Sean
Certified Tutor
I'm wrapping up my undergraduate career at Columbia University, majoring in Classical Studies. That means a dead language--Latin--and a lot of history, philosophy, mythology, and the like. I love it; I love the way it makes me think and interact with language. The idea is to write in our own living language, and I'm currently finishing up that self-indulgent, semi-autobiographical first novel. I think it's great---we'll see if anyone else agrees.
I attended the Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT from 2002-2006. I worked hard, and I did very well. I was admitted early to Harvard my senior year, where I enrolled in Fall 2006. Long story short, my father was chronically ill, and I left school to help care for him. He required more care, and for longer, than anticipated, but it was not a choice I would ever reverse. And if, for now, qualities born of that experience must recommend me more than the usual benchmarks of achievement, they may be of more value anyway. Compassion and patience, with recourse to humor, are certainly invaluable for a tutor.
I have always been able to do well in academic settings and test-taking. Much of this success derives from long-hours devoted to assignments and preparation, but no small part owes to the way my mind learns. My mind is suited to books and the classroom, and this is a convenience for which I am very fortunate. I recognize, however, that every mind learns in its own way---a reality that institutional education cannot accommodate. I make it my priority to determine what methods of demonstration and motivation are best suited to every student I work with.
I look forward to working with you. I really do love learning, and think I have a knack for sharing that love.
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Undergraduate Degree:Columbia University in the City of New York- Current Undergrad, Classical Stuides
- SAT Verbal: 800
- SAT Writing: 800
- SAT Subject Test in U.S. History: 800
- SAT Subject Test in Literature: 740
Reading, Writing, Running, watching football, pampering my dog
- AP European History
- AP Latin
- AP United States History
- AP US History
- Classics
- College English
- College Essays
- College Level American History
- Comparative Literature
- English
- Essay Editing
- European History
- Foreign Language
- High School English
- High School Level American History
- History
- Languages
- Latin
- Latin 1
- Latin 2
- Latin 3
- Latin 4
- Literature
- Math
- Middle School Math
- Other
- SAT Writing and Language
- Social Studies
- Summer
- Test Prep
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
Every mind works differently; every mind learns differently. Lectures and readings work are sufficient for some students, but others need to be a little more creative in determining how they may best appreciate knowledge and retain understanding.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Establish a rapport ... You don't want to be stuck in a room with someone and share nothing but the books on the desk. A relationship establishes mutual accountability, and makes the student's efforts seem less arduous.
你能帮一个学生变得如何e an independent learner?
Independent learners love learning for itself, or they love the success it brings. More often, both elements are in play---we all prefer certain subjects. When a student is confident that s/he can learn, and sees the success this secures, learning becomes a self-perpetuating cycle. It is up to the tutor to consistently remind the student that, regardless of the tutoring, the learning is always accomplished by the student in the exact same way it would be accomplished on his/her own.