"Hi! I'm Maddy (French, ESL, beginner / intermediate Spanish). I've always been a language lover and started learning French at an early age. Although I grew up in the UK, I had extended family based in France with whom I often went to stay, which enabled me to develop bilingual fluency. I studied English Literature at Oxford University for a year or so, before moving to the U.S, where I switched to French. I graduated (4.0 with a French major and an award for the most outstanding student in the foreign language department), then taught for 17 years at Le Lycée Francais de Los Angeles, (both English as a foreign language to French kids and French as a foreign language to Americans). I picked up Spanish as a third language in L.A. due to its structural similarity to French, supporting my husband as he majored in it in college, and reading Spanish books with him for fun.

Right now, I’m teaching all levels of French and Spanish 1 and 2 to high-school students one-on-one at a great alternative private school called Fusion Academy and have completed a collaborative project with a French Canadian author on the English translation of his first novel originally written and published in French.

I have tutored extensively both in person and online and what I love most about teaching is helping people connect with their intrinsic motivation, an ideal I am passionate about. My greatest strengths as a teacher are creativity and learner centered-ness (by which I mean attunement to students’ needs and feelings and emphasizing strengths and progress). I strongly appreciate the connection between confidence, motivation and success, so if you choose to work with me sensitivity, patience, and understanding are guaranteed!" less...