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Brain-Friendly Language Learning – Multilingual Teacher Since 2000
Mary G.

5.0 (187 ratings)

352 hours tutoring

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About Mary

Bio

Why does learning a language feel so hard? You forget words, freeze when you speak, and maybe think you're not good at languages. As a Neurolanguage Coach®, I can help you see these experiences as your brain's normal response to learning to think in a new language and what to do to overcome those obstacles. They don't mean you're failing. I teach you to work with your brain, not against it.

Guiding people through this transition matters so much to me because I spent years trying to figure...

Why does learning a language feel so hard? You forget words, freeze when you speak, and maybe think you're not good at languages. As a Neurolanguage Coach®, I can help you see these experiences as your brain's normal response to learning to think in a new language and what to do to overcome those obstacles. They don't mean you're failing. I teach you to work with your brain, not against it.

Guiding people through this transition matters so much to me because I spent years trying to figure out the puzzle of language learning as I was going through culture shock after moving to the U.S. from Europe as a teen. Learning to think, talk, and act like people here was tough, but I eventually learned to survive and communicate well in a new country.

Breaking through language and culture barriers led me to study 18 languages and earn a B.A. in English (minoring in ancient languages) and an M.A. in German Translation. I also became a certified Neurolanguage Coach® to better help others struggle less than I had to.

Neurolanguage Coaching® combines language learning with an understanding of how the brain learns, remembers, and responds emotionally. Your brain can’t learn effectively when it’s stressed; it needs to feel safe and calm. That's why so many students struggle learning languages the traditional way. I am not a traditional teacher. I won't just teach you the language. How you learn best will be our priority.

I won't say "Just try harder." I show you how to keep your brain absorbing new information easily. We'll focus on the building blocks of language and practice using them in conversation. I've been working with students since 2000 and can help you feel less anxious using a foreign language. Together we'll help your brain express itself more confidently without the crippling fear of mistakes.

If language learning has felt overwhelming for you, there’s a valid reason you're struggling. What would it mean for you to let me help you overcome your obstacles and achieve a breakthrough speaking your new language?

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Education

York University
English
Kent State University, Institute of Applied Linguistics
Masters
  • Licensed teacher

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $40
  • Rate details: *Discounts for SUMMER, multiple bookings, etc. Contact me for details. Group rate: $40 per hour per student
  • Lesson cancellation: 24 hours notice required

  • Background check passed on 9/22/2015

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

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Approved Subjects

Accent Reduction

Accent Reduction

I am a certified Neurolanguage Coach®, trained to help you reduce your foreign-language accent in the way the brain acquires language most naturally. As I've done with non-native speakers for more than 20 years, I can guide you to hear, recognize, and produce sounds that don't exist in your native language. We also focus on the rhythm and melody of language (including sentence flow, stress, intonation, and smoothly connecting words and phrases in everyday speech), so that you can communicate more confidently, understand others more easily, and speak your new language with greater comfort and less effort.
Braille

Braille

I learned to read Braille at the Nebraska Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired in 2006. I tutor students in Grade 1, Grade 2, and Grade 3, and I have my own materials. I teach how to both read and write and I help the students explore the various types and brands of Braille note takers and their pros and cons. I also help students learn about community and national resources for the blind, incl. accessibility software and study skills, resources for travel (various types of canes or guide dogs), support from other blind community members and national organizations for the blind.
Czech

Czech

I studied Czech at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. There is a large ethnic Czech population in that part of NE, so my studies also included cultural events, information about which I like to share with my students. I also have experience in comparative linguistics and how Czech and Russian are similar and relate to each other.
English

English

My native language is "English," but I speak it with an American Midwestern accent. (This is the accent U.S. newscasters are trained in, because it is considered neutral and most understandable.) Having traveled and studied as much as I have, however, I know a good deal about other variations of the English language (British English, Australian English, etc., but also the English generally taught in China, the English generally taught in many European countries, and the English generally taught and spoken in many African countries). I have significant training in English vocabulary, grammar, and style and I use these skills every day in my work as an editor and translator into English. I have been teaching students these building blocks of the English language since the year 2000 in a variety of ways: -by teaching ESL courses and tutoring students in ESl, - by tutoring students in academic writing, - by teaching and tutoring students to understand their own language better as they learned a foreign language (e.g., parts of speech, etc.), -and by tutoring students in the history of the English language. I also have a B.A. degree in English with a focus on literature. I have training in adolescent lit, mythology and folklore (Greek and Roman), world lit, British lit, Shakespeare, American lit, and biblical literature.
ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL

