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E D U C A T O R S
At Inspire Behavioral Learning®, our educators love what we do. We provide interactive English tutoring, ESL tutoring, PreK-6th grade multiple subjects tutoring, and outdoor education camps to foster meaningful and enjoyable learning experiences. We believe that the best educators are the best learners, and we are lifelong learners. We teach not only academic subjects but also how to learn.
We value teaching the whole person. We do this by fostering language and communication, social-emotional, cognitive, and physical development with multisensory activities. We believe in a friendly and fun instructional style, including not only structured but also naturalistic learning and emergent curriculum.
We celebrate diversity. As such, we work with learners of all abilities and skill levels. This includes students in general education, students with learning differences (such as autism, ADHD, and gifted students), and beginning to advanced ESL learners. We tutor students at, above, and below grade level.
All tutors and camp counselors are employees with verified qualifications. These include but are not limited to the following:
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Passing a Live Scan DOJ and FBI background check and reference checks
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Having prior experience teaching, tutoring, or leading youth groups in extracurricular activities, plus prior experience in both 1:1 and small group settings
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Achieving honor roll level grades in relevant coursework and good standing indicated in academic transcripts
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Completing Bachelor's or Master's degrees or having current enrollment in university programs
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Providing proof of full COVID-19 vaccination
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Completing health and safety training, including COVID-19 health and safety requirements
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Completing hands-on training in leading youth groups, tutoring, and serving students with learning differences
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For camp counselors, additional experience hiking in Bay Area parks and current CPR and First Aid certificates.
Kelly Knowles
Founder and President
Kelly oversees and coordinates Inspire's educational programs and training. She has an MA in Professional Behavior Analysis from Florida Institute of Technology and a BA in Psychology with a minor in Education from the University of California, Davis. Kelly is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA). She also holds a graduate-level Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) certificate from UC Berkeley. Kelly has over twenty years of experience in emergent curriculum and naturalistic learning for PreK-12th grade children, college and university students, and adults. She has tutored English, ESL, and multiple subjects in diverse environments, including after school programs, students’ homes, and the community. Kelly also has fifteen years of experience in behavioral healthcare, fostering communication, social skills, and executive functioning for toddlers to young adults with disabilities, such as autism, ADHD, and speech and language delays. She has seen the positive impacts of health and education on each other, developed an appreciation for the wonderful ways in which we can set up learning environments based on the student's own interests to promote success, and grew a love for working with both typically developing and neurodiverse students. She enjoys leading Inspire's educators in serving culturally, linguistically, and developmentally diverse students with appreciation for their unique voices to shape their own learning, leading to greater independence in their school, work, personal, and social lives. Kelly also designed and oversaw an after school program for 1st-6th graders in an at-risk school for academic tutoring, enrichment, social-emotional learning, and recreation. As an avid hiker and nature lover, she founded, designed, directs and oversees camps for kids to be inspired by the great outdoors as their classroom. Moved by the power of the environment to spark learning, and the power of individuals to impact their environment, Kelly leads educators in creating enriching experiences for students to learn by doing. She aspires to continually educate and be educated, drawing out human potential for learning, creativity, discovery, and kindness, bringing each other up to greater happiness, achievement, and fulfillment. Kelly looks forward to coordinating educational services with you!
Anthony Gailliard
English Tutor
Anthony is a Camp Director for Inspire's Call of the Wild Camps and an English tutor. He holds a Bachelor's degree in English and Communications from Adams State University. He has experience as a high school English teacher, tutor, and summer camp counselor for elementary school aged children. He is a skilled communicator who successfully transitioned from student athlete to over a decade of teaching and performance enhancement practices as an Athletic Coach, designer of athletic strengthening and conditioning programs, tutor/mentor, designer of restorative justice practices and procedures for students and faculty, and health/fitness training. He enjoys facilitating enriching learning experiences and interpersonal connection for youth with kinesthetic play, outdoor games, art, language arts, and naturalistic learning.
Alyssa Martinez
Alyssa is a Camp Counselor for Inspire's Call of the Wild Camps, where she engages children in outdoor nature education and play. She is an undergraduate at the University of California, Berkeley, where she is also the Assistant Director of DEI for student government and a Latinx Research Center Fellow. She has additional prior experience as a camp counselor for a special needs camp in environmental science and outdoor education, three years of experience as a tutor in multiple subjects, and six years of experience as a children's swim teacher. Alyssa collaborates with kids from various backgrounds and ages to help educate and support them. Her approach to mentoring kids at camp is to have a positive attitude and kind spirit. She enjoys facilitating interactions that contribute to a positive camp environment for all members of the nature and camp community.
Haydn Wolfers
Multiple Subjects Tutor
Haydn is enrolled in Vanderbilt University and earned a 4.3 cumulative GPA at Piedmont High School. She has worked as a tutor for elementary school aged children for over six years, including tutoring in English and math. Throughout her education, she has developed a love for learning and hopes to share this with others. Her experience includes founding the Piedmont Mentor Program, a tutoring and mentoring program connecting high school students with elementary school students during COVID-19, where she also tutored students. She also volunteered at Harbor House, tutoring low-income first-grade students and leading group activities. In addition, Haydn achieved the Girl Scouts Gold Award for developing innovative solutions for healthier relationships with technology (Digital Wellness) for elementary school students. In the same vein, she founded and served as Co-President for the Lookup Club, encouraging high school students to use cell phones and technology in a healthy way, and founded the LookUp International Youth Leadership Council. As a tutor at Inspire, Haydn engages PreK-6th grade children to young adults in tutoring multiple subjects and executive functioning. She also has experience at Inspire working with elementary school aged children to high school students with developmental disabilities and behavioral challenges to provide an inclusive and welcoming environment. Haydn loves working with children, having a passion for connecting with and motivating them. She looks forward to working with you and your child!
