Meet Our Tutors
Sabrina
Sabrina is a native French speaker, born and raised in France, with a university degree in Teaching Foreign Languages. She has 14 years of experience teaching French to students of all ages, both in schools and online, as well as three years of experience teaching English to adults. Additionally, she has spent a decade tutoring in French, English, Arabic, and Math.
For Sabrina, teaching is more than just imparting knowledge—it’s about fostering curiosity, building confidence, and inspiring a passion for learning. Over the years, she has developed a dynamic and interactive approach that blends traditional methods with modern techniques. Whether working with children, teenagers, or adults, she strives to create a supportive and engaging environment where students feel motivated to succeed. As Steve Jobs once said, “The only way to do great work is to love what you do,” a belief she wholeheartedly embraces.
Beyond teaching, Sabrina enjoys spending time with her family, reading, traveling, biking, walking, and exploring new cultures. She finds inspiration in Aristotle’s words: “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all.”
Jean
Jean studied Public Finance in French and is fluent in French and Spanish, with some knowledge of English. He has worked with French collaborators from France for over ten years, and since marrying his wife from Quebec in 2014, they have spoken French at home. His proficiency in Spanish developed from living in the Dominican Republic since 2010.
With 19 years of teaching experience, Jean Pierre is deeply passionate about education, a value he inherited from his parents, who were also teachers. His greatest satisfaction comes from witnessing the progress of his students. For the past three years, he has specialized in teaching French online to adult learners at various levels, ranging from beginners to C1.
Jean adapts his teaching techniques based on each student’s proficiency. To help learners build confidence, he encourages them to express themselves freely without the fear of making mistakes, even if they incorporate words from their native language. He then provides corrections and introduces the appropriate vocabulary. For more advanced students, he promotes self-correction and encourages them to explain their choices, allowing him to assess their level of understanding more accurately.
His students often praise his teaching style and effectiveness. A beginner student from Nigeria, now at level A2, described him as a “fantastic instructor.” A C1-level polyglot from Russia called him “one of the best professionals” they had ever studied languages with. A student from Colombia at level A1 commented, “I leave my comment following the last courses I took with Jean, who I think is excellent.”
Outside of teaching, Jean enjoys spending quality time with his family and friends, playing soccer, and relaxing at the beach.
Kodjo
Bio coming soon.
Viviane
Bio coming soon.
Keturah - Admin Assistant
Keturah holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations from the University of Professional Studies in Accra, Ghana.
She worked as an Assistant Returns Processing Officer at the Ghana Revenue Authority for one year. In this role, she engaged with clients to ensure high tax compliance and provided taxpayer education on timely compliance.
Keturah was recognized as the Best Coordinator for Corporate Events.
She works as an Administrative Assistant to Sarah Tripp.
Martina - Executive Assistant
Martina has a B.A. in Political Science and French. She has one year of experience as a Public Servant. She is fluent in English and has an intermediate proficiency in French.
Her experience with Gateway Tutoring and in the public service sector has honed her ability to adapt and thrive in diverse environments. She is committed to making work life more efficient and manageable, enabling the focus on what truly matters.
As Peter Drucker said, “Efficiency is doing things right; effectiveness is doing the right things.”
Martina works as Executive Assistant to James Tripp.
James - CEO & Client Success Coach
As Gateway Tutoring’s Client Success Coach, James is the first point of contact for families exploring our programs. He guides parents through the enrollment process, ensuring their child gets the support they need to thrive in French. With a background as a Pastor and experience working in the technology business, he brings strong communication skills, empathy, and problem-solving abilities to every conversation. His goal is to make families feel confident in their decision and excited about their child’s language journey. Outside of work, James enjoys hockey, travel, and he’s always happy to chat about language learning, education, and helping students succeed.
Sarah - Founder & Head Tutor
Sarah holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Bachelor of Education, and an Ontario Teaching Certificate. Trained in the Neurolinguistic Approach and the CEFR framework, she has 21 years of experience teaching French in both Immersion and Core French programs. Additionally, she has spent nine years tutoring online in English, Math, and French, working with students ranging from ages 4 to 14, as well as adults.
Her teaching philosophy embraces whole-brain learning, using gestures, games, and student-centered engagement to make lessons dynamic and memorable. Fluent in both English and French, she also has basic proficiency in German (A1) and some knowledge of Spanish. Sarah describes teaching French as helping students “break the code,” and she finds immense joy in seeing their eyes sparkle when they finally grasp a concept and gain confidence in themselves.
Outside the classroom, Sarah enjoys competitive swimming, coaching, reading, baking, playing the piano, and singing. She is inspired by the words of William Butler Yeats: “Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.”