Theresa: Essex County tutor
Certified Tutor
I found the opportunity to serve as a Spanish and English tutor. What motivates me to become a tutor is my passion to helping and serving others. I worked for the VA Medical Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico. There my responsibilities included recruiting students from high schools to volunteer in the VA Hospital. One of the best opportunities that these students had, was to work as volunteers in offices or departments that were of interest to them and their future professions.
I provided mentoring, teaching, mandatory trainings, personal development and professional development workshops to these high school students.
It was of great satisfaction to see these students come back after 5, 10 or 15 years, telling us about their achievements and thanking us for the opportunity that they were given. This job provided me evidence of how important it is to attend a student at their early stage in order to help them make wise future decisions.
I also worked on specific projects that involved teamwork, good time management, listening and organizational skills. My hobbies include listening to music, reading and providing personal finance orientation and guidance to those struggling.
My goal is to see the students that I tutor succeed in their life and career. Therefore I will do my best to teach in a very interesting and interacting way. I will be able to provide tutoring in person or online.
I have done research on tutoring and I am very enthusiastic about this teaching process. I am more than ready to start tutoring in English and/or Spanish.
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What is your teaching philosophy?
There are multiple learning styles. Therefore, my job as a tutor is to understand the student's specific style to better communicate the subject at hand. I encourage learning by creating a relaxed environment, stimulating conversation. I believe that respect for my student is one of the most important things I can show to encourage their openness to the material I am presenting. One of the most important concepts I hope to transmit to my students is that learning is a process that never ends.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Motivating the student. They need to understand that the learning benefits them more than anyone else. Providing rewards can also be a great motivation for them to become an independent learner.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I will try to understand what specific part of the skill or concept he does not understand. I will take him step by step (baby steps) to help him manage his area of difficulty.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Being friendly, showing honesty and letting them know that you are there to help them understand and manage a specific skill or material. Ask the student where does he wants to begin, and what is the most important part that they would want to learn first.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Teaching it from a different angle, making it fun to learn and letting them know that if they are determine to succeed in that specific subject, they can count on me to help them out.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
If the student can repeat, answer questions, handle true or false statement, games, etc.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
I would offer praise and acknowledgement even if is a small step forward. Set attainable goals. Allow the student to choose what they will learn first, second, third, etc. Always express a positive attitude and encourage students to do better today than 'yesterday.'
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I will give them a verbal quiz, without telling them is a quiz. That way I will assess their strengths and weaknesses. I will also provide a Yes/No questionnaire to be able to evaluate their needs.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
Definitely, my tutoring will be adapted to my student's needs. I will be able to communicate with them either in person, by phone or online. I will be able to go where they are in order to provide the tutoring.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
Since my tutoring will be in Spanish and English, pictures are very important. Therefore I will use a lot of pictures and games involving pictures. I will use short videos and dictation, where they can answer or fill in the blanks according to the dictation that I am giving them.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Get to know him. Have him know me. Find out what are his expectations and if he has any goals related to the subject that I will be teaching. Create a plan for learning and a schedule of the tutoring sessions. Start with the introduction of what will be the next meeting.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Develop a good rapport with the student. I need to be enthusiastic about the process. Motivate in different ways. Praise in different ways. Always be the number one cheerleader for the student.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
I will be using many pictures in order to help students with reading comprehension. Using pictures makes it easier for the student to understand what they are reading.