All About That Spanish

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About

¡Hola! My name is Christy Verhelst, and I am a Spanish Tutor for anyone who wants to learn the language. Whether you already have a strong knowledge of Spanish and you just want to learn more, or you’re only starting out, I can certainly help you improve your skills. Spanish has always been a major passion of mine, and I am ecstatic that I have the opportunity to pass on my knowledge to others! I earned my Master’s degree in Spanish Literature and Culture from the University of Illinois, and I am currently studying to earn my PhD. As a part of my studies, I have taught many college courses and helped countless students learn the Spanish language. While most of my teaching has been at the college level, I am also happy to tutor younger students ages 10 and up. Additionally, I will also tutor adults who want to learn the language for the purposes of travelling, work or personal development. My lessons focus on many aspects of the Spanish Language. I cover Spanish pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary, reading, writing, general conversation, culture and more. My hope is that all of my students will learn how to converse and sound just like a native Spanish speaker. Additionally, I maintain several unique lesson plans for both beginners and advanced students, all of which are designed to provide my students with the specific help that they need. All of my lessons are engaging and rewarding, and I do everything I can to make my sessions fun and enjoyable for my students. My favorite aspect of tutoring is having the ability to watch my students learn, develop new skills and gain newfound confidence. I find it extremely rewarding when I watch a student go from having no knowledge of Spanish to becoming fully fluent in the language. My students have all told me that I make learning Spanish exciting, and once they start learning there really is no turning back. If you have any questions, or you would like to inquire about receiving tutoring, please send me a message, and I will return it as soon as possible. Thanks, and have a great day! I enjoy the challenge of being an instructor; each student is different, and I am skilled at finding the right way to design/approach an activity so that a particular student understands and can benefit from it. I also enjoy seeing students' progress; I take great pride in my work. I believe that learning a language is wonderful way to open one's mind to a new cultural perspective.

Overview

Hired 3 times

1 employee

12 years in business

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Reviews

Exceptional 5.0

7 reviews

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Tariq N.

Jul 3, 2016

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Hired on Thumbtack

Really enjoying my Spanish lessons with Christy. She is quick to meet all my requirements and offers great support and advice with my ongoing battle to learn a second language.

Spanish Lessons

Tina G.

Jun 3, 2016

Christy is very professional, has teaching experience and cares about her students. She listens to you and prepares lesson plans that address you specific objectives. She is fun, easy to contact and always on time. I highly Christy for your online Spanish lessons.

Michelle W.

Jun 21, 2014

Natalie S.

Jun 11, 2014

Christy helped my son with his very advanced high school Spanish class. She is extremely reliable, friendly, professional. My son said she was the best Spanish teacher he ever had. Great tutor!

Charlie F.

Jul 10, 2014

I have been working with Christina for a little under a month. I have been thoroughly impressed by her mastery of the content and her ability to customize her teaching style to help reach my goals. The lessons are extremely professional and she leverages every moment that she has with her students to help them grow. In a short amount of time I have noticed that my conversational comfort level has increased. This is a major accomplishment for me! As an intermediate adult learner I was looking for someone whom could keep me motivated to get to the next level. Christina does this by putting me in real world situations, giving me the meat and potatoes of concepts, and applying unique exercises to help me retain the lesson. I am overjoyed that I was able to find Christina and receive such great instruction. I look forward to our sessions each week and feel that she is equally motivated in helping me reach my goals. The sky is the limit!!!

FAQs

What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
When quoting a price, I take into account the student's level, goals and learning style, and think about how much time it would take to plan their lessons. If they are fairly unique in their needs and interests with the language, such as looking to learn Spanish for medicine, the quote will be higher since lessons would be specialized and would take more time to prepare. If the student wants to become conversational in Spanish or would like to improve upon their current skills, then I will quote them a standard rate. The price goes down from there when the student wants lessons on a weekly basis and if the lessons are held online. The price increases if there is travel involved.
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
First I speak with them to find out what their level is so I can plan a great first lesson! For those with no knowledge of Spanish, the first lesson covers greetings, introducing yourself and getting to know you questions. Subsequent lessons cover the fundamentals: Regular verbs, the verbs that mean to be, nouns/adjective and gender, and basic vocab like words for people, days of the week, numbers and the alphabet. For those who are already beginners or intermediate students, I have them take an inventory of the topics they are already familiar with, and those they would like to review! With the first lesson we start by reviewing some topics they know and then we cover a few new topics, combining grammar, vocab and conversation. For advanced students, I first find out what areas they'd like to improve on and what their goals are, and we go from there!
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have an MA in Spanish and have been trained as a university instructor of Spanish! I've taken a course on language teaching methodology and apply it to the university classes I teach as well as my private lessons.