Michelle: Petaluma tutor

Certified Tutor

L1 = English, L2 = French, L3 = Hebrew, L4 = Spanish, L5 = Arabic, Persian, and Urdu literacy skills; studying francais quebecois (as spoken in Canada).

I am a semi-retired college instructor with the experience to informally assess your current level, establish learning goals, and create measurable objectives so we can work together toward achieving the desired outcomes.

# ESL resources #
I use these resources to help you improve your pronunciation and to expand your vocabulary: Blue Canoe, Ludwig, Membean, and the Oxford Picture Dictionary. As you further develop your language skills, you should feel more confident with business writing, informal email communication, and public speaking. I also introduce my students to resources on the US State Department's website, including the Color Vowel (TM) approach, which addresses accent and intelligibility.

# My background #
I have been teaching college-level remedial reading and writing for multilingual English learners (ESL, EAL, EFL, ELF, ELL, ALP, ELD) since 2010. I earned both an MA in linguistics and a BA in computer science from UC San Diego. I recently completed the University of Maryland's TESOL certification for classroom teachers. As of 2023, I am Level I certified in teaching pronunciation using the Color Vowel system, which promotes fluency in speech and reading. I currently teach part-time in the public school system.

# Hebrew #
Cn y rd ths sntnc? If so, you can learn to read in Hebrew, a language usually written without vowels. Duolingo isn't always enough!

I enjoy sharing my passion for lashon qodesh, the languages of the Bible, and Israel. I have successfully taught students from ages 6 to 82 to read aloud and translate these works: Scriptures, bar mitzvah Torah passages, bat mitzvah prophetic readings, the siddur, and modern Israeli Hebrew dialogs. I currently teach 1st and 4th graders in an after-school Hebrew program.

# Additional graduate coursework and fieldwork in neurology, PEERS (r) social communication / autism, phonics, literacy skills, phonetics, phonology, morpho-phonemics, discourse analysis, computational linguistics (R and regular expressions), anatomy, language and the brain, first and second language acquisition, literacy (phonics, phonemic awareness, and letter recognition), articulation, stuttering, lifespan communication disorders (aphasia and childhood vocabulary lags, particularly in emerging bilinguals), and sociolinguistics / dialects. I have also completed parent-child early literacy college classes through California's First Five program.

# Need to pass a professional exam? #
I help prepare teachers to pass the CBEST and the CSET multiple subjects teaching exams. The CBEST pass rate for California first-time test-takers hovers at 70%, so it helps to have a tutor who assesses for appropriate word choice, past perfect use, and mechanics. Please email me a writing sample prior to our first meeting!

# Other exams: WIDA , NACLO # ( linguistics , phonology , morphology , and morpho-semantics ) ; DLAB ( Defense Language Aptitude Battery - civilian and military ) ; GED ; GED en espanol. I have also started working with students on Japan's EIKEN exam.

# Disclaimers #
My teaching practice is student-centered: When you miss a confirmed session, I invoice your account for a 60-minute session of preparation time, but I do not invoice for make-up sessions that you and I schedule within two weeks. Please check your contract's monthly billing date and its annual expiration date so that you use hours before they expire and to assure that you schedule the hours in each month of the contract, either with me or with another Varsity Tutor.

Varsity offers a program of small group classes. Your package may include classes and tutoring. Tutoring is one-to-one help that supports you on your path to achieving your learning goals and objectives. The Varsity Tutors platform allows students to invite a friend to join the session. I invoice for the session length, not the number of participants, but please check your contract as to whether there are charges based on the number of students in a session. Your meetings with me are tutoring sessions, not classes. Canceling sessions with a tutor does not cancel your contract with Varsity.

Although I have experience creating and implementing IEPs and 504 plans and I have successfully prepared candidates to pass the civics and interview portions of the United States citizenship exam as well as the GED in both Spanish and English, please know that I cannot guarantee outcomes or compensate you financially if you do not pass exams nor do I currently hold a teaching credential or speech-language pathology license.