five + of those have been with Berkeley Unified. Along with art Susana does poetry and photography in Spanish and can walk her students through the creation of videos and publications. As a native Peruvian she teaches Spanish through art. She can work one on one or in small groups. Her creativity and positive spirit is very inspirational and motivating. As a teacher who has worked with Susana in the classroom, and as a parent of a child who has worked with her, I cannot recommend her highly enough. To contact her please Email susanaragonr AT yahoo.com.
Marta Ginebreda is a native Spanish speaker with more than 20 years of experience teaching all levels of Spanish. She teaches at the prestigious College Preparatory School in Oakland and has tutored many students from different Bay Area schools. She is very skillful with all ages, and is familiar with the latest language learning methodologies and standardized tests. You can reach her by email at marta AT college-prep.org
Paul Osborne
Combination of parenting advice and Spanish language advice. There is no way a once a week (if that) tutor is going to be able to take the place of a year of instruction, especially once classes start. And realistically, do you want your kid spending time on a subject that is not being graded at the expense of their new classes and succeeding at their new school? I would say focus their time on the new curriculum, but on the side ask for 20 minutes on Duolingo once a week, at the kid's convenience. All you really want to do is not slip too far before getting to 9th grade Spanish, correct? Duo is fine to keep up vocabulary if you're not in a big hurry for anything.