Shanice: Yonkers tutor

Certified Tutor

My professional goal of expanding my skills as a school psychologist to become a tutor coincides with Varsity Tutor's mission of helping others become better learners, regardless of the time or location. The foundation for my professional aspiration to become a tutor is deeply rooted in my personal experiences. Each time I reflect on my accomplishments and goals, it comes naturally for me to not only remember those who helped me along the way, but to especially honor those who purposely took actions to change the course of my life. My motivation to become the understanding, compassion, and support that I received throughout my life is at the heart of my decision to become a tutor.

At the tender age of six, I became seriously ill and required significant and ongoing medical and academic support. Without the support of various multi-disciplinary, collaborative teams comprised of individuals who were specialists and experts in their own rights, I may have only been a "survivor" instead of the resilient agent for academic excellence that I am today. The affirmation I received from my mother about "liv[ing] a long and successful life" has been essential to me becoming motivated to pursue academic excellence while constantly evolving myself to help others.

My life experiences have afforded me rich opportunities to learn about and directly work with students who are at-risk for "falling through the cracks" and those who have already been identified as having academic disabilities. Although I enjoy providing reading interventions to students, most of my experience has been targeting the reading fluency skills of academically challenged students who read at elementary grade levels. In working with this population, I have a proven track record of being able to identify the underlying difficulties, establish a goal, find and modify strategies to address the difficulty, and improve reading fluency outcomes. As a school psychologist, I have also worked with administrators, teachers, and parents to determine student academic needs and how they can be improved in the home and school settings.

Taken together, my life experiences and motivation to help others become better learners have transformed into a desire for me to become a tutor. My goal of becoming a tutor goes beyond any obstacles one may face and is based on the perspective that everyone has a unique learning style that must first be understood. Let me help you and/or your child identify your learning style, needs, and potential so you can become the best version of yourself as a learner.