Kerri: Morris County tutor
Certified Tutor
Hi! I am a graduate of the University of Central Florida. I have a bachelor's degree in elementary education and communication with a minor in creative writing. For the past decade, I have been teaching and tutoring children ages 4-16, and I love knowing that I am helping them become more confident, competent learners. I strongly believe in positive reinforcement and utilizing enthusiasm and excitement to foster learning, and I think that creating a comfortable and encouraging environment for children who are struggling is key to their success. I am all about high fives and positive energy, and I love watching improvement and confidence gained through small victories that gradually blossom into big achievements.
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Undergraduate Degree: University of Central Florida - Bachelors, Interdisciplinary Studies
Painting, drawing, crocheting, singing, playing violin, longboarding, and reading
- College English
- Elementary Math
- Elementary School Math
- English
- English Grammar and Syntax
- Essay Editing
- High School English
- Homework Support
- ISEE Prep
- ISEE- Lower Level
- Math
- Middle School Math
- Other
- Phonics
- Reading
- Special Education
- SSAT Prep
- SSAT- Elementary Level
- Summer
- Test Prep
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
Students need to be provided with an environment where they feel safe and willing to make mistakes and learn from them. I want to encourage my students to be confident learners and fearless achievers.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Staying motivated requires constant encouragement and enthusiasm for learning. Keeping things interested and keeping spirits high are what make a student want to learn and want to try harder.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I would work with them using different approaches until we find the one that works best for them and that they are comfortable enough using.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Reading is my favorite subject, and I am equipped with several activities and strategies to improve comprehension. For example, I very much enjoy art. Asking students to draw their favorite scene from a story after reading solidifies that concept through another medium, and allows them to be creative in a way that may be more comfortable to them than writing.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
I have found that finding their level of prior knowledge, working with them using examples that appeal to or make sense to them based on their background, creates a more familiar and comfortable environment where they are more open to learning.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I think that the enthusiasm I bring to the table is very effective with struggling students. Positive reinforcement, high fives, encouraging words, and uplifting energy are all very important in fostering that want to learn and desire to keep trying.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Building a student's confidence comes with encouragement and scaffolding. Starting out easy makes them feel like they have a firm handle, and working slowly up from there builds on prior knowledge and inspires growth.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
Each child is different, and getting to know the student beforehand is very helpful in choosing approaches that work best for them. Adapting to a student's needs could be as easy as the words you use and the tone of the conversation, or the examples that relate to something that appeals to them or that they're passionate about.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
A typical first session would be a getting to know the student on a personal level, their likes and dislikes, their favorite subjects, and what they are having difficulty with and why they feel that way.