Claire

Certified Tutor

I'm a recent graduate from Brown University where I studied Linguistics and French. I teach French at all levels, including AP and SAT subject test prep. I started learning French when I was 5 and it's been an important part of my life so I hope to help others appreciate the language as much as I do! I studied abroad in Senegal, West Africa where I spoke nothing but French for a semester. In college I was a French TA for several semesters.

When I was studying for the SAT in high school, I loved taking standardized tests! I knew that made me crazy, but it helped me figure out how to turn this boring test into something a bit more exciting for students when I started teaching the SAT to low-income, first-generation-to-college high school students. I spent two semesters running classes, and my proudest moment was when when of my students received his acceptance to Brown, my alma mater.

I even loved standardized tests so much that I spent a summer working for two standardized test companies, The American Institute for Research, which creates state tests, and Educational Testing Service, Inc. (the company behind writing the SAT, APs, and GREs), where I wrote test questions for the TOEFL Junior (a test of English for foreign elementary and middle school students).

My other teaching experiences include full-time one-on-one tutoring at a company called Lindamood-Bell, where I coached students ranging from ages 5-21 in reading and reading comprehension. I worked with star students and students with severe learning disabilities. I love working with students of all ages and abilities because every student is interesting in his or her own way, and I believe that it is only by getting to know a student's unique qualities and interests that I can be the most effective teacher.

Outside of teaching, I am trying to learn as much about cheese as I possibly can, and hope to one day become a Certified Cheese Professional and open up my own cheese store.