Testimonials

“We engaged Margaret when my son was on his 3rd non-Spanish speaking substitute in his freshman year of high school. Margaret has been wonderful to work with and has instilled a love of the language in my son. His written and verbal skills progressed so rapidly under her tutorage that he skipped a level and completed all high school Spanish available to him by his junior year. While grades weren’t our objective, his grades were exceptional and he got a 5 on his Spanish AP.”

“Mi hijo estaba en el décimo grado en Menlo Atherton High School. Recibí una llamada de su counselor para dejarme saber que mi hijo tenía una F en la clase de español y que era muy probable que tuviera que repetir esta clase el siguiente año, decidimos buscarle tutoría para tratar de salvar la clase al principio mi hijo no estaba muy convencido de hacerlo pero aún así conseguí el contacto de la señora Osborn, una persona muy cercana a mí me dijo que era muy buena y la contacte e inició la tutoría con mi hijo inmediatamente pudimos ver el cambio y el entusiasmo con el que asistía a su clase, lo vimos más seguro y confiado de poder hacerlo empezó a hablar mucho más español en casa y cada semana podíamos ver el progreso en mi hijo no solo académico sino personal pues el estaba muy contento con la señora Osborn. Cuando recibimos el report card del fin del año escolar el resultado fue B!!! En español obviamente estamos muy contentos y agradecidos por la ayuda de la señora Osborn. Thank you! Mrs. Osborn.”

“We decided to find a Spanish tutor for our 10th grader after receiving an email from his Spanish II teacher recommending that he drop the class and repeat Spanish I. Apparently, he was failing the assessments given in the first few weeks of school that measure Spanish I competency. This came as a big surprise since he had gotten a B+ in Spanish I but clearly had not learned or retained anything (he was in another school for 9th grade). After exploring all our options, we decided to hire a Spanish tutor. Luckily, his Spanish teacher had posted a referral to Margaret’s tutoring service on her class page, so we gave her a call. It was the best decision we made for our son!

Margaret had the challenging job of getting our son caught up on Spanish I content while helping him keep up with his current homework. Margaret gave Elliot some good memorization tools and was able to zero in on key areas of weakness. She also helped him prepare for tests and end-of-semester exams. They met twice a week for the first few months and his grades slowly climbed along with his understanding of the language. Elliot ended the first semester with a “B” in the class, which was an accomplishment considering his failing grades in the first 6 weeks of school.

Margaret is a skilled communicator with teenagers who knows when and how to push them and when to back off and give them space. Because of Margaret, our son now enjoys Spanish and has an A- for his second semester grade. Also, his Spanish teacher pulled him aside after class and offered to write a recommendation letter for his college applications since she was so impressed with his turnaround and current performance. We can’t thank Margaret enough for her patience and talent in helping teenagers learn and retain information. If your child needs help with Spanish, we recommend Margaret without hesitation. Call her, you won’t regret it!”

“Margaret was recommended to me by a friend when I was struggling in Spanish I. The school I was in was challenging in every course. The Spanish class was especially difficult, and the teacher didn’t help. I’m convinced that Margret single-handedly ensured I didn’t fail that class.

I’ve always had trouble studying, and Margaret had me try several methods before finding one that I truly understood. She made everything comprehensible, whether enforcing things I’d just been taught or introducing subjects before the class got to them, so I’d be prepared. Her teaching style is caring and engaging. She takes the time to understand your learning patterns and uses them to help you understand and improve. She is truly the best tutor I’ve ever had.

Also, Margaret alerted me to a learning difference I have, leading to me getting tested by my school. I now have learning resources I probably wouldn’t have gotten without her help and insights. ”

“My son was deeply struggling with Spanish II due to many factors, such as post-remote learning malaise, ADHD, and senioritis. Given that a final transcript is the final stamp of approval in college admissions, showing poor performance was not an option. Understanding our unique situation, Margaret was laser-focused on the goal at hand. With her expertise, he gained many things. He raised his grade. He found motivation. He found confidence. He found study skills. He found a trusted adult he calls his friend. Margaret was able to connect with my son both academically and personally. He always looked forward to his tutoring sessions. When he got his final exam test grade which was higher than expected, the first person he wanted to call was Margaret! I’m certain without her expertise in teaching and understanding how to motivate my otherwise unenthusiastic son, he would not have achieved and performed above and beyond his goals. With Margaret’s guidance, he has learned skills he’ll apply in college this Fall which is a wonderful added bonus! We’ve worked with tutors over the last few years in various subjects and Margaret by far, exceeded all expectations. It is obvious that she genuinely cares about her students and cares about helping them succeed. ”

“Margaret has been an absolute life-saver for us this year! My daughter was really struggling in Spanish 3 after remote learning, but Margaret provided her with excellent direction and learning materials, and helped raise her confidence level. She connected well with her and made me feel comfortable that my daughter was in capable hands. We appreciate everything she’s done and I would definitely recommend her, I’m sure we’ll be requesting her tutoring services for our next incoming high schooler!”

