Meet Your Tutor
Andreea Schwimmer, M.A.
Credentialed elementary educator · 13+ years in education · Founder & Lead Educator, South Bay Peak Learning
I've spent more than 13 years in elementary education, and I still love the moment a concept clicks for a child — the little jolt of "wait, I can do this." My job as a tutor is to engineer as many of those moments as possible.
Across more than 13 years in elementary education, I've planned and delivered standards-based, research-based instruction for diverse groups of learners, adjusting my methods to reach every learning style. I've developed support strategies for struggling students, designed enrichment for gifted and talented learners, and provided structured, individualized academic intervention for the students who needed it most. Today I bring all of that experience to South Bay Peak Learning full-time.
My background also includes several years of special education experience — among them, extended one-on-one, fully individualized instruction for a student with special needs. Those years shaped how I work with every student: 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 South Bay Peak Learning difference
Why families trust South Bay Peak Learning
Credentialed, experienced, and personal — everything about this practice is built for one purpose: helping elementary students succeed.
13+ years of elementary education experience
More than a decade helping elementary learners succeed — from students who need to catch up to advanced learners who need genuine challenge.
Credentialed educator, advanced degrees
A credentialed elementary educator with an M.A. in Education from Pepperdine University and a B.A. from UC Berkeley — real professional training in how children learn.
Research-based instruction
Methods grounded in how children actually build reading, writing, and math skills — structured, explicit, and proven, never workbook-guesswork.
Personalized one-on-one learning plans
Every student gets an individual learning plan built around their assessment, their pace, and their personality — and adjusted as they grow.
Complete elementary coverage
Reading, writing, math, homework help, and study skills — the full foundation, TK through 5th grade.
Confidence and measurable growth
Progress tracked from the first session and shared with families in plain language — because academic confidence and real, visible growth are the point.
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
Is tutoring your full-time work?
Yes — South Bay Peak Learning is my full professional focus. I spent 13+ years in elementary education, with deep hands-on experience across the elementary grades, and that experience is the foundation of everything we do: the methods, the standards, and the materials I bring to your table come straight from years of professional elementary instruction.
What does your special education background mean for my child?
Several years of it — including extended one-on-one, fully individualized instruction for a student with special needs — 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.
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. Designing gifted-and-talented (GATE) enrichment has long been part of my professional work, and it remains a specialty of this practice.
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.