...build a rapport with them to build their confidence and academic skills. I specialize in elementary reading skills, social studies, and test preparation. I also specialize in TEXES exam preparation. My personality is Texan, southern, very warm, and friendly! When coupled with my background in school counseling, I will help make students of all ages feel at ease! I know we can accomplish amazing things together! I look forward to hearing from y'all! :)
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...Kindergarten to 12th grade. I also worked as a substitute teacher which exposed me to many different types of assignments from diverse teachers at diverse schools. I am extremely adept at teaching using state standards and I make learning fun and enjoyable for all of my students. I believe that assessment is as important as teaching because it allows me to know if my teaching is effective as well as allowing me to know what...
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...as simply as possible. If the student doesn't "get" the explanation the first time, I am willing to spend as much time on the concept as the student needs. In my spare time, I enjoy playing the piano, making and playing video games, and spending time with my friends (often to discuss geeky subjects). If I sound like a good fit for you, or if you want to know more, I encourage you to contact...
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Nothing gives me greater satisfaction than seeing the look on a student's face when he/she has just grasped a difficult concept.... My teaching philosophy is difficult concepts are merely combinations of simple concepts. If you show a student that all the pieces are straightforward, they broaden their horizons and reach great heights.... In a first session with a new student, I would find out what interests them so I can draw analogies from that area. I...
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...It is my obligation to keep abreast of evolving theories of learning, pedagogical practices, and developments in educational technology, while maintaining the core values of a humane and holistic education. It is imperative that a teacher first be an eager learner, and that he/she has a profound desire to share that enthusiasm for learning, as well a body of knowledge in his/her discipline, with each and every student. It is the mission of a tutor...
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...Bachelor of Science Degree, I continued my education to obtain a Master's degree in Chemistry. Subsequently, employed by various companies in the industry, I worked in the fields of Semiconductors, Natural Gas and Energy, and provided technical consultancy to instrument companies and universities. Perhaps as a tribute to experience with tutoring as an undergraduate, and lecturing Chemistry as a graduate student, I had been especially adept at taking a complex scientific or mathematical concept and...
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...I have tutored elementary and middle school students in all subjects such as geometry, algebra 1, pre- algebra, algebra 2, social studies, biology, and writing/reading for about 4 years. During junior year of high school, I tutored fellow classmates in test prep (SAT/ACT) for 2 years. I also have experience teaching piano for about 1.5 years. I participated in the Math, Science, and English honors society to help high school students in higher level education...
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...and eventually succeeded in raising their English scores by a full letter grade at the end of the semester. With more than 5 years of mentoring, tutoring, and teaching experience, I strongly believe that all subjects can be made fascinating. Gaining knowledge should be an exciting process, not a dreaded routine. Because of this, I try my best to find creative and fun methods of teaching for all my subjects, particularly for my specialtiesreading, writing,...
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...their train of thought is correct as giving a direct shortcut to the right answer does not help them to deeply understand the material and prepare themselves for any type of problem. Every time I am told I have changed the way someone thinks and helped their understanding it is a personal victory for me. When I am not teaching, I am working on my own side projects or playing tactical games.
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...the Run (GOTR). As a mentor for BBBS, I often helped my little sister with her homework, and clarified any questions she had about the subject matter. As a GOTR coach I taught participants about a positive self-image and healthy dietary choices. My experiences working with others and my devotion to education make me an effective tutor.I enjoy thinking about problems differently and trying various teaching methods to best suit an individual's learning style.
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...at making the process of learning as enjoyable and fun as possible. As the oldest of four boys, I relate easily to students, and my tutoring sessions can feel like studying with a friend, albeit a friend who is helping them improve their scores. By making the material relatable and communicating it in simple terms, I get many students to understand seemingly difficult-to-grasp subject matter. I take great joy in seeing the moment a concept...
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...them navigate the college process, so I have lots of experience with my students writing and editing college essays and preparing for SATs. I also help them with career-building activities such as creating resumes, and I tutor them in high school subjects they might need help with. Recently, I was elected president of this organization, and I have been working with staff at UVA to turn the program into a class for the college students,...
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...dreams come true. I love to say: "why reach for the stars when we have walked on the moon." As a current college student studying Biomedical Sciences, Mathematics, and Chemistry, I have experience tutoring at the elementary, middle, and high school level. I love to make hard concepts make sense by applying simple rules. I believe every student learns differently and has different needs. Once we find this, learning becomes much easier. While I tutor...
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...as a foreign language instructor at the University of Washington, conducting my own class of undergraduate and graduate students, while completing my Masters Degree there. Most recently, I worked as a Teaching Assistant in the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University in the City of New York while working on my PhD. I have also completed a number of teaching workshops at the University of Washington and Columbia University, as well as...
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I have 15 years experience tutoring students of all capacities. Students who have learning differences are of particular interest and have become a specialty of mine.
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...process. Each teaching situation is an opportunity to influence positively how a student sees him or herself as a learner. Learning takes place over the course of a school year, semester, quarter, week, or in a five minute time frame (such as with a substitute teacher). The math problem or the causes of the American Revolution may be what the student is learning but the context of the situation is always making learning a positive...
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I am passionate about helping students because I believe that everyone can be successful. Whether you're an aspiring writer or an aspiring engineer, anyone can learn to do something new if they put their mind to it. I've worked with students who have been...
