Katharine: Antioch tutor
Certified Tutor
While attending college and working on my Psychology degree, I taught as an English and test prep tutor. Throughout college, I found tutoring to be a great way to help pay for college and meet my fellow peers along with being a part time fitness instructor. After school I worked in start-up business ventures as a manager. I have experience with several different kinds of companies and restaurant businesses. While pursuing different careers, I began to grow my family and needed something part time, at home. Three years ago I began teaching online students from around the world of all different ages. While I taught online, I also took on students who needed one-on-one help with their everyday school work. In the midst of teaching, I got certified as a TESOL teacher as well. A year later, I finally had a chance to challenge myself a little further with a medical laser license which I received last year. Currently, I am a part time medical technician and teacher.
Overall, my passion is communication. What I mean, is that no matter what it is I am teaching I love helping people gain a better understanding of whatever knowledge they need. English is my favorite, but I have taught many people to learn it as a language as well. Literature is a power device and can be used in so many different ways to express an idea.
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Undergraduate Degree: SUNY at Geneseo - Bachelors, Psychology
I love fitness. From weights and cross fit to yoga and downward dog to sports like soccer, tennis and crew (rowing). Besides these things my family takes up most of my time. When I have a few moment I love curling up on my porch with a great Francine Rivers Novel.
- ACT English
- ACT Writing
- American Sign Language
- College English
- College Essays
- Comparative Literature
- Elementary School Math
- English
- English Grammar and Syntax
- ESL/ELL
- Essay Editing
- High School English
- Homework Support
- Latin
- Literature
- Math
- Middle School Math
- Middle School Reading
- Nutrition
- Other
- Phonics
- Pre-Algebra
- Psychology
- Reading
- Science
- Social Sciences
- Study Skills
- Study Skills and Organization
- Summer
- Test Prep
- Writing
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Get to know the student- learning about who I am teaching helps in how best to teach them.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
After walking a student through several problems or questions together, a good teacher takes small steps, 'backing off', allowing the student to rely on their learned experience to figure out the next problem.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Keep the content the same, but change the method in how it is taught. For example, have the student create the questions, use everyday examples or make the assignment personal by using familiar, everyday scenarios.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Change my tactics. Not every person learns the same. Some students need to act it out, change the language of the questions, or use associations to change their perspective. The methods of learning are endless; everyone has their own path to knowledge.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Highlighting, underlining, pulling out important words and summarizing frequently. These are just a few ways to help maintain the material and stay engaged no matter how BORING the material is!
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Not so much 'strategies', but blueprinting. Any teacher should begin with figuring out the student first, and then the material second.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Rewards! Anyone will want to achieve something less desired when and if the reward, or the 'light at the end of the tunnel', is bright enough.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Switch roles. The student becomes the teacher.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Set small goals of material comprehension and understanding. Too much at once can be easily overwhelming and defeating. Every mountain starts with a hill.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
By working with a student and seeing where they lack the confidence in the realm of a subject.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
Every student learns differently. I teach how they learn.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
Materials can be anything from a white bored to props or books to funny hats.
What is your teaching philosophy?
You can always figure it out; as long you get rid of your self-doubt.