Sarah: Halifax tutor

Certified Tutor

Hello! My name is Sarah and I am thrilled to work with you and your child! I have always enjoyed teaching others, especial children!

I attended Texas A&M in Commerce, Texas and graduated with my teaching degree in All-Level Special Education and EC-6 Generalist in 2011. I taught for three years in Allen ISD as a Special Education Teacher. I focused mainly on reading, writing, and math, but did provide academic support for some of my students in science and social studies. I also operated my own tutoring business for four years, but recently moved, so I have lost my client base.

This August begins my third year homeschooling my 10-year-old son and I absolutely love it! I get to combine my love of teaching with my love for being around my family!

Math is by far my favorite subject, but reading and writing are a close second. I use a lot of hands on activities to teach math, including dice, dominoes, and decks of cards. It is my experience that children learn best when they feel like they are having fun and can touch or move things around.

For reading, I love what is called, "Guided Reading." If your child is struggling with his or her reading level, fluency rate, or comprehension, Guided Reading can greatly improve their skills. I begin with assessing their current level, pull books that are just enough of a challenge, and focus on those specific skills with each book. There are also poems and short readings I like to use to improve reading fluency.

Writing is one of my own personal joys and I hope to instill a love for writing in each of my students. I encourage students to keep a personal journal where they can write about anything and everything. For students who really struggle with writing, I like to have them participate in "Quick Writes." The student picks a topic and we both have two or three (sometimes more if need be) minutes to write whatever comes to mind based on that topic. So, while the student may choose 'Christmas' as the topic, I might begin talking about my favorite Christmas, which might lead to me writing more about my grandpa than Christmas. Nothing is wrong or right in this activity. The goal is to simply get your thoughts onto the paper. The challenge is to increase your word count over time, which consequently increases your ability to write. In regards to mechanics and grammar, I like to use a lot of Jeff Anderson's techniques. He has some great activities in his books, Mechanically Inclined and Everyday Editing.

When I am not teaching or otherwise working, I like to read, watch NCIS, and hang out at the farmer's market with my husband and son. I have been married to my high school sweetheart for 15 years and we just welcomed our second child (a girl!) in November.

My goal as your child's tutor is to make sure we fill in any gaps they may have and strengthen their academic skills. It is important to me that you know what your child's areas of strengths and needs are, so I try to update you as often as possible. Please do not hesitate to ask me what we are working on or how I am addressing certain areas of concern.

I look forward to working with you and your child soon!