Georgina Pease
Multiple Subjects Tutor
Georgie earned a Bachelor's degree in Liberal Arts (Specialization in English Literature and History) with honors from Durham University. She also holds a Cambridge CELTA Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. She achieved a 4.3 GPA from Bishop O'Dowd High School in Oakland and has worked as a Teacher's Assistant and Mentor for children in Oakland public elementary schools. Her experience also includes teaching beginning to advanced level ESL, tutoring mathematics for middle school children, leading groups of elementary school children in interactive outdoor science camps, and coaching youth soccer. She currently works with children in PreK-12th grade and adults in English and ESL tutoring, as well as children in PreK-6th grade in play-based and interactive multiple subjects tutoring, including both English and math. Georgie's philosophy of education is to cultivate a lifelong love of learning, engaging students with patience and encouragement and creatively helping learners apply their own interests, perspectives, and experiences to lessons. Her personal interests include literature, music, social justice, and science, which she loves to share with students. She looks forward to meeting and working with you!
Julian Menjivar
From a young age, Julian has always loved reading fantasy books, as well as writing and editing. So much so that he decided to pursue it as his area of study! He received his Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from California State Polytechnic University, Pomona, as well as his Master’s in Medieval Literature and Cultures at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. Currently, he is pursuing his credential in Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL). Julian has taught elementary school for two years, as well as tutored elementary and high school level reading comprehension and writing. Julian has worked with English as a Second Language (ESL) children, neurodivergent college students, adults on the autistic spectrum, LGBTIQ and young adults. As an individual with Language Delay, Julian understands the challenges of academic learning, while coping with social cues. Through his personal experiences, he has tailored a teaching style that first and foremost, values the individual and ensures their learning is a positive, welcoming experience. His teaching philosophy is to encourage the love of learning and the pursuit of knowledge. Education, to him, is about mastery of a subject at your own pace, to fully understand in your unique way, and to expand your curiosity beyond the classroom. His pedagogy strives to have an honest and comfortable relationship with him and his students and to create a safe and welcoming space, where students feel free to learn.
Christina Ochoa
Christina is an English and ESL Tutor. She is completing her Master’s degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) and has a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology with a minor in Applied Linguistics. Christina has breadth and depth of experience in English and ESL for 1:1 tutoring and classroom teaching. She has worked with children in the primary grades of elementary school to adults, fostering listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. She has tutored and taught low intermediate to advanced ESL, and her experience ranges from phonics to advanced grammar for both native speakers of English and ESL students to excel in school and in life. In Korea, she taught English to a class of children, creating lesson plans to develop reading and writing skills; teaching basic English through concepts such as colors, geography, and numbers; and leading children on field trips to museums. She has also led English discussion groups for international graduate students, facilitating group discussions to improve conversational English and pronunciation. She also tutors English for university students with disabilities. Christina enjoys getting to know each student to foster a warm and caring environment where students feel comfortable learning in their own unique ways. She is experienced in the communicative approach to teaching and tutoring, which focuses on personal relevance to the student's interests and a socially interactive style of learning. Christina also loves engaging students in hands-on activities and games to foster joyful learning at any age. Christina is fluent in English and proficient in Spanish. She looks forward to working with you and your child!
Diana Wendel
Multiple Subjects Tutor
Camp Counselor
Diana earned a Bachelor's degree in English at UCLA and holds a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate. She is an experienced children’s camp counselor and tutor who regularly hikes and has a great love of children's books and the outdoors. Her previous camp counselor experience includes two summers at a sleepaway camp, where she was charged with the safety, well-being, and happiness of a large group of children as she led them through a full day of activities with positivity, energy, and enthusiasm. She also has experience tutoring students in English and in assisting at art camps to help students and campers learn and grasp new concepts and assist them in bringing their literary and artistic visions to life. She has extensive experience multitasking and maintaining organization and high energy throughout the day in fast-paced environments. She knows the East Bay Regional Park trails well and has an affinity for providing children with fun educational experiences. She also has experience at Inspire working with diverse learners, including elementary school aged children with developmental disabilities affecting movement, coordination, memory, concentration, and social communication skills. She works as both a camp counselor and tutor, leading children on hikes and exploration, English language arts enrichment, and play in forests of the East Bay, in addition to fostering student-centered learning in tutoring for children in PreK-6th grade. She looks forward to working with you and your child!
Contact Inspire Behavioral Learning® to see if our educational services are right for you and your child!
FREE initial 30-minute phone consultation by appointment only.
Email: info@inspirebehavior.com
Phone: 510-296-5519
Fax: 510-296-5780
Hours:
M-F 8:00 AM-7:30 PM
Sat 9:00 AM-6:30 PM
Sun Closed
Serving the San Francisco Bay Area:
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Alameda County
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Albany
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Berkeley
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Emeryville
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Oakland
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Alameda
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San Leandro
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Castro Valley
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Pleasanton
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Dublin
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Fremont
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...and more!
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Contra Costa County
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Concord
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Pleasant Hill
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Walnut Creek
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Antioch
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Brentwood
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Orinda
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Lafayette
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Alamo
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Danville
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San Ramon
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...and more!
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Santa Clara County
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Milpitas
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San Jose
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Santa Clara
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Sunnyvale
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Mountain View
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Los Altos
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Palo Alto
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Solano County
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Vallejo
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Benicia
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Cordelia
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Suisun
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Fairfield
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Vacaville
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