Derya: Bellevue tutor
Certified Tutor
Lao Tzu once said, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." As a world traveler and adventurist I believe in these words truly.
I was born and raised in Germany and started like many others with a degree in business, which was not fulfilling to me. I loved travel and history, but was unable to find a job in these fields to fulfill my dreams. I ended up at Culinary Institute, earning a Culinary Arts degree, which helped me to work in Turkey and the in the USA. My love for the USA started from the first time I touched ground almost 20 years ago and I pursued my dream. I went back to school to achieve a degree in teaching and had a chance to work for Community Colleges and language schools.
I got approached by Central Texas College to teach German to US Soldiers that were stationed overseas, and I took this chance and went back one more time to Europe, teaching and traveling.
While working I was missing something, so I started an online school to achieve my US Degree in Psychology, and currently I am in class for my Masters.
Although I am not a native English speaker, I believe that you can do anything when you put your mind to it. It is never to late to learn, and you never should stop. I hope as tutor I can help to achieve these goals, and show how much is out there.
Connect with a tutor like Derya
Undergraduate Degree: University of Phoenix - Bachelors, Psychology
Graduate Degree: University of Phoenix - Current Grad Student, Adult Education
Yoga
- Conversational German
- European History
- German
- German 1
- German 2
- German 3
- German 4
- Homework Support
- Languages
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe that each child is a unique individual who needs a secure, caring, and stimulating atmosphere in which to grow and mature emotionally, intellectually, physically, and socially. It is my desire as a educator to help students meet their fullest potential in these areas by providing an environment that is safe, supports risk-taking, and invites a sharing of ideas. There are three elements that I believe are conducive to establishing such an environment, (1) the teacher acting as a guide, (2) allowing the child's natural curiosity to direct his/her learning, and (3) promoting respect for all things and all people.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
I do a meet and greet along with some easy questions, in order to see where the student stands.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I will teach to the needs of each child so that all learners can feel capable and successful. I will present curriculum that involves the interests of the student and makes learning relevant to life. I will incorporate themes, integrated units, projects and hands-on learning in order to make children active learners.