I have university degrees in English and Translation, and I am a Neurolanguage Coach®, which means I have special training to help people learn languages in the way the brain learns most easily. Since 2000, I have been helping non-native speakers like you improve the parts of English you find most difficult. My students become better at having conversations, begin speaking with less of an accent, learn the meaning of English expressions, increase their vocabulary, and feel well prepared for exams like the TOEFL and IELTS. I help you understand how your brain forgets and remembers words, why you feel nervous or embarrassed when you talk in front of people, and what to do to make speaking English less stressful, more fun, and easier to do.
French

French

I was born in Brussels, and as that is part of the French-speaking portion of Belgium, I grew up with a native accent and I went to a French-speaking school through third grade, at which point we moved to Austria. I later did undergraduate and graduate coursework in French translation, linguistics, and literature at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I got my start in tutoring in college from a work/study job and I have been tutoring French for years. I am also a French<>English translator, as well as a consecutive and simultaneous French interpreter, specializing in medicine, as well as literature and religion.
German

German

I grew up in Vienna, Austria and went to a German school, so I have an authentic German accent. After moving to the States, I did graduate coursework in German literature and linguistics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and am now finishing Kent State University's Master of Arts in Translation with German as my focus language. I also taught German at Kent State University for two years, from 2011 to 2013, and have since been working as a German medical translator. When I tutor German, I focus on the areas that my student in covering in class, of course, but I also get the student working with and on all areas of the language. For beginning learners, we work on a student's ability to listen and differentiate syllables (morphemes) and words and make sense of them, as well as their ability to think in German. I emphasize correct spelling and tie that to reading and to proper pronunciation by showing my students the relationships letters have to the sounds they represent and helping them be able to anticipate which syllables do not carry the emphasis and therefore will not sound like they are "supposed to" when used by native speakers. I help students work backwards to "un-collapse" the sounds, so that the unrecognizable words students hear can, in fact, be recognized. Grammar is a focus, no matter what level of German I am tutoring, but I teach it in innovative and interesting ways (using colorful charts, popular German songs, puzzles, Jenga (a game), etc.) I help students learn cases and tenses by comparing and contrasting them with their English counterparts. And we spend quite a bit of time on prepositions, since they have been known to cause nightmares before exams. My students also receive training in vocabulary and German idioms, as well as German conventions. We learn these topically and using a variety of visual, auditory, and tactile means. I build in reading comprehension and writing practice in my teaching of vocabulary and before they know it, my students have read and written their first German
Grammar

Grammar

It wasn't until I took Koine Greek as a senior in high school that I really started understanding English grammar. In fact, I even started LIKING grammar! Having spent the first 18 years of my life avoiding it, though, I definitely understand where students are coming from when they say they don't get and don't like grammar. The thing about grammar, though, is that if you understand it and if you know how to use it, you can do and say so much more than you can if you don't. For one thing, you can make people laugh, if you know how to (mis)use grammar. For instance, what would you think in a situation like this? You're chatting with someone online and they say they're going over to a friend's house for dinner and ask if you want to go. You don't know the friend and ask what she's like, and the response you got is that "she <3 cooking wild flowers & her pets." Would you want to go? How about if they had told you that "she loves cooking, wild flowers, and her pets" instead? See the difference? That's just one example of how I explain grammatical concepts and their importance to students. I try to keep it interesting and entertaining, so that students will keep learning and will not see my tutoring sessions as just more lessons they have to sit through. I am pleased to admit that I am frequently able to help students stop seeing grammar as the enemy, but rather as an ally in their speaking and writing arsenal. I work with students on punctuation; on prefixes, suffixes, and word roots; on homophonic heterographs (like "there," "their," and "they're"); on the correct use of verbs and participles (e.g., "I have already eaten," not "I have already ate."); on the parts of speech, in general; on syntax; and on any other topics students find difficult. I help students with English grammar, but I also work with students on grammar in my other languages. It is often helpful to students to compare and contrast English grammar to the grammar of the new language they are learning, so I often work with students on understan
Greek

