You've found the best tutor around!
Michelle Waugh
Personal Tutor
Michelle is eager to help your child flourish!
Specializing in special needs, she is highly experienced,
credentialled, and proven"Are you or any of your friends in need of a great tutor? If so, I have over 20 years experience in education as a teacher, instructional assistant, substitute teacher, and tutor. California-credentialed and PhD-educated, my expertise is in special needs and English as a second language students, while offering tutoring in general education throughout multiple disciplines. Please reach out if interested, as I am now accepting students for the 2025-2026 school year!"
Confidence Builder
Why You
Need Her
Nothing is more important for a dedicated parent like you than ensuring your child’s successful education – and Michelle is ready to bolster their confidence and self-esteem by providing the very best supplement to public and private education.
Doctorate Level Education
How She's Better
Michelle combines a PhD-level education with decades of hands-on classroom and tutoring experience. She adapts her methods to meet each student’s unique needs, fostering academic progress and personal confidence. With a proven background spanning preschool to college graduates, she has helped countless students reach their full potential.
Certified & Experienced
Who She Is
Michelle has a doctorate in biology, a California teaching credential, and over 20 years of experience as a teacher, substitute teacher, instructional assistant, and in-person and online tutor. Having taught ASD children how to read, she also specializes in special needs – and English as a second language.
Online & In-Person
Where She Is
Online Everywhere
Accepting students regardless of location for Zoom sessions
In-Person In Orange County
Michelle offers in-person tutoring within a 10-mile radius of Mission Viejo, CA
Why Parents Choose Her
Proven Track Record
Over 20 years in education, including 12 years as a professional tutor
Highly Qualified
PhD in Biology, California multiple subject teaching credential
Special Needs Expertise
Skilled in supporting ASD, ADHD, dyslexia, anxiety, and more
Personalized Approach
Every session is tailored to your child’s unique needs
Empathetic & Patient
Creates a safe environment where students gain confidence
Subjects & Services
Homework Help
Elementary through middle school
Reading & Writing
Phonics, comprehension, grammar, and essay writing
Math & Science
From general math to algebra and biology
Special Needs Support
ASD, ADHD, OCD, dyslexia, ELD, and GATE programs
Study Skills
Strategies for academic independence and success
Parent Testimonials
"Michelle changed my daughter’s life. She went from anxious and struggling to confident and self-sufficient."
– Cassie, parent of ADHD student"After two months with Michelle, my son with autism read his first book.
We were in tears."
– Jessica, parent of ASD student"Michelle made learning easier and helped my kids fall in love with reading."
– Olga, parent of ESL students
Meeting Your Individual Needs
Rates & Consultation
$75–$125/hour
Depending on needs and travel
Free 30-Minute Phone or Zoom Consultation
Let’s see if we’re the right fit!Phone: 949-554-4681
Email: [email protected]
parents are gushing with praise
Detailed Parent Testimonials
“Michelle has been the best thing that has happened to my daughter for her academics. Combining instruction interruptions during the pandemic with a later diagnosis of ADHD, my daughter was struggling through middle school. She was giving it her all. However, all the effort and late nights just weren’t producing the corresponding results. She was filled with anxiety and had zero self confidence. It’s devastating to hear your child say they think they’re stupid. Michelle helped change all that. She is kind, understanding and supportive. She tailors tutoring to your child and is experienced in helping neurodivergent children. Not only has Michelle tutored my daughter when it comes to her assignments and helped catch her up to grade-level learning capabilities, she also has also improved her reading comprehension and study skills so my daughter can be a better student overall, providing her with the skills to be confident and self sufficient in her education.Michelle has also helped me as a parent better understand what my kid needs and why. She has provided tailored and thoughtful advice on the support my daughter needs in school, including 504 plan accommodations and how to access specific services, as well as encouraging me in my efforts to advocate for my kid. She’s always willing to answer my questions and provide much needed support. It can be overwhelming going through the public education system with a child that’s neurodivergence. No one helps you. You’re just supposed to be able to figure it out. I’m so grateful to Michelle. She never judges and is always kind and supportive to my daughter. Michelle is a problem solver, focusing on finding realistic solutions that help your child to succeed as they are rather than push them to be something they’re not.”– Cassie, mom of special needs 8th grade online school student with ADHD
parents are gushing with praise
Detailed Parent Testimonials
We have been lucky to meet Michelle.When the COVID started and schools went to the online mode, my two 2nd graders were still English learners. Understanding and following the assignments, especially writing, was quite a challenge. And now they are finishing the 6th grade with As in reading and writing.Michelle would come twice a week to my home and work with each of the kids separately, finding an approach and addressing their individual needs.I liked one of her methods - reading. Michelle and my kid would sit down, and my kid would read to Michelle. If there were any unfamiliar words, Michelle would explain. As the story progressed, Michelle would ask what some words or phrases meant, what was happening in the story, how the characters felt. This helped my kids develop into confident readers, expand their vocabulary, and comprehension.Michelle was patient with the “sandwich writing” process that was just being explained at that grade. No surprise, the kids didn’t always rush with joy to write, it wasn’t their favorite thing. Michelle always stayed calm and worked with me to help get the kids into the learning mood. Working through assignments with the kids, guiding them to find their own thoughts and words, and to meet the expectations set by the assignments. They learned the process and now are no longer scared by the writing assignments.As grade levels went up, so did the complexity of the assignments.