“Three years ago, at the beginning of Covid, we found our elder son’s Spanish grades were slipping close to failure. We reached out to Margaret to help him while there were still some weeks left in the school year. She managed to establish a relationship with our reluctant pre-teen. Through persistence, charm, expertise and (humor) a couple of sessions every week, she was able to inspire him into a working relationship with our son, and a very acceptable end-of-school-year result. Margaret continued to develop his interest and abilities in the language, and within a year he was happily obtaining top grades in the subject. While our eldest continued studying with Margaret until he started high school, his younger brother, began also to need some help.

While the academic results are easily shown in school grades, other aspects of Margaret’s teaching abilities are even more exceptional. Her ability to connect with the boys and form a relationship in a short amount of time was a very pleasant surprise. She did not rush the first few sessions, but discovered subjects of interest, outside of the language which she later interleaved into the lessons. She talked to the school’s Spanish teacher and obtained their textbooks and lesson plans so that her tutoring was reinforcing what the boys learned in school.

Perhaps most important was her goodwill and the change in the boys’ attitude about the subject. Even when the going got tough, as it was bound to on occasion, Margaret’s persistence and good humor worked through it. We are extremely glad to have had Margaret’s help over the last three years and are more than happy to give her an excellent recommendation!”

“Working with Señora Osborn has been an absolute pleasure. She has helped me develop strategies to improve my learning of the Spanish language. In the past, I had difficulty learning Spanish. Señora Osborn dramatically helped me understand the concepts covered in class and helped me improve my overall class performance. I am very thankful that I had the opportunity to work with Señora Osborn for three years; I would highly recommend her to anyone looking for a Spanish tutor.”

“Margaret is an amazing Spanish tutor but she’s more than just a tutor. She not only transformed my son’s foreign language ability but she also changed the way he felt about Spanish. He went from dreading Spanish to mastering it. He started off with a C+ and ended his last quarter with an A. More importantly he gained so much confidence in himself and his ability to speak and write. Margaret worked directly with my son and had a thorough understanding of the class curriculum, such that I no longer needed to be involved, which was huge stress relief for us both. Through the process she built an incredible relationship with my son so that he looks forward to seeing her and this made his experience all the better. ”

“Margaret has been a wonderful teacher and frankly a moral support to our daughter for the last two years. She turned her quickly from C to A in less than 2 months. Our daughter is currently taking Spanish Honor 3 at SHS and still maintain an A grade level. Margaret’s ability to connect with her students and her talent at teaching simple concepts, as well as more advanced topics, are both truly superior. Margaret always accomplishes her goals with great initiative and with a positive attitude. I recommend Margaret to you without reservation. ”

“My daughter is in her 2nd year working with Margie. As a dyslexic learner, she was quite worried about navigating Spanish classes in a large public school setting. In the beginning, our goal for Spanish was to “just get through it.” We enlisted Margie’s help for that one purpose. Little did we know, back then, the impact this relationship would have on my daughter in Spanish and beyond. She was able to skillfully assess and define specific types of support for my daughter in the language learning process while highlighting her existing strengths and challenges.

As a teacher, Margie has exceeded every expectation. She has gone above and beyond in order to make the learning process engaging and coherent by patiently explaining concepts and fundamentals, which can be confusing to a beginning Spanish speaker. She has helped my daughter to feel empowered, proud and confident about her Spanish skills.

Margie has helped my daughter in more ways than I can describe. She has been an amazing, dedicated and compassionate tutor and, along the way, she has become a friend, a cheerleader and a source of calm during stressful times.”

“Margie has taught and tutored my son in his high school Spanish classes. I love that she sets her expectations up front with us as parents and with her students. It makes the outcome efficient and clear. My son has always changed his grade to the better with Margie. We have found a gem. ”

“Margaret is a gifted educator and was an essential component of my son’s Spanish learning plan. He is on the reserved side and had a very rigorous Spanish teacher this year. Thanks to Margaret’s support and calming influence, my son’s confidence and fluidity improved markedly. He was able to get an A in Honors Spanish and a 5 on his AP exam. We are so grateful to Margaret!”

“... I feel that you had an impact on his overall school performance that is invaluable!  So please don’t feel that I expect all of your time spent with him to be used covering Spanish. I’m happy with the connection you have with him and that the study techniques you use can be used in other subjects. He actually failed his permit test the first time and when I helped him study the second time I asked how he’d approach it if it were Spanish 😀. He passed the second go around!”