Greek

I have a Bachelor or Arts in Biblical Studies/Biblical Languages and I took three years of Koine Greek. I have translated large portions of the Biblical manuscripts into English. In tutoring Koine Greek, I focus on showing students the patterns, while highlighting the differences. We use a variety of means to learn including student-drawn flash cards, colorful charts, mnemonic devices, etc. And lots, and lots, and lots of practice translating sentences and phrases they can relate to--things they want to say. Even though it's a dead language, I try to make learning it interesting and fun: my students enjoy our lessons and their grades and understanding of Greek improve.
Latin

Latin

I decided to take Latin for several reasons: because I hadn't studied it yet, to find out more about the background of many of the other languages I know, and to supplement my knowledge of biblical manuscripts. However, I like to tell people that first year Latin was the only class, where a teacher has ever kicked me out. He "kicked me out" when he found out how many languages I had already studied, telling me to take the next level up instead, because I already knew too much about linguistics and would be bored in his class. So I started with Accelerated Latin instead, did very well, and went on from there. In teaching Latin, I will teach you (or your child) not only the vocabulary and the grammar of the language, but also how to learn a language like Latin. Students often have trouble learning dead languages, because things tend to take place only on paper or in a book, rather than in person-to-person conversation, as with other languages still spoken today. However, I will help you "bring it back to life," as it were, as you learn. For visual learners, we will use methods like colored charts and funny flash cards. For aural learners, we will learn by using varying pitches for various parts of speech, sounds that correspond to vocabulary words, and audio flash cards. And for tactile learners, we will do activities like writing sentences fragments on puzzle pieces and figuring out why some pieces can and others can not fit together. I have found that even for college students, these teaching methods are effective learning tools, because they are so different from what students' experiences with Latin have been otherwise, which allows the linguistic facts students pick up on from these types of methods to stick with them that much better.
Reading

Reading

I have a Bachelor of Arts in English with a focus on literature. I have training in Greek and Roman mythology and folklore, in world literature, British literature, Shakespeare, American literature, adolescent literature, and novel. I also have a second B.A. in Biblical Studies, so I am also knowledgeable about biblical literature. Furthermore I have done graduate work in French literature, studying French contemporary novel, 20th Century French novel, and French literary translation. I have also studied German children's literature, as well as German literary translation. And I have studied a survey of Hispanic literature, in addition to Spanish literary translation. I help students improve their reading comprehension in a number of languages, but I also often simply help students pass their lit classes by discussing with them the texts they are reading and ... ... ensuring they understood the plot of the story, ... enabling them to identify with the characters in their readings, ... making sure they caught the most important points of the selections they were assigned, ... helping them to recognize quotes that are likely to be on exams, ... etc.
Russian

Russian

I studied Russian at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln under a wonderful teacher, who had an extensive background in linguistics and teaching methodologies and who has significantly influenced my tutoring style. I did both undergraduate and graduate work there and have since continued to work on my Russian. I work with students on whatever Russian skills they need help with in whatever ways help them most. The areas that I usually focus on, though, are the case system and its endings, for lower level students, and for more advanced students, Russian participles. I use a variety of means of tutoring Russian, which include everything from comparisons of Russian linguistic traits to English traits (and often teaching students things they did not realize about English), to using color-coded charts, to discussing Russian movies and Russian-as-a-foreign-language news websites (in Russian, of course), to just plain practicing the difficult parts over, and over, and over, and over again.
Spanish