The kids continued to read with Michelle, now bigger chapter books. Michelle would add questions like What do you think would happen next? How does this part of the story relate to what you read earlier? And they would do deeper character analysis.For Social Studies, Michelle emphasized the connections between the historical significance and its effect on modern day governments, laws, constitutions, and social structure.Another aspect that was important for me, was the ability to research. Michelle would work with the kids to find the appropriate sources, explaining what appropriate was and why. Then they would structure the information. For example for an animal of interest, they would identify dimensions, habitat, eating habits, unique features.My kids are interested in biology. So over the summer, Michelle would teach them about cell structure, fungi, and other topics that my kids picked.Over the years, Michelle made it easier for my kids to learn the new material and to fall in love with reading. I am happy we have met and are thankful for all her patience, perseverance, and care.– Olga, mom of twin English as a third language girls, grades second through sixth
parents are gushing with praise
Detailed Parent Testimonials
Michelle began tutoring my son Luke when he was in 6th grade after an exhausting first couple quarters trying to help him with book reports! He struggled with reading comprehension, and had struggled for years. I didn't know what I was doing and was just giving him the answers. His teachers didn’t seem concerned but I was because reading comprehension affects every subject in school. My husband suggested a tutor and we found Michelle. What a difference she made in our lives! She helped our son with reading comprehension every week for an hour, gave us tips and was so patient with my son. She would ask him questions as they read each page out loud and would check that he knew what all the words meant (which I had not thought of!). She also suggested he read along with the audio book to further help his comprehension. His confidence started to improve almost immediately. Sometimes they would meet over zoom if we had a full schedule which worked just as well for him. Michelle would also go online with Luke and work on iReady with him, the reading test site that CapoUSD uses and help him score better on that platform as well.She was consistent, reliable, adaptable and accommodating. Best of all she was willing to keep tutoring him and that she did for the rest of middle school. He is now in high school and no longer struggles. He just finished his freshman year at SMCHS with a 4.0. I can’t thank Michelle enough for the help she gave him at a time we needed individualized support that we just couldn’t get from school.While Michelle was tutoring my oldest son Luke at our house, my younger son Sean also wanted Michelle’s undivided attention. Sean is on the autism spectrum and could not read, but he is used to getting lots of attention. He was in 5th grade at the time and his elementary school teacher told me that she had ‘tried everything’ and could not teach him how to read. By the summer before 6th grade I asked Michelle if she was willing to work with Sean too, mainly to keep him busy over the summer, and to be honest, I didn’t have any expectations since his teacher had ‘tried everything’. And admittedly, he could not blend letters like sh, bl, pr, etc. but knew his sight words. After about 2 months of working with Michelle he read a Dr. Seuss book at the table. My husband and I were in tears. I never knew if he was going to be able to read or not. She worked with Sean for about a year and got up to a second grade level and was reading chapter books. Now he is 13 and just finished 8th grade. He reads everything - signs, captioning on the TV, books (3rd grade level) and is one of the top readers in his STEPS program at school.To say working with Michelle was game-changer is an understatement, she changed our lives and gave our boys the skills and support they needed at a critical time in their lives.– Jessica, mom of two students: ASD special needs, and grades sixth through eighth reading comprehension