“Sra. Osborn is the nicest and most genuine tutor I have ever had. She truly cared about my learning experience and giving me her best effort. I learned a tremendous amount from her, and I highly recommend her to other students looking for help in Spanish”

“Mrs. Osborn was by far my favorite teacher and tutor I have ever worked with. Her dedication and patience made me feel comfortable and safe, especially as a student with a learning disability. Mrs. Osborn was able to constantly adapt to my style of learning and always made me feel very comfortable to speak up if I wasn’t understanding a certain topic. Her background in high school education was also a very valuable asset because it broke that barrier of her not being able to understand what the teacher wanted for a specific task. Overall I really valued every session I had with Mrs. Osborn, and I would highly recommend her to any student who needs extra help; especially students like me who have a hard time grasping concepts quickly and need to go at a slower pace or feel more organized. ”

“My son has been working with Margie for almost 3.5 years and she has played an integral part in shaping him through his young adult life. She has an incredible way of connecting with teens, understands them and provides support/help beyond the subject. Yes, she took time to know him as an individual, connected with him, gained his trust and came up with a game plan for learning Spanish. Her deep understanding of the student combined with strong proficiency in various teaching methodologies along with the unique way of communication translates in to awesome results; made studying Spanish from a stressful experience to a fun and rewarding experience for my son. The study atmosphere, support during and after sessions, ability to connect and create friendship has helped our son to believe in himself, gain confidence and able to do well in Spanish and extra curricular activities. My heartfelt thanks to her for all her guidance, support and friendship throughout his journey! I highly recommend her not only as a Spanish teacher but also as a mentor!”

“My son was struggling with high school Spanish and he worked with Margie for two years. She was able to help him master the concepts and improve his performance. She has a wonderful way of making her students comfortable and he really enjoyed his time with her while at the same time improving his Spanish. My son felt she was the first person that really understood why he was struggling and how to help him. She was also available by text if he had a question between sessions.”

“My son has been working with Mrs. Osborn for almost a year and wow what a difference she has made!!! She has an incredible way of understanding the adolescent mind, is able to dive in and pinpoint the areas of study and proficiency that need attention and come up with a game plan that truly resonates with the student. Additionally she is fun, cares deeply about her students, finds ways to engage with her students and makes the extra study time a fun and rewarding experience. Spanish used to be an area of stress for my son, but working with Mrs. Osborn has completely reduced those stress levels and has given him a sense of confidence and belief in himself that he never would have had without her guidance and expertise. We can’t recommend her more highly!”

“My report on the effectiveness of your tutoring is short and simple: In the few months you have been working with Paul, Spanish has changed from his weakest to his strongest academic subject. Indeed, foreign language acquisition has long seemed to be the area in which Paul was never going to excel, or even keep pace. It turns out that all that was needed was someone who could intuit his personal learning style, and help him in ways that were suited to this style.”

“My son’s understanding and performance has improved greatly and quickly with Margie’s help. However, the most remarkable aspect of Margie’s tutoring is that my son WANTS to go the sessions and would in fact go multiple times per week if we could fit it into our schedule.

In addition to teaching the material, Margie acts as a “coach”, giving the kids strategies and study methods that improve their performance on tests and class exercises. These strategies are applicable to other subjects as well as Spanish.”

“When my son was hit by a car and had to stay home in a wheelchair for two months, I thought he would lose that semester of high school for sure. Fortunately, we were able to avoid that with the help of his dedicated teachers and tutors. Ms. Osborn was one of the best. She acted as a private teacher for two sessions per week, teaching him the material in Spanish II first hand. She also went beyond the usual role of a tutor and acted as the point of contact between him and his regular teacher. She got my son to work hard, learn quickly, and feel that he really could learn a language. He commented that with Ms. Osborn, he felt like he finally really understood Spanish, Spanish grammar, and by extension even English grammar, for the first time. His grades improved substantially from C’s, at best, to a B+. Even after my son returned to school he asked to keep working with Ms. Osborn as she was really helping him. I’m very grateful that we found her. She helped make a difficult time much easier for both of us.”

“Margie Osborn was the first person I went to after my Spanish teacher gave me a less than satisfactory progress report six weeks before the end of the semester. By helping me write my final essay, prepare a speech for my oral exam, and review concepts including grammar and vocabulary, Margie helped me to bring my grade from a 78% to 86%.  Because Margie uses both languages in her everyday life, she is able to explain the trickiest concepts in a way that makes sense to a frustrated high school student. She has a way of teaching the confusing and foreign textbook material in a way that is easily understood and remembered for tests and assignments later on.

Spanish has always been my toughest subject, but Margie gave me confidence. She reminded me that learning a new language is not supposed to be easy, but that is why it pays off so much when you put the effort in.  I am now at Berkeley and planning to double major in foreign language.”

