Ms. Seba: Vernon Hills tutor

Certified Tutor

I've been blessed with over two decades of experience teaching both in classrooms and online.
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I use a holistic approach to address each student's unique needs and learning styles.
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I graduated from The University of Texas Permian Basin with a Bachelor's Degree in Humanities (English, Art, and Theater) and Education, exceeding the Texas School Teacher Curriculum requirements.
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I hold a current Texas Teaching Certification and have earned an ESL/ELL Certificate and a Gifted and Talented Supplemental Certificate.
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I'm a skilled classroom teacher with extensive online experience. I'm up to date with classroom strategies such as phonemic awareness, adult literacy, auditory/visual learning techniques, and special education needs, including dyslexia, ADHD, and dyscalculia.
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I'm experienced in boosting self-confidence and self-esteem, helping students bridge gaps in their learning, and build a solid foundation for the future.
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I'm certified in Mental Health First Aid and specialize in supporting students with mental health conditions such as anxiety and grief.
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I focus on stress tolerance and emotional regulation using grief and trauma-informed methods, as well as crisis management and suicide prevention strategies.
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Also, I teach skills such as gratitude, mindfulness, self assurance, confidence, anxiety management, and other Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills to help students manage emotions and reduce stress.
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I value kindness. I am here to support each student with compassion and understanding.
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I teach a wide range of subjects, including English, Poetry, Grammar, Reading, Writing, reading fluency, morphology, prewriting, public speaking, theater, music, sentence, paragraph, and essay structure with creative writing, too.
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Literacy Sessions focused on foundational literacy skills through the lens of imaginative storytelling. Student explore vocabulary development using a diamante poem structure, then expand into a narrative fairy tale poem. We began with brainstorming and prewriting, designing a magical character and setting, and reading comprehension work through guided modeling, followed by writing development using rhyme, sensory details, and story structure. It moves through each stage of the writing processbrainstorming, drafting, revising, and polishingwhile incorporating creative thinking, voice, and positive emotional themes.
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The result is a vibrant fairy tale that combined personal meaning with joyful self-expression.
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I teach Math using art and manipulatives, covering topics like addition, subtraction, multiplication, long division, fractions, ratios, and prealgebra and more. I tutor life skills such as money and decimals as well as budgeting.
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I love to incorporate student's interests to better hold their attention and retain skills (plus it's fun!) such as video gaming, Pokemon, graphic novels, Sonic, Pete the Cat and anime. I make a personalized and enjoyable learning experience.
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I love to integrate art into other subjects to enhance creativity and engagement. I enjoy teaching poetry, American literature (I adore Edgar Allan Poe), British literature (Mary Shelley), and poetry. I often use games like Mad Libs to expand vocabulary and refresh grammar skills. I also enjoy diagramming sentences and exploring syntax and grammar.
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I specialize in using students' favorite interests and hobbies to create engaging lesson plans. Whether it's using AI for fun story writing or incorporating popular games like Fortnite and ROBLOX, I make learning fun and relatable.
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As the school year comes to a close, I begin my Writer's Workshops.
here are some of the main topics:
Writing Skills: Focus on grammar, punctuation, vocabulary, and sentence structure.
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Process Skills: Engage in brainstorming, drafting, revising, editing, and proofreading.
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Genre Exploration: Encourage students to try various genres like narrative, descriptive, persuasive, and informational writing.
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Creative Expression:
Storytelling: Encourage students to develop their unique voices and perspectives.
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Poetry: Explore different forms of poetry and write their own verses.
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Journaling: Use writing as a means of self-reflection and exploration.
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Interactive Activities: Include games, challenges, and collaborative writing projects.
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Positive Feedback and Encouragement: Create a supportive and inclusive environment for writers.
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Celebration of Writing: Share and showcase student work to foster a sense of accomplishment.
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Understanding and Coping with Anxiety:
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Self-Esteem Building: Use worksheets and activities during summer break, focusing on gratitude exercises, strength-building, self-care, and journaling.
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Understanding Trauma: Learn about trauma, its impact on the body, mind, behaviors, and relationships, and explore treatment options.
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Emotion Regulation, Test Anxiety, and Life Skills:
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Emotional Resilience: Learn to manage your emotional life with skills in mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotional regulation, and distress tolerance.
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Coping with Stress Workshop: Explore Dialectical Behavior Therapy and learn radical acceptance skills to process emotions like anger, fear, anxiety, sadness, and grief.
Art Therapy and 12-Step Workshops:
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Art Therapy: Utilize creative expression as a means of letting go.
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12-Step Workshops: Provide support for those struggling with cravings, anxiety, and other triggers associated with addiction.
*12 steps, recovery, big book / stuff work guidance.
*Support and guidance journaling for family members of addicts, as well as focusing on personal recovery from addiction, compulsions, or other behavioral issues.
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Public speaking, theater, creative writing, and storytelling workshops.
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Whether it's improving math or language skills, state test prep, using the summer to get on grade level for next year, or building confidence, with my background, experience, and my love of teaching, I'm in the world would be grateful to be your tutor!