Spanish

Spanish is the first of the many languages that I studied after moving back to the States as a teenager, so I have the most history with it. From high school all the way up through graduate school, I have been taking Spanish classes: classes in the language (just in general), in Spanish linguistics (including phonetics), in medical Spanish, in Spanish translation, and in Spanish literature. I have worked as an over-the-phone Spanish interpreter, doing consecutive interpretation into and out of Spanish. (My clients needed help in medical, human services, and accounting situations.) I have done simultaneous conference interpreting from Spanish into English, and had I not moved out of state, I would definitely still be doing it, because I enjoyed it so much. I also work with an author, who publishes books in Spanish, then translates them into English and publishes that version, as well. I edit his Spanish manuscripts and cross-check his translation into English. So, I have lots of varied experiences with the Spanish language. Spanish is a beautiful language and I would love to help you master it.
Writing

Writing

I have a Bachelor of Arts in English, with training in ESL, linguistics, and literature. My work as a freelance editor and proofreader over the past several years has given me lots of experience with all sorts of writing styles and genres, as well as with many different style guides. Also as a professional translator, I am constantly trying to find just the perfect way to express in writing the content and sentiments that are in my source text, which is a wonderful way to continually refine my writing skills. I help two types of students improve their writing: non-native speakers and native speakers (whether [non-]native speakers of English or of another language). When a non-native speaker (for example, an ESL student) asks me to help them learn to write better, I work with them on several aspects that will influence their writing: on their ability to think in English (or another language) and to understand spoken or written communication, on pronunciation and the connections between the way words sound and the way they are spelled, on their reading comprehension and vocabulary (including idioms), and on grammar and English writing conventions (or those of another language). The reason I work with students (at least a little bit) on all their language skills is because research shows that speaking, listening, and reading are all connected to writing, and that students learning a new language will do better in their writing skills, if they also use their other skills to help them acquire information that they can use in their writing. In my lessons with native speakers (of whatever language) who struggle either with spelling, handwriting, or simply how to write papers or essays the "right" way, I either use some of the same strategies as with my non-native students (for example, in teaching spelling), or I help students get used to writing the kinds of texts they struggle with by using text samples they find interesting. We being by choosing topics to work with that the students like and then finding examples o
Italian
Japanese
Portuguese
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Ratings and Reviews

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5.0 (187 ratings)
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Reviews

She Taught Me How to Learn

It wasn't until I was having a phone conversation with a native speaker that I realized just how much I've learned since starting to study with Mary. My sister was amazed at how much I understood. I hadn't realized how much Mary's lessons changed the way I approach language learning. I've been meeting with her for over three years, and one of the biggest reasons for that progress is the way she coaches me. Rather than simply giving me answers, she carefully guides me through whatever challenging texts I want to read, helping me think through the language for myself and recognize context clues and language patterns I wouldn't have noticed otherwise. One of the things I really appreciate is that she doesn't just explain the language itself. She helps me understand why I get stuck, asks questions that lead me to discover the answers for myself, and gives me practical ways to work through challenging occasions when grammar or expressions are very different from what I would have expected in my native language. Over time, I've become much more confident tackling advanced material because I know how to think through it instead of immediately feeling lost. Mary is patient, encouraging, and genuinely invested in helping her students succeed. If you're looking for someone to just tell you the answers, she may not be the right tutor for you, but if you want a coach who will help you become a stronger, more confident learner and communicator, I definitely highly recommend her!

Ana, 56 lessons with Mary

Mary values finding creative and effective ways to help students learn Japanese more easily.

One of Mary's strengths is adapting her teaching to help each student learn better. Margot struggled to learn hiragana based on sound, so Mary developed a new teaching method to help her learn the characters by visual similarities instead. She incorporated hands-on learning, too, like building the hiragana stroke by stroke with pipe cleaners to help Margot remember shapes and see how hiragana relate to one another. For word order, Mary had Margot create comparable sentences and imagine them bit by bit in both Japanese and English to understand and internalize what was happening as she built each one. And Mary uses color patterns to make the differences easier to recognize when written. This was great for Margot because it didn't require her to already know complicated English or Japanese grammar. Mary is good at paying attention to what is and isn't working, and she was willing to change activities and approaches, as well as the length and frequency of lessons, to help Margot learn better. Recently, Mary asked Margot to come up with an example sentence, and she answered so quickly and naturally that it surprised and impressed Mary a lot. My daughter is very shy and usually hesitates before answering, so Mary feels like Margot was starting to break out of her shell and become more comfortable using the Japanese they had been building up to all this time. I've really appreciated Mary's patience, creativity, and dedication to finding ways to help my daughter learn. She truly cares about her students, and it's clear that she puts a lot of thought into meeting each learner where they are on their learning path.

