Erika: Suffolk County tutor
Certified Tutor
I am a recent graduate of Middlebury College, where I majored in Classics, and also learned German, Latin, earned a psychology minor, and completed my premedical requirements. I have always loved learning, and get incredibly passionate about the subjects that I'm interested in. I have been tutoring students in Latin for many years, and I've found it deeply rewarding to help other students gain the same love for the language that I have. I also really enjoy working with students on writing essays, preparing for the SATs, and more! I'm also a rower, a huge animal lover, and a Jeopardy! champion who appeared on the 2014 College Championship.
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Undergraduate Degree: Middlebury College - Current Undergrad, Classical studies
- SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1590
- SAT Math: 760
- SAT Verbal: 800
- SAT Writing: 800
Rowing, Latin, Literature, Classics, Animals, Exercise, Jeopardy, Music, Movies, Reading, Hiking, Biking, enjoying the utdoors
- AP Latin
- College English
- College Essays
- Comparative Literature
- English
- English Grammar and Syntax
- Essay Editing
- Foreign Language
- High School English
- Languages
- Latin
- Latin 1
- Latin 2
- Latin 3
- Latin 4
- Literature
- PSAT Critical Reading
- PSAT Writing Skills
- Psychology
- SAT Reading
- SAT Subject Test in Latin
- SAT Subject Test in Literature
- SAT Subject Tests Prep
- SAT Verbal
- SAT Writing and Language
- Social Sciences
- Test Prep
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
Enjoyment and genuine interest in the material and learning process is just as important as the result.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Discuss the student’s interests and how they feel that they learn best, and find out from them what they feel that they need help with.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Foster enjoyment for learning itself by making the material and process exciting and rewarding all on its own.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
By offering positive encouragement, genuine results, and fostering interest and enjoyment in the learning experience.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Have them walk through their own thought process with me so I can understand where they are struggling, then use that knowledge to guide them through a different way of approaching the concept, so that they may gain a better understanding of it.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
One of the keys is to have the students read out loud, and really hears what they are reading, and also to have them talk about and try to describe in their own words what they are reading. From there, we will work together to help them gain a stronger understanding of what they are reading.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Oftentimes concepts just need to be explained in a different way that make sense to that particular student, so the most important thing is to talk to them about how they personally feel that they learn best, or to help them identify that.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
By making it fun, often through connecting the material to its greater importance and the bigger picture of exactly why the subject is useful and interesting.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Through positive encouragement, feedback, and consistent progress markers as we work through their difficulties.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I've found the best way to find out what a student needs is to have them express to me themselves what they find challenging, and what they find interesting or how they feel that they learn best.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
This takes time, as the student and I work together to identify their own best method of learning. I must be in tune with each student’s individual needs.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
Paper and writing utensils, books, texts, and test prep books, conversation.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Ideally, the student will be able to clearly and coherently explain the concepts back to me, and demonstrate their own understanding (with guidance when necessary).