Susan: Oshawa tutor

Certified Tutor

I received a Bachelor of Arts in Italian from Vassar College and spent one of my undergraduate years studying in Italy with a program sponsored by Smith College. After graduation from college, I spent several years working for a small office in Italy where I used both English and Italian daily. After returning to the States, I received a Master's in Education from New York University with specialization teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. Subsequently, I taught English in a variety of community-based organizations and at the university level as well. Most of my teaching experience has been with young adults in both domestic and international locations, but I have also worked with children learning English. I look forward to opportunities to spend some additional time with younger learners as they do not have as much interference from their first languages, and their youth allows them to absorb new words and linguistic structures more easily.

In addition to many years teaching, I have also had significant roles administering ESL programs and working in higher education administration (the fiscal and HR areas as well as student support services) at Boston University where I also earned an MBA.
Teaching students how to express themselves in writing and learning to overcome the challenges of English grammar and spelling is the area of ESL coaching that I most enjoy. Helping break down the hurdles that exist in mastering a new language so that it becomes more manageable and engaging for them to use has always yielded much satisfaction. I work hard with students to help them generate their own words and ideas in English so that their thought processes can begin to flow naturally in the new language - in addition to what they say or put on paper.

In terms of what I enjoy outside the classroom (my hobbies and interests), there are a variety of activities that I can name at the top of the list. These include travel (especially to places near the sea), music, as well as going to movies and the theater. I also enjoy finding time to direct toward the maintenance of my own fluency in a second language!