Kelly, 4 lessons with Mary

Knowledgeable and competent tutor

I love that Mary uses her experience learning many languages to help Ariana understand French grammar through her native Spanish. Ariana studied French for years in Ecuador, but none of her teachers ever pointed out the similarities to Spanish. When Ariana told Mary something she was struggling with, Mary showed her Spanish does it the same way, and Ariana was surprised. This changed the way Ariana looks at learning French. That's especially valuable because she's taking a teaching certification exam to teach French to Spanish-speakers herself, and she will certainly share this new perspective with her own students to help them connect French with what they already do instinctively in Spanish. My husband and I have known Mary's family for years, and we think very highly of Mary's linguistic abilities. When we decided we wanted to pay for our dear friend Ariana's lessons, we were so glad Mary was available to help her. Mary is knowledgeable and encouraging to her students, and it gives us a lot of confidence knowing that Ariana has someone with Mary's expertise and dedication helping her achieve her goals.

Mary, 5 lessons with Mary

great insights

Mary used a technique that is based in neuroscience. How different parts of the brain learn different things and the different stages of learning through years of practice and study. I have been looking for a native English speaking teacher hoping that person would have insights on what it’s like to be an English speaker learning Italian. Mary offered me ideas on how to learn just as our own children learn by repetition and association with every day activities. She is very thorough and I appreciate her attention to detail. I look forward to learning more from her.

Sonya, 1 lesson with Mary

Introduction to Tutoring

Mary did a great job of talking with my daughter and asking questions about her interests and how she prefers to learn. I appreciate Mary’s attention to detail.

Tammi , 47 lessons with Mary

Super helpful

We started learning songs and the alphabet, pronunciation and some basic familiar words. Mary is easy to work with and knows what she’s doing!

Jaimee, 3 lessons with Mary

Carter

Mary did an outstanding job breaking down information to help me understand it in a 48 hour window. She wants to make sure you understand the information before moving on to the next section. Mary teaches at a nice and controlled pace to allow the student to understand. We reviewed verbs, present & past tenses, and masculine and feminine grammar. Absolutely recommend to anyone else. She’s also extremely flexible with her time slots!

Carter, 3 lessons with Mary

Knowledgeable and dedicated tutor

Mary helped my son prepare for a Latin test over Labor Day weekend on short notice. She went out of her way to make room for him in spite of the holiday weekend. She spent the time needed and made sure she assessed his needs and baseline learning skills. Her plan took everything needed into account. My son, who had struggled with Latin from the first day of school, went into his test confident and came out with a good grade. Mary is a gem!

Sade, 3 lessons with Mary

Mellophone lesson

I knew my daughter was nervous heading into tutor lessons, Mary was extremely knowledgeable, patient and was able to put my daughter at ease. Thank you

Daniel , 2 lessons with Mary

Great tutor!

I really liked this tutor. I was able to meet with her online and in person. She was very patient and able to repeat or explain things in a different way when I was having trouble understanding a concept. I had taken a Beginning Spanish 1 class in college but it had been about three years since I took it. I am now returning to school and taking Beginning Spanish 2. I hardly remembered anything from Spanish 1. I only had six weeks to review everything, and I was very concerned about getting through all of Spanish 1 material within that time. But she was able to look at the syllabus and teach me the whole semester's worth of material within that short time. Now that I have been in my Spanish 2 class a few weeks, I am actually one of the only students who is not struggling with the material. I was impressed with the structure and commitment this tutor gave me. And she even said I could contact her with further individual questions even after we were no longer working together. I also think it's good that she does an initial session where she takes time to find out about you and your learning styles, before she actually starts tutoring. That way, she can be more helpful since she knows how you work best. I would definitely use her again.

Anna, 17 lessons with Mary