"Hello Nat, I am writing this email to thank you for helping me improve my English and develop better writing and grammar skills. Thanks to your boot camp class, I have improved my score on the SAT to 1540, with a 740 in English (50 more than the previous attempt). Thank you so much for your help with my reading and writing skills, and I do believe that this program is amazing at helping high schoolers develop said skills. I use the techniques in my English essays on an everyday basis. Thanks"
G. L., Palo Alto
“We write to you to express our appreciation to Ms. Sichi’s for her teaching our daughter, and for IYE for providing such a wonderful program. Today, our daughter wrote to you about her achievement on SAT and PSAT tests. She obtained a perfect score of 1600 on SAT, and an excellent score 1510 on PSAT (missed one question) in October, 2021. She told us that Ms. Sichi’s instruction and mentoring in literature helped build a foundation for such scores in reading and writing on SAT and PSAT. Ms. Sichi and IYE have greatly contributed to her reading ability, knowledge learning, growth through reading literature, and achievement in her course study and standard tests such as SAT and PSAT. We are very grateful.”
Grant Y., Palo Alto
"We really appreciate your work with our son this past year -- he has benefited from lessons with you by broadening his vocabulary, deepening his understanding of the English language, and strengthening his reading comprehension and writing. All very helpful as he moves forward in high school!"
Leilani, Palo Alto
"With much appreciation and gratefulness, I have to tell you that our son has to finish his English Tutoring class with Mr. Logan due to his senior year’s super busy schedule! Mr. Logan is an outstanding teacher for our son, it is a hard decision for us to make! I really like to thank Mr Logan, with your help and teaching and encouraging, our son has improved a lot on his reading, writing and grammar, you have made great impact on his journey in learning English which will last all his life! We are so grateful to have you teaching him! Even I didn’t get much time to talk with you, but I can feel your heart to teach our son and help him! I would like to thank Mr. Crawford for your great SAT class too, it was amazing your class helped our son improving his SAT dramatically, and even your tips for sleeping and breakfast. All these little but important tips really helped him to have a good habit of learning and life, we totally appreciate it! Your commitment and high responsibility really impressed me even though it was a short class! We will always remember all the great jobs you all have done to help our son, it has been a wonderful experience for us! IYE is definitely a great place for students want to improve their English and have a life long great impact!"
Cathy, Santa Clara
"We would like to express our appreciation to Dr. Wilson and your IYE for the past 4 years. Our son has benefited tremendously from the tutoring by Dr. Wilson, not only in terms of academic improvement but his personal growth of maturity and good characters. He has developed strong writing skills and improved grammar and vocabulary. We feel lucky that he has enrolled in IYE curriculum in the past 4 years and we are sure he will cherish this experience for the rest of his life."
Jessica Yang, Palo Alto
"Hello Dr Wilson Thanks for all your support to our daughter. She improved a lot since she started at IYE."
Shyamala
"We are very appreciative of the teachers who helped my son with a lot of English skills these years. Improve English is a professional agent and the teachers are very responsible for the student. I will recommend it if any of my friends need it. Thank you!"
Apple Wei, Saratoga
“I'm reaching out to let you know that I got a 5 on the AP Language And Composition Test! :) When I started my junior year, I was intimidated by my AP Language and Composition class. I kept thinking that my writing skills weren't good enough for me to succeed in a college writing class as a high school student. It was with your thoughtful insight and passion for writing that you were able to help me strengthen my writing and reading skills and guide me to truly appreciate writing. Thank you for teaching me various rhetorical skills that allowed me to understand the power of writing! Thank you once again for guiding me to become a better writer by assigning me challenging writing assignments and working with me on numerous essay revisions! I definitely wouldn't have gotten a 5 on the test without your help! :) I'm looking forward to bringing the writing and English language skills I learned with you to my Story and Style English class this year so I can become a better writer and thinker.”
D. S.
“We love and respect Ann Hillesland. She really helped out both of our kids and made a difference in their lives.”
Andy Shaw, Software Engineer, Palo Alto
“I just wanted to tell you how helpful you were with my slideshow. I really appreciated it. After our most recent lesson, I worked on the slide a lot in order to incorporate the ideas you taught me. We finally presented it to the class, and our grades were 109% for our slideshow, and a 112% for our project. The teacher liked our slide because of the things you told me. she said my group's (my...) analysis was really strong. The idea of embers being covered with ash, the trochaic and iambic rhythm, etc. Thank you so, so much!”