“My son was really struggling with Spanish II, when we turned to Margie for some much needed tutoring. Margie’s approach was to provide Jack with tools that he needed to be successful in Spanish quickly and effectively. Not only did she accurately asses specifically what he needed in order to improve his understanding, but she was able to instill the self-confidence that Jack needed to be successful in Spanish. I would highly recommend Margie to any parent and/or student who needs help with Spanish.”

“Margie Osborn has tutored my children for the past year in Spanish. My children have some learning differences consequently I have had to hire many tutors over the years in order to support them with their academics. Some of the tutors have had degrees in teaching children with learning differences while others have been experienced teachers with specialized knowledge in a specific subject matter. Margie is the “full package”. She is an experienced teacher with specific knowledge of Spanish. Additionally, she is very knowledgeable of kids with learning differences and is well-versed at how to explain concepts that will resonate with different types of learners. Most importantly, Margie cares about and connects with her students. When anxiety about projects or tests gets high, Margie incorporates humor to relieve the stress. She is also good about breaking the task at hand into smaller more manageable pieces. Margie has been very flexible with our ever evolving sports schedules and finds way to see my kids around their hectic practice and game schedules. When asked, my children used the words “encouraging”, “funny”, “nice” and “helpful” to describe Margie. I don’t think a tutor can get higher “grades” than that from their students!”

“My daughter enrolled in Spanish Honors 2 her sophomore year and by October of first semester she was struggling. We realized she needed a tutor to improve both her test grades and understanding of the material. We hired Margie to tutor our daughter and it proved to be a great investment.  Not only did her grades improve significantly but also she gained confidence and a love of the language. In addition to being capable and reliable, Margie relates extremely well to teenagers. My daughter actually looks forward to her tutoring sessions!”

“Finding the right tutor for any subject can be a daunting process. My son comprehended more Spanish III in the short month under Margie’s tutelage than during his previous 4 months of school.   Her teaching strategies were on-point after her evaluation determining his improvement needs as well as ascertaining how best he would learn. My son said, “She made it easy to learn…she focused just on what I needed”.   In any endeavor, someone possessing experience with qualified skills is priceless.  Margie is indeed priceless as a teacher-tutor-motivator with her low key/patient and highly-effective methodology.  She has thorough understanding of dual languages/cultures, and she has my confidence as a referral for anyone contemplating her expertise.”

“My daughter’s Spanish grade started to slip and her interest waned. She wanted to discontinue taking Spanish for 8th grade. I was lucky to find a few local recommendations for Margie as a Spanish tutor. After speaking with her, I felt like she would be a great fit for tutoring my daughter. After the very first session, I saw a change of attitude in my daughter. Margie worked with my daughter for several months. Her confidence grew with each weekly session and her grade went from a C to an A. Margie has an easy and inspiring manner with kids. My daughter never complained once about doing a little extra work between tutoring sessions because she was able to see results from her efforts. We plan to continue to use Margie as a resource to support my daughter’s Spanish language skills.”

“Margie tutored our daughter Brooke for three years as she attended Carlmont High School. Brooke successfully completed Spanish I-IV and most importantly she learned to love the language. Our daughter is now a freshman at the University of Hawaii in Manoa where she continues to study Spanish with plans to study abroad. Margie is patient, respectful, diligent, and always made herself available to Brooke. She had a keen understanding of Brooke’s learning style and tutored accordingly. Margie communicated well with us whenever necessary but worked closely with Brooke on a regular basis to schedule sessions or to follow up about an assignment or test. Margie is such an incredible teacher and tutor and made a huge difference in Brooke’s grades and attitude toward learning a language. More than that though is the support and mentorship Margie offered Brooke at a higher level. The high school years can present challenges and unique experiences for so many, Margie consistently offered Brooke an unbiased and open ear to lean on. They connected beyond school work which provided Brooke with advice, friendship, and a mentor for many things which helped relieve anxiety and allowed her to better focus on school. Margie and Brooke remain in touch and I’m sure always will. Margie made such a positive impression on Brooke and has truly been someone who has shaped the person she is today.”

“My daughter was struggling through the first 2 months of Spanish 3 at Carlmont High School and was worried that she would not be able to manage the class. She started working with Margie 1-2 times per week. She gradually felt more confident in the class gaining a better understanding of the material and her grades improved dramatically. An added plus was that my daughter really enjoyed attending her tutoring sessions with Margie. They developed a special bond. My daughter ended the year with a strong grade in her Spanish 3 class and she actually went to visit Margie just to catch up after the school term concluded! Margie is a fantastic Spanish tutor. I would highly recommend her to anyone!”