Alyssa
Certified Tutor
I have a BA in English with an emphasis in Creative Writing with a minor in Chinese. I have worked with tutoring and mentoring for the last few years and I would like to continue to make an impact with tutoring. I was an Academic Mentor most recently. I combined many aspects of tutoring with mentoring. This gave me a grounded knowledge of tutoring and mentoring and I am fully confident in both aspects. I tutor English and Chinese. I am comfortable with almost all subjects in English, as this is what my degree is in. I am also comfortable with lower levels of Chinese and conversational Chinese. I am self-studying Chinese for the time being, and plan to visit Taiwan to strengthen my skills in the language. My favorite subject to tutor is American Literature, and reading comprehension for lower grades. Books are the ultimate knowledge and it is very important to continue to read and learn.
I am passionate about books, writing and all things related to the English language. As a child, I struggled to read and write until I reached the third grade. My teacher spent time with me and helped me find my love in reading. She told me, it was okay that I was behind on my reading and writing level, just that I tried my best and progressed. With that newly found confidence, I was able to pick up books that used to intimidate me. I was able to write small stories with pictures and be as imaginative as I wanted because I was going at my pace. That has stuck with me through my educational career. I love to learn new things.
The Chinese language is also a passion of mine. I have studied Chinese going on three years now, and I will continue to learn the language as best to my ability. I would like to one day be a translator for fiction and poetry between Chinese and English. It???s important for culture and language to spread, and I would love to be part of an amazing exchange like that. My ultimate writing goal is to create a piece of work that is in English and Chinese and intermingles the American culture and Chinese culture.
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Undergraduate Degree: Kansas State University - Bachelors, English - Creative Writing
Reading, writing, cycling, crafting
- American Literature
- College English
- College Level American Literature
- Conversational Mandarin
- Elementary School Reading
- Elementary School Writing
- English
- English Grammar and Syntax
- Essay Editing
- High School English
- High School Level American Literature
- High School Writing
- Languages
- Mandarin Chinese
- Mandarin Chinese 1
- Mandarin Chinese 2
- Middle School Reading
- Middle School Reading Comprehension
- Middle School Writing
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
My teaching philosophy focuses more on the student than how I teach. I believe it's important to adjust to the student's learning capabilities. Everyone learns differently. I like to get a sense of a student's learning style and personally form to it. For example, if a student learns best with visual thinking I would like to use as many visual learning tools as possible. In this way, the student is not only learning more efficiently but trusts me as their tutor more because of this. It's important for me to treat every student I have with respect and validity. Everyone can learn; they just need to find how they learn best.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
This question depends on the student, but I always ask the student their overall goal in tutoring and what they would like to accomplish in that specific session. If I get a student that would like to go over an essay or some reading, I address the essay or reading and take steps to understand it and have the student so this with me. For an essay, I would like to point out common mistakes and explain how they would fix it and have them fix each one with my supervision. Ultimately, I would like the essay to be in its final draft stage at the end of the session. For reading, I would start with comprehension, but asking questions and having the student explain their thoughts on the material. For a student in Chinese, it would be a similar fashion.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I would help a student by giving them examples to learn the specific topic / problem area and have them follow on their own. I believe many people learn by example, so watching someone else do it and attempting it in your own way shows you have the skills to learn and adapt materials to yourself. I would also encourage them with words as much as possible. They will be willing to learn on their own if they are confident in the way they learn.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I believe encouragement is essential. If no one is helping the student and complimenting them throughout their learning process, they won't be motivated to keep growing. If someone recognizes their effort and encourages them to keep up the good work, they will continue to do so. I think it's important to keep the material fresh; with English and Chinese, you can change up the way you present it or even the topics, so it never becomes boring and the student stays motivated because the material is interesting.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I would first break it up and analyze before I begin to help them learn it. Once I know all the different approaches to the concept, I can bring it to them and see which way they absorb it better. Having different methods to teach them is important because no one person learns the same. I would apply many methods to ensure they could begin to understand it.