Jessica: Montreal tutor
Certified Tutor
I have a BA from the University of Maryland College Park in Spanish, Russian, and Secondary Education, and an MA from CUNY Graduate Center in Urban Education. I taught Spanish for 7 years in middle and high school and I tutored high school Spanish students of all levels after school. I lived in Spain for a semester in 2005 and I absolutely loved it! I also lived in St. Petersburg, Russia for an academic year and it was the experience of a lifetime. I currently run an online store selling my teaching materials. I enjoy getting creative with the Spanish language! Teaching is a passion of mine and I am very enthusiastic. I enjoy watching students learn and grow and I love Spanish culture and the language (and even the grammar!). Spanish can be challenging but also a lot of fun!
I love traveling and I have been fortunate enough to have been abroad a few times and seen much of Europe and Russia. I went to Greece and Italy for 2 weeks this summer, and I also visited San Francisco for the first time! I love camping and kayaking, and just generally getting out of the city. I have an adorable guinea pig and sometimes I enjoy knitting. :)
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Undergraduate Degree: University of Maryland-College Park - Bachelors, Spanish & Secondary Education
Graduate Degree: CUNY Graduate School and University Center - Masters, Urban Education
hiking, kayaking, camping, hanging out with friends
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Get to know him or her, what his or her interests and strong subjects are, and what he or she is hoping to get out of tutoring. Is there some specific grammar or vocabulary topic he or she needs help with or is the session to just to generally improve his or her Spanish?
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Focus on the positive! What has improved since tutoring has started and what goals have been attained or are we close to attaining?
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Restate and re-explain the skill or concept, re-think how to understand it from a different perspective, and practice as much as possible.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Focus on small and attainable goals (learn 3 new vocabulary words for example) and focus on positive changes and improvements.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Have the student explain the concept to me, as if I was their little sister they were teaching Spanish to. Or have the student draw me a picture or recreate the concept in a creative way!
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Little by little, and slowly, students get better at Spanish and their understanding improves, and so does their confidence with the subject!
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
Anything from the student's textbook, to online resources, to videos, to games!
What is your teaching philosophy?
Every single student can learn.