Courtney

Certified Tutor

I recently graduated from Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with significant coursework in youth, education, and associated inequities. I have worked in multiple capacities as a tutor and academic instructor for the past 9 years. I began tutoring during high school by participating in a club that provided free tutoring to lower income students from a neighboring middle school. Later during high school, I began working at a summer enrichment program that had a variety of courses offered to students in grades 3-8. I primarily taught mathematics and standardized test prep (including exam essay writing) during my 5 summers with the program. I also spent a few months during college tutoring students in grades K-5 in reading skills. Most recently, I led a tutoring program for a local college access organization for under-resourced high school youth. One of my main responsibilities was to help tutors to overcome barriers with their students such as frustration or a lack of motivation. Given my extensive and diverse background, I feel comfortable tutoring all types of students from consistently high achievers to students that may need some extra motivation and patience.

While I able to tutor students in math through Algebra 1, high school entrance exam test preparation, SAT prep, reading, and college essay writing, I most enjoy tutoring mathematics and assisting with college essay writing. I was fortunate enough to have a few incredible math teachers throughout my schooling, and they were able to explain math to me in a way that made so much sense. They broke down the formulas and discouraged blind memorization. Unfortunately, that is not the most common method of teaching mathematics and as a result, millions of young children struggle with math as they progress and the material builds upon itself. I love being able to break things down for the student and watch as the light bulb goes off when they final understand the concepts. I enjoy college essay writing because I know that a powerful college essay can not only help a student gain college admission, but it can afford the student writer with an amazing opportunity to think about who they are and learn to communicate that with just a few words.

My passion for education is in large part due to the education I have been fortunate enough to receive. Now that I have worked with school systems that have fewer resources, I see the negative effects of a lack of individualized instruction. My aim during tutoring is to tailor my approach as much as possible for each student. Even if I have five students working on the same subject, their sessions will look very different depending on the strengths, weaknesses, learning style, personality, goals, etc. In addition to working with youth, I enjoy cooking healthy foods, taking my two dogs to Forest Park, and spending time with loved ones.