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...own lesson plans for two one-hour classes per week for Spanish 102, grading homework and designing my own quizzes. I also tutored occasionally through our on-campus tutoring program. Finally, for the past two summers I have worked at the extremely rigorous Breakthrough Collaborative Teaching Internship at their Miami, Florida location teaching 5th and 6th grade science, where I a was again responsible for my own lesson plans, classwork, homework and quizzes. I am very interested...
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...also offer assistance with academic essays, college admissions essays, and college applications. As a recent college graduate with lots of energy and enthusiasm, my goal is to make learning fun and get students excited about their progress. Everyone learns differently, so I aim to provide a highly personalized tutoring experience designed around each student's strengths, weaknesses, and unique style of learning. When I'm not tutoring, I enjoy traveling, hiking, cooking, making music, going to concerts,...
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...reach that moment with patience, humor, and creativity. Every person learns and engages differently, and it is crucial that a tutor be aware of, attuned to and prepared for those differences. I believe that tutoring is about growing minds and forging connections and I believe my long history of successful tutoring partnerships attests to that fact. In my free time, I enjoy reading, writing poetry, taking online Coursera classes (they're a great resource!), hiking, practicing...
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Receive personally tailored ISEE- Upper Level lessons from exceptional tutors in a one-on-one setting. We help you connect with the best tutor for your particular needs while offering flexible scheduling to fit your busy life.
ISEE- Upper Level Tutoring FAQ
The Independent School Entrance Exam, or ISEE, is leveraged by independent and private schools for admissions and placement. It is offered for three different levels: Upper, Middle, and Lower. Each test includes questions in multiple-choice format, as well as an essay question. The amount of time given, the difficulty of the questions, and the number of questions is dependent upon the level taken. Varsity Tutors can help you find a skilled tutor who can help your child study for the ISEE Upper Level exam.
The Upper Level is for students who are entering grades 9-12. The test consists of five sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement, and the essay. Your student will have 2 hours and 40 minutes to complete the entire exam.
The Verbal Reasoning section consists of sentence completion and synonym items. They assess your child's vocabulary knowledge, and his or her ability to reason. Children have 20 minutes to complete the 40 questions on this portion of the exam. Your child's ISEE Upper level tutor may work with your child to increase his or her vocabulary by utilizing flashcards with grade-level appropriate words, or they may use other techniques based on your child's current level of mastery.
The Quantitative Reasoning section of the exam uses multiple-choice questions to determine your child's ability to problem-solve and to think mathematically. It does not assess specific math skills. Your child will have 35 minutes to complete 37 items. The ability to think critically is a key factor in answering these questions correctly. Your child's tutor may work with your student on identifying what the question is asking, as well as time management techniques.
Both the Reading Comprehension and Mathematics Achievement portions of the exam are designed to measure your child's ability to answer grade-level questions in math and reading. Your child will be given 35 minutes to answer the 36 questions in the Reading Comprehension section, and 40 minutes to answer the 47 questions in the Mathematics Achievement section. These sections are skill-based, and your child's tutor will spend time determining which skills your student needs to focus on in order to pursue the highest score possible.
The final section of the exam is a single essay question, which is not graded by the ISEE. Instead, it is sent to the school or schools identified on the registration form. While it will not be part of the ISEE grade, it is an important factor in admissions for many schools and should be given the same care and attention as the other sections. Your child's tutor may work with him or her on creating a clear and concise outline to answer writing prompts in preparation for this portion of the exam.
It is important to note that the ISEE only looks for the number of correct answers and does not impose a penalty for those items that are answered incorrectly. Because of this, your child's tutor may also work on making educated guesses, as there is no benefit to leaving a question blank.
The Varsity Tutors live learning platform allows you to schedule your child's private ISEE Upper Level tutoring session at a time and location that is most convenient for your schedule. Private tutoring sessions can be scheduled in a virtual setting or in person. To connect with a tutor who is eager to work with your child, contact Varsity Tutors today.
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Recent ISEE- Upper Level Tutoring Session Notes
I first went over some practice tests the student did in the prep book. He did rather well on them. We then worked on an essay the student had started previously, so he finished writing it. After that, we worked on some more complicated square root problems, and finally finished with some synonyms practice.
We started to look the math section and began with geometry. We went through questions on squares, rectangles, parallelograms, rhombi, other quadrilaterals, kites, and hexagons. I had the student find the measure of angles, length of sides, area, perimeter, and diagonals. Some of the questions included other material such as finding the mean or a percentage. She needs to break the problems down into smaller parts and diagrams are very helpful. She is used to working with the metric system but the ISEE includes questions in both English and metric; she's going to need to learn how to convert between the two systems and within the English system. She also needs to make sure to read questions carefully so that she answers the question being asked. We will work together to make her proficient in all these areas.
We made some great progress with math. We're going through each concept covered on the test and reviewing things he forgot. We also did an overview of reading comp strategy and how to look at the questions given. Great work!
It was great meeting this student today! She's a very bright, very friendly student, and I appreciate the amount of hard work that she puts into our sessions. We began by reviewing the way that the ISEE is structured and basic math vocabulary. When it was clear that she could jump into more advanced topics, we immediately started working on percentages and word problems associated with algebra and percentages. She did a great job with translating those word problems into equations.
The student finished the lessons for all sections on the ISEE today. She feels confident about her progress thus far and is using the notes we took as a guide.