Student, Belmont
“My daughter had Nat as a one-on-one tutor for about three years and we would highly recommend Improve Your English services! Over the years, not only did Nat help my daughter improve her SAT score, but he also helped improve her reading comprehension and analysis abilities in general. Throughout classes, my daughter told me that Nat helped explain concepts extremely clearly, but also pushed her to understand concepts on her own when he thought she could. I am very grateful for the tutoring my daughter has received, as I am sure she will use these skills in high school, college, and beyond.”
Yixin S., Palo Alto
“I wish we had found IYE when our daughter was in lower grades and had started enrolling in the program much earlier. Your program is well thought and planned. I think students would benefit by enrolling in the program earlier on. I would definitely recommend to my friends who are interested in enrolling their kids in a great English class.”
Qun M., Palo Alto
“Our son has worked with IYE for three years. Recently, he received a perfect score on his CAASPP test for ELA. This is two straight years of improvement. Thank you for your continuous help and support!”
Vivian L., Los Altos
“Dear Dr. Julie, It’s been a pleasure to have you as my son’s English tutor for the past years. We can see his English skills have been improved a lot and you/IYE have made a good English foundation for his HS studies. We just want to say Thank you to you and IYE and appreciate all your time of coaching to my son. All the best to you!”
Julie C., Mountain View
“Improve Your English helped me raise my grade in my middle school English class from a B+ to an A. Now I am attending an elite private high school. Thank you!”
Daniel W., Saratoga
“My son had a wonderful experience with IYE! Thank you for Dr. Sparks for the caring and detailed instructions!”
Tomone T., Sunnyvale
"My son has been working with David for about a month. I can really see the difference in his writing. It has more focus and better organization. My son says he is glad that he is taking the tutoring sessions. He feels that the lessons cover valuable skills."
Yu C., Saratoga
"I took the test once and scored 720 on the Reading section. When I took the test for a second time, I could tell that the classes had really helped my reading comprehension, even before I received my score. When I got my score, I improved 40 points, from 720 to 760. My family is very happy with the Improve Your English SAT training program!"
Emily Su, Palo Alto
“Summer program advising helped me make my own decision. In the past, I was indecisive and let others make decisions for me. Now that I am in HS, I know I have to choose my path, not just let my parents choose it for me. Improve Your English College Counseling is helping me make those decisions for myself."
Michael, Palo Alto
“We are very appreciative of your kindness, patience, willingness to listen, and sharing of insights. You give me honest feedback, telling us mistakes to avoid. You listen to our concerns. You don’t take things personally. I really like this kind of interactive, honest, respectful, open dialogue. We really like you. We can build up mutual trust and understanding. We hope you will help our son through the process. For me it is stressful. One of the most important things is trust and I feel we are getting it here. Sometimes I say things that I am uncertain about, and then you talk to me and explain how things really are. This level of trust in a relationship is very important to me."
JC, Palo Alto
“My daughter took her SAT again in March. She got her score back today. She got 1540=770+770. This compared to her score before the SAT class with you, of last August, 1480=700 (reading/writing) + 780 (math). So, she got 70 points up for reading/writing, compared to your title claim of 80 points up :) Me: ‘So, the English SAT prep helped? Or you just get better?’ My daughter: ‘The prep helped!’ Thought you would want to know.”
Jian Ma, Palo Alto
"Hi Nat, I’d like to share with you this good news. Today, Stanley won the 2nd place for his school's Speech Festival. Thank you very much for selecting JFK Inaugural address!"
Li-Fen Lee, Palo Alto
"The classes have been wonderful."
Hemant Puri, Milpitas
"Our son got 36 in his September ACT test. He is very happy. Thank you so much for these years’ teaching them in English! It really has built up their solid English foundation."
Sherri Miao, Palo Alto
“I took several reading classes first semester of college, and I had a great time. I frequently find myself using some of the techniques you taught me: mostly trying to draw a picture of what is actually going on, and imagining what the author is really saying using visuals. This technique forces me to pay attention and not mindlessly 'read'. I think one of the most important things I remember you teaching me was the day before the SAT, you encouraged me keep my self criticism at bay while learning. I was lucky to hear that advice from you at a young age.”
