Catherine

Certified Tutor

I began teaching English and math to middle school students in 2012. When I was working at Urban Science Academy in NYC, I remember one particular student of mine who had anxiety when taking tests. They become scatterbrained and unfocused, unable to stop shaking their leg and playing with their pencil, rather than using it. A few weeks leading up to the state tests, I led students in a class debate while teaching a unit on argumentative essay writing. Through my support and guidance, this student spoke with confidence and poise while using evidence to back up his claim. This moment solidified my passion for creating an inquiry-based learning environment where students are critical thinkers, feel empowered, engaged in the material they are learning, and inspired to speak their opinions confidently.

In the five years I have been teaching, I am most proud of building valuable and trusting relationships with my students. These relationships spark higher motivation for learning and more positive and healthy social interactions. In my 7th grade math classroom this year, I worked with a student who had consistently scored low on his quarterly assessments up through this year. He struggled with impulse control and had a difficult time focusing for longer periods of time; yet he was very bright, hard working, and asked questions in class everyday. After I worked with him in a small group setting and helped him build confidence, he jumped 30 points. This was a huge success and confidence booster for him. As a tutor, I will bring the qualities I have developed as a classroom teacher, creating a safe environment where students can think outside of the box, make mistakes, and take control over their own learning, to my tutoring sessions.