Meet Your Tutor
Andreea Schwimmer, M.A.
Certificated elementary school teacher · 13+ years in education · Kindergarten & 2nd grade teacher at Encino Charter Elementary School
I've been a teacher for over 13 years, and I still love the moment a concept clicks for a child — the little jolt of "wait, I can do this." My job, in the classroom and in tutoring, is to engineer as many of those moments as possible.
Since 2017 I've taught kindergarten and 2nd grade at Encino Charter Elementary School, where I plan and deliver standards-based lessons for diverse groups of learners, adjusting my methods to reach every learning style in the room. I've served as grade level chair, working with my colleagues to develop strategies that support struggling students, and I currently serve as the school's GATE coordinator, supporting gifted and talented learners. I've also tutored through our district's targeted intervention after-school program — structured, small-group academic support for the students who need it most.
Before Encino Charter, I spent two years as a one-on-one home-school teacher for a special education student in Manhattan Beach, and two years as a special needs teacher at Gilbert Hall School in Culver City. Those years shaped how I teach everyone: patiently, flexibly, and with the conviction that every child can learn when instruction is built around them.
Education
- M.A., Education — Pepperdine University (2007)
- B.A., History — University of California, Berkeley (2003)
What I bring to every session
- Differentiation — instruction shaped around how your child learns
- Positive behavior management — structure that feels safe, not strict
- Social-emotional learning — confidence, coping strategies, and regular check-ins
- Assessment — ongoing evaluation of progress, shared plainly with parents
- Communication — you'll always know how it's going and what's next
The path here
A professional timeline
Every stop on this road shows up in how I tutor — the diagnosis, the patience, the current classroom methods, and the range from intervention to enrichment.
- 2003B.A., History — UC Berkeley
The foundation: learning to read deeply, write clearly, and explain complicated things simply.
- 2007M.A., Education — Pepperdine University
Formal training in how children actually learn — curriculum, assessment, and instruction.
- 2011–2013Special Needs Teacher — Gilbert Hall School, Culver City
Two years teaching students for whom standard methods weren't working — where I learned that instruction bends to the child, never the reverse.
- 2013–2015One-on-One Home-School Teacher — Manhattan Beach
Two years as a special education student's individual teacher: full-time proof of what truly personalized instruction can do.
- 2017–presentKindergarten & 2nd Grade Teacher — Encino Charter Elementary
Daily classroom practice with the exact ages and skills I tutor — current methods, current standards, current kids.
- 2021–2023Grade Level Chair
Led my grade-level team in developing strategies for struggling students — the diagnostic mindset I bring to every assessment.
- 2022–2023District Intervention Tutor
Structured after-school academic support for the students who needed it most — tutoring inside the system, before tutoring beside it.
- 2025–2026GATE Coordinator
Supporting gifted and talented learners school-wide — because tutoring isn't only for catching up; sometimes it's for keeping a quick learner lit up.
Why elementary — and why one-on-one
I've spent my whole career with young learners on purpose. The elementary years are where the foundations get poured — reading, number sense, the writing habit, and above all the belief I can learn hard things — and I've never stopped finding that work thrilling. A 3rd grader cracking multiplication is watching a door open; I get to hold it.
Tutoring is the distilled version. In a classroom of twenty-plus, differentiation is a craft of compromises; across a table from one child, it's total. Every example uses their interests, every pace decision is theirs alone, every small win gets noticed out loud. Encouragement isn't a personality trait in this work — it's a method: children attempt more when the adult beside them visibly believes the attempt is safe. That's the room I build, at every kitchen table I visit.
Questions about me, answered
Are you still teaching in a classroom, or is tutoring your full-time work?
Both, deliberately: I teach kindergarten and 2nd grade at Encino Charter Elementary and tutor South Bay families around that schedule. Staying in the classroom is a feature — the methods, standards, and materials I bring to your table are the ones schools are using right now.
What does your special education background mean for my child?
Four years of it — two as a special needs teacher, two as a one-on-one home-school teacher — taught me to adapt instruction until it fits the child in front of me. That flexibility benefits every student I work with, whether or not they have identified needs.
You're a GATE coordinator — do you work with advanced students too?
Yes. Tutoring isn't only for catching up: I work with quick learners who need depth, challenge, and enrichment to stay engaged. Supporting gifted and talented students is literally part of my school role.
Do you have references?
My professional history is laid out on this page, and I'm glad to discuss it in as much depth as you'd like at a consultation. As tutoring families choose to share their experiences, their words appear — with permission — on the testimonials page.
Which areas do you serve in person?
In-home sessions run across the South Bay — see the full service-area directory — and online sessions reach everywhere. Where I live matters less than where I drive: if you're in or near the South Bay, ask.