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About
Hi there! I’m Malcolm, the founder and coordinator of Real Talk Language Lessons. I love teaching and tutoring! I’ve taught and tutored Spanish, ESOL, and ACT for many years at various institutions and in various positions. I’ve reached hundreds of students and helped them to create new opportunities for themselves and to enrich their lives. Everyone, whether it’s myself, my students, my loved ones… every person on Earth has both an innate capacity and a profound need to learn and grow! I am always working with this in mind, and all of our tutors have a strong growth mindset.
With language specifically, I see SO much unrealized potential in most students… there’s always something that has yet to “click.” Our goal at Real Talk Language Lessons is to help each student tap into their own individual potential. We use highly focused, effective, and efficient contemporary teaching methods to help students elevate their Spanish from the theoretical to the practical. As such, the students can finally use their Spanish in real-life language situations, such as traveling abroad or even living in a Spanish-speaking country. As each member of our tutoring roster can confirm from personal experience, successfully learning a foreign language is an incredibly empowering and rewarding endeavor!
I’m extremely fortunate and blessed to have had both amazing personal experiences and formal education in language learning. These things have had such a profoundly positive impact on my life that I’ve chosen to dedicate my career to language education.
Overview
Hired 15 times
4 similar jobs done near you
Background checked
4 employees
9 years in business
Business hours
This pro hasn't listed their business hours.
Payment methods
This pro accepts payments via Credit card and Zelle.
Customers rated this pro highly for work quality, professionalism, and punctuality.
Excellent 4.9
8 reviews
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Read reviews that mention:
Darrel C.
May 23, 2023
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Hired on Thumbtack
Malcolm is an expert in Spanish grammar and has exceptional skills in formatting Spanish language grammar concepts in a manner that native English speakers can grasp and easily add to their Spanish language skills.
Details: 45 - 64 years old • Intermediate • Professional or academic verbal comprehension • Intermediate • Intermediate • Professional or academic reading/writing • 60 minutes • Phone or internet (no in-person meeting)
Spanish Lessons
Sujay K.
Nov 20, 2022
If you're looking for a Spanish tutor who is both knowledgeable and inspiring, then look no further than Malcolm! Malcolm has a true gift for teaching and has helped me grow immensely as a student. He not only provides excellent instruction but also motivates and encourages his students to reach their full potential. I always look forward to my lessons with Malcolm and highly recommend him to anyone seeking to improve their Spanish skills.
Real Talk Language Lessons - Spanish Tutoring's reply
Thanks for your kind words, Sujay! I look forward to each of our sessions as well! I’m really excited to see where your listening and speaking skills in particular end up after 2-3 more months of consistent practice. You took great strides in the first semester, and you’ve got so much potential to level up even more in the second semester. At this rate, you’ll absolutely be ready to conquer the AP test in May. Keep up the good work!
Jessy M.
Nov 4, 2022
Me encanta que el profesor José me brinde clases,ya que,es entrar a un espacio de conocimiento con teoría y en especial, práctica;esto para que la información no se quede únicamente de manera escrita, sino que podamos utilizarlo en nuestra vida cotidiana, el profesor José utiliza diversas herramientas novedosas, que hacen que preste mayor atención y que me fascine cada sesión!
Real Talk Language Lessons - Spanish Tutoring's reply
Hiciste unos comentarios bastante perspicaces, Jessy. Puede que algún día tú misma quieras convertirte en profesora de una lengua extranjera ;). Como mencionaste, a José le interesan mucho las investigaciones contemporáneas y siempre está leyendo sobre nuevos métodos y aprendiendo sobre las maneras de mejorar su enseñanza. ¡Sin duda nos alegra que él forme parte de nuestro equipo!
[You’ve made some insightful comments here, Jessy. Perhaps one day you’ll want to became a foreign language teacher yourself ;). As you mentioned, José is very interested in the current research, and he’s always reading about new methods and learning about ways to improve his teaching. We’re certainly glad that he’s a part of our team!]
Alan V.
Nov 4, 2022
José es un muy buen maestro, sus clases incluyen buena organización, ejemplos claros y contenido cultural. Es muy flexible, organizado y su planeación como sus actividades son excelentes de acuerdo al nivel de cada estudiante. Un punto a destacar es que es un profesor nativo que promueve actividades orales para mejorar la fluidez en el idioma.
Real Talk Language Lessons - Spanish Tutoring's reply
¡Hola, Alan! ¡Me alegra que estés contento con el estilo de enseñanza y el servicio de José! Sí, de verdad es un maestro muy responsable y organizado. ¡Su entusiasmo por la enseñanza de idiomas es realmente impresionante! Es especialmente bueno en animar a los estudiantes a conversar de una manera natural y relajada. ¡Gracias por tu reseña!
[Hello, Alan. I’m very glad that you’re happy with José’s teaching and service! Yes, he really is a very responsible and organized teacher. His enthusiasm for language teaching is truly impressive! He’s especially good at encouraging students to speak in a natural, relaxed way. Thank you for your review!]
Mariia S.
Oct 25, 2022
Malcolm is an amazing teacher: the organization of the lessons is great, being considerate of the student's level and educational needs. The sessions are informative and challenging enough to help the students learn in a way that suits then best. He is also incredibly understanding, helpful, and easy to talk to :)
Real Talk Language Lessons - Spanish Tutoring's reply
Mariia, It’s been an absolute joy watching your abilities grow over the last year! When we began, you and I were only having short conversations in the simple present tense about easy, everyday subject matter. Now, in every lesson you’re speaking at length and writing about contemporary world news and science-related topics, as well as reading advanced, full-length Spanish language novels. I’m very happy that you’ve made so much progress, and I look forward to continuing our work together! :)
Credentials
Background Check
Malcolm Bocanegra
FAQs
What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
Our base rate is $60/hour. This rate may be discounted or adjusted if you pay for a longer tutoring term. We run payments through Thumbtack and Zelle, and payments are all invoiced prior to classes beginning, for a standard billing period of one month.
Check out our "Rates and Payment" page on our website for more information.
What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
We teach our individual lessons according to each student's individual need. We time to be very attentive to each student's personal motivations for tutoring, individual strengths and weaknesses, and how much time they're looking to invest into their lessons. In general, we focus on lessons focus on CLT (Communicative Language Learning). We concentration conversation, vocabulary, reading, listening, grammar, and skill-building.
A typical lesson for, for example, an intermediate or AP Spanish student may consist of a verbal warm-up, a discussion of previously assigned reading homework (usually a short story), a dive into a recent news article in Spanish, a short grammar lesson on a specific concept (such as imperfect subjunctive verbs), a back-and-forth reading of a Spanish dialogue, and a quick game at the end.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Our teachers have extensive education, training, and experience in language teaching, including teaching certifications, master's degrees, and thousands of hours of combined teaching experience.
