Hello, I’m Mariah Lopez. My hometown is Indio, CA. I worked as an instructional assistant mostly in special ed classrooms for 5 years. I taught as a substitute teacher for various school districts for 1 year, and I've worked as a special education teacher with Moreno Valley Unified School District for the last 4 years. Fun fact about is is I wrote a children's book starring my two dogs, and I am looking into getting it published. I would like to write a whole children's book series.

I describe my tutoring style as adaptable and student-focused, taking a different approach for each student depending on their individual needs. I love helping students reach their goals and seeing the improvement in both their academics and confidence, knowing I was part of their journey. I enjoy working at Math Man Olmedo Tutoring Center because of its flexibility — they do their best to match students with the right tutor based on needs and schedules — and the staff is always friendly and helpful. I believe a great learning environment is engaging and challenging, encouraging students to think critically while staying motivated. When students feel stuck or lack confidence, I give extra praise for correct answers and take a gentle approach with mistakes, walking them through the steps until they are ready to try independently. I feel especially proud when I see progress, like a student who, after focusing on her IEP goals with my guidance, now consistently adds punctuation to her sentences and understands the purpose of a period.