David Z., Regent’s Scholar, Engineering Department, UC Berkeley
“I GOT INTO STANFORD
Thanks so much for helping me with everything!! I'm so happy :)”
Amy S., Los Altos
"Our daughter got straight A's in English, Art History and World History in her first semester at U.C. Riverside. She has been helping other students with their essays and says that the time she spent with Improve Your English tutors has made all the difference."
Trevor Burward-Hoy
"Improve Your English helped my son make big changes to his college admissions essays. After receiving their help, he was admitted by early action to CalTech and MIT."
Iris Li
"Our son is enjoying Pomona very much. Your tutoring formed the basis of his academic skills. We are eternally grateful to you!"
Toni Littlestone
"Our middle-school son has worked with Improve Your English for three years. He loves the books, the poems, and the grammar! He says an hour of class goes by much faster than an hour of school."
Michael and Linda Chui
"The tutors at Improve Your English helped my son get admitted to Berkeley. By sharpening his writing skills and learning to develop a persuasive application essay, he presented himself in the strongest possible light to the admissions officers. My wife and I couldn't be happier with Improve Your English."
D. Wong
"My son scored 100% on two of his STAR test sections! I've recommended Improve Your English to several of my friends. They too are very happy with your style of tutoring."
Joan Kao
“A bit late, but ever so sincere, Happy Thanksgiving; thank you for being my English helper and role model for study habits, proper grammar, and for helping me understand what really matters in life. Some of our discussions have transcended every day grammar, punctuation, essentially English talk, and have included topics about music, life, and stuff outside the general "be a good kid and get good grades" topics. So, thank you for that. You have opened my eyes with some of our philosophical discussions and analysis of Literature. Literature harbors the greatest goldmine for human understanding - that and music, of course; you have shown me knowledge in both.”
Shishir R., Cupertino
“Just wanted to tell you that the Scholastic Awards results came out and that I received two gold keys (Coffee Stains on a Blue Morning, (anchors) ), a silver key (Fleeting Everlasting), and an honorable mention (An Hour at the Happiest Place on Earth). These four pieces are all ones you've worked with me on, and I sincerely believe I owe it all to you. Without your insightful advice and direction, these awards would never have been possible. Thank you so much for all of your wonderful support and guidance in my creative writing endeavors, and I really hope I can work with you again in the future (as soon as my extracurricular schedule calms down).”
Margaret Z.
“I just wanted to thank you for your helping me in Literature this year. I just got my final grades back today and I got an A in on the final and an A in the class.”
G. S., Los Altos
“My son has been working with Dr. Wilson for two years. He and I are both so happy and really appreciate Dr. Wilson's great skill working with teenagers, vast knowledge, and sense of humor. My son recently took the SSAT. He scored in the 98th percentile on reading and the 94th percentile on verbal. Other than boosting his scores, the biggest help from Dr. Wilson was teaching my son writing. The SSAT writing is not scored and not yet commonly practiced in middle school. I saw my son's writing improve from zero knowledge to being comfortable with any topic on SSAT writing test. Thank you so much, Dr. Wilson and Improve Your English!”
Q.O., Foster City
“I was the only student in my high school English class to score 100% on a difficult grammar test. Thanks!”
R. K., San Jose
“I owe Improve Your English some big thanks. My teacher told me that he's given a particular grammar test - the same test - for the last 10 years. During those years, only 7 people have scored 100%. I am one of those 7 people.”
Patrick Y., Grade 7, Los Altos
“I want to thank you for being such a wonderful English tutor. When I first came to you, I knew almost nothing about grammar and reading. However, after the past two years with you, my skills in writing and critical reading have improved drastically. You taught me how to truly read a book through analyzing and connecting words rather than simply skimming over them. You have truly made a lasting impression on me because you have taught me skills that I will be able to implement for the rest of my life.”
M.C.
“Our son is paying more attention to his school work and grades. He moved up in core and was encouraged. Every time he got a compliment from you, he was excited to tell us too. He wants to improve more!”
Grace, Cupertino
“Thank you! I already see progress in our son’s writing. Previously, his words were so few and far between.”
Y.W.
