Our Elementary Tutors

Elaine E

Teaching Style

Since I have a degree in special education and ESL, I have used many different methods of teaching. As a teacher I see myself as a facilitator. I want my students to be in charge of their learning, not me. I often ask a student “leading questions” instead of just giving them the answer. I also consider the audience when I am teaching. I ask myself...Are they familiar with our customs or not? Do they know our idioms or not?

Experience Summary

I have a MS in Varying Exceptionalities. I also have 18 hrs of ESL. Currently, I am working on 18 hrs of English. I have taught pre-school through adults. I have taught many different kinds of students. I have taught international students, ESL students, and native speakers of English. I have worked in pre-schools, public schools, private schools, language schools, and colleges. I have tutored many different kinds of students from foster children to adults.

Jim J

Teaching Style

I believe that the possibilities of learning are incredible, especially with understanding the tools of both teaching and learning whether that is textbooks, computers, or something else. It is important to ascertain how a student learns, and adjust to them. I’ve discovered in my teaching of children that it is critical to create a foundation of understanding then build upon it through repetition of the basic ideals while adding to what is already established. Children are amazingly open to new ideas, and take on new challenges with excitement, so it is my job as instructor to guide them in their journey. I also feel that early learning is fundamental to the way individuals learn later in life, so helping children learn how to overcome obstacles becomes a way of expanding their educational possibilities.

Experience Summary

Throughout my higher educational career, I’ve been driven to learn as much as possible to help satisfy my enormous curiosity. I have earned a bachelor degree in English Literature, and am currently a MFA candidate in the creative writing program at Arizona State University. As part of my graduate funding, I work as a teaching assistant. The program requires constant training, and I enjoy taking part in understanding the way students learn. In addition to teaching at the university, I work with the Office of Youth Preparation—teaching not only the craft of poetry, but helping 4th and 5th graders develop language skills necessary to do well in school. Although I primarily work with the study of English, I study Spanish and have become proficient with the use of the language.

Stuart S

Teaching Style

As a product of top-notch education I feel that I have become intimately familiar with effective teaching styles and have thereby tried to replicate the best of these styles. I would describe my teaching style as adaptive because I feel a certain teaching style that works for one student may be inadequate for another student. For this reason I strive to first determine how a particular student learns and subsequently derive an action plan. For example, if a student seems to retain information from a book or other types of visual material but not from a teacher's lecture I would deem that student to be a more visual based learner. In such a scenario, I would approach the student in a visual based manner through animations, practice problems, and other visual material. On the other hand, if the student was found to be a more auditory-based learner that student may benefit from descriptive metaphors or a verbal walk through of sample problems.

Experience Summary

As a graduate of Bucknell University and the prestigious Mercersburg Academy, I gained a strong affinity for education and thereby providing quality learning experiences for others. While at the Mercersburg Academy I earned a 700 math score and a 680 verbal score on my SATs. At Bucknell I earned a bachelor's of science degree in biochemistry and cell biology while gaining extensive experience in chemistry, biology, psychology, physics, math, and scientific research. I have also gained extensive writing experience in the form of research papers, lab reports, and numerous other classes at both Bucknell and Mercersburg that required a plethora of writing. During the past year I served as an Honors and Accelerated Chemistry teacher at the esteemed Worcester Academy while tutoring biology, physics, and chemistry students during the evenings.

Hoai H

Teaching Style

In my experience I have discovered that it is better for the student, whether he or she is at elementary or university level, to come up to his or her own conclusions and answers. My style of teaching does not involve doing the work for the student, rather I like to say that I provide the necessary information and aid to point the student in the right direction. This in some cases can take a lot of time and patience, but in the end one learns better when he or she does things himself instead of someone doing it for him. I also believe that one of the most important things to do initially when teaching new students is to create a friendly environment, where the student feels at ease with asking absolutely any question pertaining to the coursework. A student will not listen to a tutor who he or she cannot speak to on a friendly level or respect. I guess to boil everything down, my approach to teaching is simple, treat every student as an individual mind and person who has the possible capacity to grasp any thing he or she is trying to learn or accomplish.

