Stella
Certified Tutor
I hold a BS in Anthropology and Biochemistry from Lehman College of the City University of New York. While pursuing my undergraduate degree, I tried to diversify my courses as much as I could within the limits of my program. This allowed me to gain a broader educational experience even though my main field is the Sciences. If I had to pick my favorite subjects, they would be Biology and English because I have always excelled in them with very little effort throughout my educational career.
The pursuit of knowledge is one of my passions and I really enjoy applying the things I learn towards helping others become better students. My varied background gives me the ability to explain difficult concepts in many different ways so that my students can more readily grasp them. Repetition is necessary for learning to take place. Learning is fun, no other worldly activity gives the same sense of progression and advancement and this is the notion that I try to bring across to my students.
When not learning or tutoring, I write poetry and articles and edit my recently completed first book. I also enjoy a wide variety of music and try to travel as much as I possible. My idea of a really good time is an evening at a jazz club in New Orleans.
I look forward to tutoring, mentoring, motivating, and learning with many more students.
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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
- Anatomy & Physiology
- Arithmetic
- Biology
- College Biology
- College English
- Elementary Math
- Elementary School Math
- English
- English Grammar and Syntax
- Essay Editing
- High School Biology
- High School English
- Math
- Middle School Math
- Physiology
- Pre-Algebra
- Public Speaking
- Reading
- Science
- Writing
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.