Carlos: South Holland tutor
Certified Tutor
I've been working as a Spanish teacher for a private Catholic high school for eighteen years. I have a Master Degree in Spanish, and I've taught all levels of High School Spanish including seven years preparing students for the AP Spanish exam. I love teaching! Teaching is a calling, it's not possible to teach without being happy while doing it. I have experienced the excitement of seeing how students learn, improve, and build self-esteem as they get more confident in their learning at every level. I enjoy working with teenagers. Alls students can improve and achieve their goals if given the confidence. The job of a teacher is to awaken that self confidence in the student and then positive results will come.
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Undergraduate Degree: sacramento state university - Bachelors, Spanish
Graduate Degree: sacramento state University - Masters, Spanish
I enjoy learning more about history and literature. I like listening to music, biking, going to Barcelona to visit family and friends, walking in the nature, teaching, and soccer. I also love animals.
What is your teaching philosophy?
An average student with strong discipline is stronger than a smart one with a weak commitment.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
I will tell the student that learning is a job that is divided into two equal parts: the teacher is responsible for one and the student for the other.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
By giving him/her self confidence and telling him/her that the best way to learn is dedication, the wish to learn and love is what he is trying to gain.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
By telling him that what he is trying to learn, which will be an asset in his personal or professional life.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I will ask him/her to trust him/herself and will tell the students that there is no reason for not learning the concept he finds difficult to digest.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
We read slowly, sentence by sentence, trying to look at the basic structure (subject-verb-objects/prepositional clause/adjective clause/relative clause, etc.)so the student can see the logical fluency of the grammar and syntax.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
By reinforcing what he already is doing well and approaching the more difficult concepts gradually.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Using a diverse methodology. Try something that the student finds amusing: reading easy short stories, and asking questions that he can answer easily. Later, more complex readings or writings will be easier if previous goals are achieved.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Short quizzes and exercises, or make the student do repetitions in order to evaluate the percentage of correct responses, and the errors as well.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Increasing the exercises and the teaching from easy to difficult. Supporting the student with words of solidarity, and telling them that I am totally sure he/she is capable of learning the subject.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
By paying close attention to his/her performance in exercises, quizzes and test.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
By understanding and making a good diagnosis of the problems of the student concerning the concepts he is supposed to learn, and by applying my best resources as a teacher to help the student.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
The student's book, if he/she has one, handouts, personal booklets, and materials online from my iPad.