Sarah: Norwalk tutor
Certified Tutor
I enjoy working with students of all ages on various subjects. I have previously tutored students from pre-K to college age in subjects ranging from pre-reading/phonics skills, language arts, basic Spanish and study skills to high level math and college test prep.
I have a bachelor's in elementary education with endorsements in early childhood and reading and a minor in general business. I have taught eight grade, fourth grade, kindergarten and pre-school. My favorite part about teaching is watching those "aha" moments as students grasp a new or difficult concept for the first time. I enjoy working with students one-on-one to find what works best for each student to help them learn in the way that most benefits and makes sense to that student.
I look forward to the opportunity to tutor all students in many subjects and share my strengths with others.
Connect with a tutor like Sarah
Undergraduate Degree: Drake University - Bachelors, Elementary education
My favorite thing to do with my free time is to read. I can also often be found playing with my young children!
- Adult ESL/ELL
- Algebra
- Arithmetic
- Elementary Math
- Elementary School Math
- Elementary School Reading
- English
- English Grammar and Syntax
- Literature
- Math
- Middle School Math
- Other
- Phonics
- Psychology
- Social Sciences
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe all students learn differently and, as a tutor, I strive to help each student find what works for them. I watch students to discover what works (and doesn't) and adjust the lessons and methods to best help the student.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
In the first session, I like to get to know the student and family and discover mutual goals. I will work with basic problems in the topic to discover where the student is and what they need help with. This will also help me to watch the student work and begin to see the way they think and work.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
I like to put questions back on students when possible to help them see what they already know. I will use open-ended questions to help them along the way and encourage them to solve the problem or learn the concept in the way that makes the most sense to them. Gradually, they will learn to ask themselves these questions when/if they get stuck.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I like to find what motivates or interests my students. I will guide them to learn the concept using these interests so that they want to follow along. For instance, students who want help with reading, be it skills or motivation, I try to use what they love (e.g. sports, comics, certain characters) to encourage the love of reading.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
I would break the skill down into smaller parts to find where the student is having difficulty. Also, I would try teaching the skill in a different way than has already been taught, possibly using different sensory methods (i.e. auditory, tactile, etc.).
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
We would try many different methods. We would try reading together, echo reading, breaking the text into smaller parts and concentrating on the meaning of those parts before thinking about the large text, etc. We would also try different types of text that perhaps have more personal meaning to a student, such as non-fiction topics of interest, animal stories, newspaper articles, etc.