Experience Summary

My time at UIC has given my many skills and experiences that make me a good candidate for your tutoring services. Being a former engineering student and ultimately switching over to and graduating with a degree in English, I feel that I have a wide range of attributes and experience in coursework to provide to your company. In addition, during my sophomore year I began working with the Boys and Girls Club of Chicago where I was a mentor/tutor for a group of students at the Frazier Elementary School on the west side of Chicago. The Frazier Boys and Girls Club taught me the patience it takes when it comes to teaching and tutoring young children. This position lasted three years and I'd like to believe that through my time with these children, I instilled the importance of education not only in school work and grades, but personal knowledge and intelligence. I have also worked for a semester at the UIC Writing Center where I was a writing tutor for students needing assistance with paperwork in a wide range of subjects from Science to English to grad school applicants.

Paul P

Teaching Style

I have always considered teaching the most honorable profession. It is a profession where we develop and shape minds to become the future leaders of our nation. As a teacher, I have to be very careful with the knowledge that is imparted in to these young minds. What we teach students must not only prepare them to succeed in the class but it must also prepare for them the various challenges in their career and also in the world. I have always encouraged my students to think outside the box. I give them exercises that are practical, and encourage teamwork in class. I also try to encourage students to participate in class and they rewarded with participation points. To make sure students are reviewing the class materials, I give them take home exercises that make up a significant part of the final grade. I try to make myself available to students either through email or office hours to answer their questions and help them if they have any problem. I love teaching. As a teacher, not only do the students learn from me, I also learn from teaching them.

Experience Summary

I have an MBA in Finance and an MSc in Accounting from Illinois State University. During my three years in graduate school I tutored finance and accounting for two years then, in my last year I was an instructor for corporate finance and intermediate accounting. I also presented several research articles in finance on interest rates and investments analysis. After the completion of my MBA and MSc, I worked in public accounting as a tax accountant for seven months before deciding to go back to school for a PhD in Accounting. I currently enrolled in the PhD in Accounting program at Florida International University.

Robert R

Teaching Style

My approach to tutoring was to start from the beginning of the subject being taught and determine where the students had a problem and what the weaknesses were. With accounting and finance, I found the best method of teaching was the repetitive completion of problems with the student doing the work with minimal direction, with my help only when needed. This built confidence, which often was the major problem, and helped them learn and understand the subject matter.

Experience Summary

As a graduate student at Hofstra University, I had the opportunity to tutor undergraduate students full-time in accounting and finance while earning my degree. Being older than those I instructed, I was also able to provide career advice when needed. Having extensive experience, and being an above average performer, the program director entrusted me with a heavier workload than the others. My passion and enthusiasm was evident to those I taught and enabled me to excel.

Carla C

Teaching Style

I believe each student has a unique way of learning, and that my job is to discover and support that learning style. Every writer has his or her own voice, and I work to empower writers to express their thoughts as clearly and powerfully as possible. My goal is not to impose information but to guide students in discovery, to support critical thinking and foster new perspectives. Writing is an intensely personal and creative act; I believe in providing a framework within which writing students can comfortably and confidently learn the strategies to speak easily on the page.

Experience Summary

I've spent most of my life helping people learn, starting as a peer tutor in high school! I began teaching professionally as a teaching assistant in college, and since then I've taught in a wide variety of settings, including government training programs, workplace and vocational education, university, high school and community college classes, and private language schools. As a published writer, I mentor and coach writing students in fiction, nonfiction and college composition, and I've designed and developed many classes and programs to support writing students of all levels. I was a tutor for three years at the International School of Languages in Beverly Hills, working with foreign students to improve their command of English. With a BA and MA in Russian studies and a minor in English and journalism, as well as certification in adult literacy, GED and basic education and a community college credential, I have a wide range of experience in language education and writing competency.

Hebah H

Teaching Style

My main goal is to encourage independent thinking and analytical reasoning to augment their problem solving skills, thus encouraging them to not just memorize. I prompt them to question at every stage: “why?..how?” and satisfy their curiosity, instead of assuming the instructor is always right. My favorite approach is: “If you don’t have any questions, I have some for you”. This prompts classroom discussions which are very useful and has led to several intellectually stimulating questions/arguments that are not always easy to answer. The idea is to provide hints and “baby steps”, building on what they know, and lead them to the answer by making them think logically. The confidence they gain from this exercise is revealed when they tackle the “question and answers” after their group presentations!

Experience Summary

I have earned two degrees in chemistry; a BS degree in 2004 and a MS degree in 2005. Since then I have been instructing chemistry courses to undergraduates at Tanta University.These courses include Physical Chemistry, Gravimetric Analysis, Complex metric Analysis, Volumetric Analysis, Qualitative Inorganic Analysis, Organic Chemistry and Qualitative Biochemical Analysis.