Richard

Smart Lesson

Community Tutor

Teaches

English

Native

Speaks

Portuguese

Spanish

French

Italian

English Tutor and Language Coach

Teaches

English

Native

Speaks

Portuguese

Spanish

French

Italian

English Tutor and Language Coach

About Me

Resume & Certificates

From United StatesLiving in Knoxville, United States (23:36 UTC-04:00)

About Me

italki teacher since Nov 27, 2025

InterestsTechTravelScienceSports & FitnessMusic

Hello! My name is Richard. I am a native English speaker, born and raised in California, in the USA. I have been to all 50 states in the US and my goal is to make it to all the continents (only 3 so far). I have many interests, but my passion is learning languages and discovering new cultures. My love for languages and cultures was sparked when I lived outside the USA for two years, in Guatemala. I speak Spanish and Portuguese at an advanced level, French at a high intermediate level, and Italian at a low intermediate level. I am a chemist professionally with a love for learning new things. I double minored in Spanish and French at a four-year accredited university in Utah, USA. During this time, I lived in a full-immersion program in French housing. I was a teaching assistant for four semesters, which included giving lectures, helping students prepare for tests, and grading assignments. I earned a PhD in chemical engineering and have published over 20 articles in scientific journals. Although I was educated with a traditional academic background, my biggest strength is that I have tested several non-traditional language learning methods. I believe that the key to learning a language is finding a method that is enjoyable to you, that you can maintain without getting burned out, and that is as close to an authentic experience as possible. This is why informal, casual, natural conversations are one of the best ways to practice, improve, and maintain a language. This technique ...

Teaching experience

2010 - 2014

Teaching AssistantBrigham Young University - Provo, United StatesI was a teaching assistant for four different undergraduate courses in chemical engineering. I taught lectures, gave test reviews, held office hours, and graded assignments.

Education

2012 - 2017

Doctorate - Chemical EngineeringBrigham Young UniversityPhD in Chemical Engineering

2005 - 2012

Bachelor’s - Spanish / FrenchBrigham Young UniversitySpanish minor French minor

2005 - 2012

Bachelor’s - Chemical EngineeringBrigham Young UniversityBS in Chemical Engineering

5.0

Rating

Students

Lessons

100%