Catherine A.

I feel very fortunate to have found Jeannette Ortiz. She is excellent in every way. Prior to starting with Jeannette, I found Spanish classes online with an “academy.” I took a week of classes (which I was required to pre-pay) that left me frustrated and having felt like I wasted my money. The classes were completely unstructured, with the teacher not even remembering what had been covered the prior lesson, etc. It was a haphazard mess. As all professional teachers know, preparation in the form of lesson plans, knowing when, how and what new material to introduce, supplemental exercises for homework if the student is interested, etc. is crucial. I come from a family of educators and have witnessed first-hand the effort and time it takes to do lesson plans. There’s a reason these are required of all educators in classroom settings and when an independent tutor skimps on these, it is reflected in the quality of the lesson. You are entrusting yourself to your teacher, putting in hours of effort to acquire a skill. You deserve a teacher who takes this responsibility seriously. Jeannette is extremely conscientious and is an ultimate professional. Jeannette puts a lot of effort into customizing lessons for the individual. She puts her years of experience as a professional educator into having a plan for ensuring I acquire new skills at a pace that’s right for me. There’s nothing haphazard about it. Jeannette introduces new concepts at the right time, ensuring a pace that’s best for the student. Jeannette makes a document in Google Docs for each student. She posts the lesson plan for each lesson, so a student can study ahead to have a bit of a foundation before the lesson if one wishes. At the beginning I did but I haven’t had time for weeks now. And that’s fine, too. There’s absolutely no pressure. If I want homework, Jeannette will give it. When missing lessons for travel, Jeannette even offered to make a homework packet for me. Jeannette works hard at ensuring lessons don’t become monotonous and at using different teaching modalities to ensure a superior grasp of the material. I do a 90 minute lesson. We spend some time doing exercises on Google Docs, some time doing exercises in the book, some time in conversation, some time with her asking questions, etc. Jeannette has a lovely gentle demeanor. I never feel embarrassed or rushed. She is incredibly kind and patient. I cannot say enough positive things about Jeannette. I feel I have the best possible teacher. If you put your trust in Jeannette she will do her very best for you. You will not find a better teacher.