Brenna
Certified Tutor
Hello! My name is Brenna and I am an honorably discharged veteran, formerly a cadet at the United States Air Force Academy. I've been tutoring since I was in 6th grade. I have worked with special needs students, and last year I worked at Holmes Middle School in Colorado Springs, CO as a paraprofessional. Since I've missed the Fall 2016 deadline, I'm currently attending Phoenix College as I work towards my goal of Stanford in Spring 2017.
I enjoy working with students of all ages, and I particularly excel with history, reading, writing, algebra, early math, and literature. I prefer an integrated approach between student, tutor, and parent. We all are one team, working together to help you achieve your dreams, whatever they may be.
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Undergraduate Degree:United States Air Force Academy- Current Undergrad, Foreign Area Studies
- ACT Composite: 31
- SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1510
Dancing, Reading, Soccer, Backpacking, Camping
- 10th Grade
- 10th Grade Math
- 10th Grade Reading
- 10th Grade Writing
- 11th Grade
- 11th Grade Math
- 11th Grade Reading
- 11th Grade Writing
- 12th Grade
- 12th Grade Math
- 12th Grade Reading
- 12th Grade Writing
- 1st Grade
- 1st Grade Math
- 1st Grade Reading
- 1st Grade Writing
- 2nd Grade
- 2nd Grade Math
- 2nd Grade Reading
- 2nd Grade Writing
- 3rd Grade
- 3rd Grade Math
- 三年级阅读
- 3rd Grade Science
- 3rd Grade Writing
- 4th Grade
- 4th Grade Math
- 4th Grade Reading
- 4th Grade Science
- 4th Grade Writing
- 5th Grade
- 5th Grade Math
- 5th Grade Reading
- 5th Grade Science
- 5th Grade Writing
- 6th Grade
- 6th Grade Math
- 6th Grade Reading
- 6th Grade Science
- 6th Grade Writing
- 7th Grade
- 7th Grade Math
- 7th Grade Reading
- 7th Grade Science
- 7th Grade Writing
- 8th Grade
- 8th Grade Math
- 8th Grade Reading
- 8th Grade Science
- 8th Grade Writing
- 9th Grade
- 9th Grade Math
- 9th Grade Reading
- 9th Grade Writing
- Adult Literacy
- Ancient and Medieval Heritage
- College English
- College Geography
- College Level American History
- College World History
- Elementary Math
- Elementary School
- Elementary School Math
- Elementary School Reading
- Elementary School Science
- Elementary School Writing
- English
- Geography
- High School
- High School Chemistry
- High School English
- High School Geography
- High School Level American History
- High School World History
- High School Writing
- History
- Homework Support
- Math
- Middle School
- Middle School Math
- Middle School Reading
- Middle School Science
- Middle School Writing
- Other
- Poetry Writing
- Pre-Algebra
- Public Speaking
- Shakespeare
- Social Studies
- Special Education
- Summer
- US History
- Vocabulary
- World Civilization
- World History
- World Religions
What is your teaching philosophy?
Tailoring for individual students to achieve their goals. Not all students work the same way, and the goal is to learn who THEY are in order to achieve THEIR dreams.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Spend the beginning of the session learning about the students, their style of learning, and what they want to achieve out of tutoring. I would also bring in the parents to make sure that their expectations are clear, and clearly explain my expectations of students: I will work for you, if you work for me.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Teaching them the process of research. There are thousands of websites, books, individuals, and other resources for students to better their own understanding. If you teach them how to find it, they become more independent.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I like fun and competition. Just like in sports, it is about beating personal records. I also enjoy combining disciplines and breaking up the monotony with real life questions and solutions.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Using the knowledge I learned about their style, I would develop a tailored plan. For example, if a student were an auditory learner and couldn't remember the states by looking at a map (as a visual learner would), I would introduce a song designed to memorize the states instead.
你将如何帮助学生获得兴奋/ w订婚吗ith a subject that they are struggling in?
I enjoy using media to engage students. I love learning websites, including Ted talks and news to increase everyday awareness. I also love bringing in relevant problems to a student's life. Ex: A student I work with works a part-time job at Starbucks, and is struggling with the concept of supply and demand. I would use an example of a shortage of customers to demonstrate the amount of excess coffee their Starbucks carries during the shortage.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Build on past knowledge. A student who is comfortable with one subject will be more likely to venture into a new subject if it relates to the previous one.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
It is a combination of student perception, parent perception, past work and scores, and administered evaluations by myself.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
The basics are two notebooks: one for me, and one for the student. Any additional materials would include a computer, models, textbooks, or any other appropriate material (rulers, calculators, etc.).
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
The best judge of comprehension is teaching! If a student can teach the subject back to me, they understand it. The student alternates between following along with me, and leading the session themselves during individual sessions. At the end, I provide a problem for them combining the knowledge learned, and they teach me how to solve the problem!