I graduated from Point Loma Nazarene College it San Diego, California with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Teaching Credential. Over the years I added various certificates which include two ESL Certificates. I am also Orton-Gillingham trained.

Years ago, I met my beautiful wife. We have two boys. I seriously cannot believe the oldest is 30 years old and the youngest 22 years old. It seems like just yesterday I was homeschooling them. Such an amazing and challenging journey!

Besides having 24 plus years teaching, I am also a Balloon Artist and Ham Radio Operator. I love going on long walks along the New River here in Peoria with my wife. We love to check out the Roadrunners, Coyotes, Rabbits, Quail, and yes the occasional Havalina.

At home, the language we use to communicate most is Spanish. We have surprised more than one person as we are out in public conversing.

REVIEWS

Understanding and Knowleadgeable

When we met with Don during our first meeting, he immediately knew what my son needed help with. He has been working with him twice a week and our son has grown leaps and bounds in reading and writing. He received a positive note home this week and a positive email from his teacher. I am so proud of his progress and seeing his confidence grow has been priceless! We are so grateful for Don’s patience and knowledge in helping our son thrive!

Rebecca, 47 lessons with Don

Patient tutor and understanding.

Don is a very good teacher. He is helping my kid to improve his English skills and we do notice some improvement and My kid is having great time with D. Would recommend Mr.D as English tutor.

Sridhar, 20 lessons with Don

Knowledgeable and patient tutor!

We have just completed two sessions with Don and I can already acknowledge that he is a 5 star tutor. He is patient, enthusiastic, and encouraging! I’m thankful for teachers like Don who care about students and their education.

Elise , 15 lessons with Don

Excellent teacher with great personality

Don has been helping my son to improve his Phonology and reading skills. My son is 6 years old and won’t talk with every teacher online. He loves working/talking with Don. The results are great, after 4 weeks of lessons Mikhail has significant and noticeable improvement in reading. We will continue working with Don!

Darya, 23 lessons with Don

experienced and well-prepared

I am very happy to find Don! He has been very helpful with my son’s ELA. It is very hard to find the right tutor. Don is the best fit. He was able to find the the weak points and started working on those right away. He also has the ability to not let the student to take the control of the class. This helps to get the most out of the time he teaches.

Alireza, 28 lessons with Don

great lessons from abroad

We couldnt be happier with Don. We have 2 very sensitive kids whose focus can easily be lost when doing lessons on screen and they did so well with Don. Not only a great teacher but was also very skilled at keeping our kids engaged. Thank you Don!

Lara, 1 lesson with Don

Great teacher, my son is having a great time learning!

Mr. D has been tailoring lessons specifically for our son. He is engaging and thoughtful and my son really looks forward to their time together.

Christine , 166 lessons with Don

Patient and understanding

Don is working with my son on his reading skills. He is resourceful and very accommodating. He knows how to keep my son on track and focused. He has a lot of experience in teaching children.

Manoara , 94 lessons with Don