Certified Tutor
Undergraduate Degree: City University of New York - Lehman College - Bachelor of Science, Anthropology, Biochemistry
SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1460
SAT Verbal: 760
SAT Writing: 700
Writing, Music, Travel, Non-profits/Charities, Education, and Advocacy.
Anatomy & Physiology
College Biology
College English
Elementary School Math
High School Biology
High School English
What is your teaching philosophy?
I like to make learning fun and inspiring and include as many real-life applications as possible.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
First sessions for me are to get a feel of where the student is compared with where they would like to be. Based on this, I come up with plans about how to proceed in our sessions together.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
That is always my goal and as a result, I have had many of my students advance to where they no longer need so much hand-holding. The key here is to empower the student and build up his/her confidence in his/her own learning abilities.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Staying motivated can be a challenge, even in adulthood. The main thing here is to acknowledge this and then work on ways to overcome it, for instance, by keeping the end goal in mind and visualizing success.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I would go very slowly, starting from the basics and gradually introducing concepts of increasing complexity at a pace that is comfortable for my student.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
This is one of my favorite things to do. I have to make the passage come alive for the student so that s/he can become inspired and more curious about the subject. After that, comprehension, retention, and testing come naturally.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
To make them comfortable and make sure that the tutor-student chemistry is right. The next thing would be to make them understand that needing a tutor doesn't mean they aren't bright and that, together, we will discover, hone, and exhibit their natural intelligence to make schoolwork and life a lot less stressful.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I am a huge fan of quizzing, and I do this at the end of almost every session with my students.