“Our son and daughter really enjoy learning from you. Our son always receives nice comments from his teachers about his good writing skills. I thank you for guiding him in the right direction for the past four years.”
Young K., Palo Alto
“I have noticed my son’s progress and motivation. His writing has improved a lot (writing was very difficult for him when we met at the first class). Now, most of time, he finishes his homework with little reminding. He likes the way you teach. Thank you very much for your hard work!”
Anonymous
“I really appreciate all your hard work with our daughter. We have been trying for years to get her to stay focused. I think she is slowly maturing. And with your steady hand, she has made very good progress, and hopefully she can continue to improve. She responds to you well. I think your understanding, your friendliness as well as your stern and clear expectation make her realized that she must perform. She said that your drilling on the outline made her thinking about it almost automatically now. This is amazing... ”
Y.H.
“With your help, my daughter's reading, writing skill and vocabulary level increase dramatically, and she did very well in her high school entry tests.
I will certainly recommend this service!”
Michelle H., Cupertino
“As someone who hates standardized testing, I had always thought of the SAT as a pain, a weary obstacle that had to be scaled because there exists a vague thing called "college." But as I prepped for the SAT at Improve Your English, I realized that there was something big, something monumental, occurring in my education.
I had always been a "reader," at least by the strict definition of the word. Piling books higher and higher, I had viewed journeys through literature in a purely quantitative sense. I would happily finish a volume and check off another "important" book read. More pages, more miles—this is what reading is all about, right?
But during my test prep, I finally learned to read in the imaginative sense. To borrow a Shakespearean phrase, I learned to read with my mind's eye. Every word, every description became a world inside my head. Truly, learning to read and absorb literature in such a manner has fundamentally changed my ways as a student. The text, previously black and white upon printed paper, leapt outwards into my reality.
So for me, SAT test prep wasn't so much a tool for success on the SAT, but a transformation in the way I understood the English language.”
S. L., 2400, Harvard University
“Our daughter got a 800 on writing for her SAT score that came out last night. Just want to share the good news and say thank you to her teacher.”
Jennifer
“I participated in your spring 2013 SAT English class. Although I didn't take the SAT (I took the ACT instead), I wanted to let you know that I scored a 36 on the English section, a 34 on the reading section (I only missed one question, but the curve was tough... *:( sad ), and a 34 on the writing section. I owe my high scores to you and Improve Your English. Thank you so much for everything.”
M. C.
“SAT results came in this morning. Our daughter did well on both reading and writing section. We believe that her Saturday English tutoring and summer SAT review was really helpful in this endeavor. So - a big thanks to you guys. [800 reading, 790 writing]”
Y. K.
“Before taking the lesson from you, my son's SAT writing was below 500; last year, he scored 800. Now he is a National Merit Semifinalist, which is mostly determined by English skills. You also helped him in many other areas, such as U.S History and getting into top summer camps.”
Randy Y., Cupertino
“I hope you still remember this De Anza college student. Well, after taking your course, I ended up not taking any SAT exam, for I no longer want to study at NYU. Instead of moving to the East, I decide to stay in California and attend a university here. Thanks God, I am recently admitted to the University of Southern California. Of course, part of my success comes from the long hours training with you during those hot-to-death afternoons. Thus, I just want to say thank and wish you luck with everything, especially with your teaching path!”
Hoang T.
“Yesterday, I received an email from Cornell-Queen’s MBA program. Yes! My application was accepted. This is amazing outcome! Honestly speaking, I did not expect to hear the good news because the level of the program is way too high for me. A long time has passed since I knocked on the door of IYE to pursue my goal. I thank you for your persistent support to improve my English skills. Without your support, it would be impossible for me to get such a good result. I could not imagine that the day comes for me to study for an Ivy League MBA.”
Hiroshi Ishikawa
"I am one of the lucky students who studied with you to prepare for the Graduate Record Exam. Now I am working toward my master's degree at Santa Clara University. I am very grateful to Improve Your English in helping me get there!"
Sofia K.
"Before my daughter started with Improve Your English, her state assessment [on the STAR reading test] was at 900. In less than a year of working with the program, her assessment rose to 1,200 (full score is 1,400). Since starting the program, she has become much more interested in reading English language books. Before coming here, she was only interested in Chinese books. We are very happy with her progress so far."