Rebecca: Rensselaer County tutor
Certified Tutor
I have more than ten years of experience in education as a published writer, a tutor, a high school teacher, and a literacy coach. My passion is education and I promise that passion will come through in each tutoring session until the client exceeds the goals they set for themselves. I will individualize the instruction and scaffold skills with modern materials and instruction methods, learned in graduate school, to grant maximum success.
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Undergraduate Degree: Boston University - Bachelors, Communications
Graduate Degree: Fitchburg State University - Masters, Curriculum Design and Instruction
Reading, writing, puzzles, volunteering, hiking, and furthering my own education!
- ACCUPLACER Reading Comprehension
- ACCUPLACER Sentence Skills
- ACCUPLACER WritePlacer
- College English
- College Essays
- Comparative Literature
- English
- English Grammar and Syntax
- ESL/ELL
- Essay Editing
- High School English
- Literature
- Reading
- SAT Reading
- Test Prep
- Writing
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Depending on the student's goal(s), I would ask to see a sample of work to ensure tutoring is starting at the appropriate level. We would discuss the student's goal, and then get straight to work on taking steps to achieve that goal.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
To encourage a student, to celebrate their successes, and to hold a student accountable for their own learning goals are crucial steps for motivation.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I lead by example, so I will demonstrate each skill. If modeling does not work, I will try to explain this concept in an alternative way. If that does not work, we will continue to try until one strategy works. There are many routes to succeeding, and we can explore all paths.
What is your teaching philosophy?
Everyone has the ability and right to succeed and to reach their highest potential; this can be achieved by utilizing a variety of learning strategies, and by focusing on individual learning styles.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Motivation is key to success, and as a professional educator and literacy coach, I have experience in identifying the strengths of each student. Those strengths can be turned into passions and energy to enhance the desire to become a lifelong independent learning.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
I assess the students on their strengths, build their confidence, form a relationship with them, and then use scaffolded instruction to assist them in the skills they may be weaker on.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
I'm a stern, yet compassionate tutor, who believes in rigorous instruction. Modeling, scaffolding, repetition, review and graphic organizers are strategies that are implemented in most tutoring sessions.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Students are motivated by success, both verbal praise and actually seeing their hard work pay off on paper. I get to know the students first (their hobbies and interests) and try to gear my lessons, articles, and their writing samples to their own interests.