I am a recent graduate from Washington University in St. Louis with a bachelor's in cognitive neuroscience. I have been accepted to medical school and will be starting next fall. In other words, I've had my share of standardized testing. I hope to make life easier for students struggling to overcome these hurdles, and maybe spark some enjoyment of learning along the way!
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...math and love working one on one with students of varying abilities. I am able to tutor math from elementary math to Calculus. I earned my Bachelors of Arts in Economics at the University of Illinois in Champaign. I earned my Masters in Education at North Park University. My teaching philosophy centers on a student centered approach. My tutoring style is laid back, allowing the students to show me what they know already and then...
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I know the pressure of these tests through my own experiences, those of my family, and friends' children. Making the student understand the skills needed and creating an atmosphere of learning, reduced pressure, and positive feedback is paramount.
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...opportunities such as Young Leaders and Big Brother Big Sister. I also tutored my neighbors in reading and writing. When I graduated, I continued onto Cornell University where I received my Bachelor of Science in Hotel Administration. Currently, I am in a transition period before applying to Physical Therapy School, and I have been tutoring for the past year for Huntington Learning Center. I have experience tutoring for PSAT, ACT, SAT, Phonics, Reading, and Math....
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...a career I was passionate about. An internship in Pennsylvania as an Environmental Educator inspired me to go back to college to become a Biology Teacher in California. I loved having my own classroom and seeing my "kids" everyday, inspiring a joy for learning within them while discovering new and creative ways to teach complex subjects. When I moved to Chicago several years later, I decided to pursue tutoring full-time. Because of my professional and...
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...almost 11 years. I have a BA in English, with a minor in creative writing, and I have a Master's degree in Secondary Education. I love reading and learning, and I enjoy helping others meet their educational goals. I believe that everyone is capable of learning and that we all have our academic strengths and weaknesses. Making improvements in our weaknesses gives us more confidence in our abilities and encourages us to reach our goals...
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...or processes) must be understood, preferably on an instinctual level, as it is easier to remember ideas when they make sense at a core level. Then these ideas are applied to the problem, in order to unlock the solution. Generally, when students are having trouble with a problem (or type of problem) there is a non-sequitur somewhere in that process. My job, which is quite fun in this way, is to identify and correct this...
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...my free time, I enjoy writing songs, playing guitar and piano, and going for a run in the park with my black Labrador retriever, Scout. In high school, I was the captain of my football and wrestling teams, so I really connect and empathize with students who have busy after-school schedules. I am always looking forward to working with new students and their families and helping those students to reach their potential.... Every student has a...
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...open doors for their future. My favorite moments as a tutor are when a student grasps concepts we have been working on and they understand the material in a new way. In addition to teaching, over the last five years, I have served as a Mentor to youth and college students. I believe that encouragement and mentoring are essential components of a successful tutoring relationship. While teaching students the skills they need to succeed, I...
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Helping students grow is a passion of mine; it is, in fact, my life's work. Since I graduated from the University of North Carolina in 2001 and NC Central University in 2005, I have worked to help students develop their potential in my roles as as an Exceptional Children's Teacher, Middle School ELA teacher, High School English and Social Studies teacher, and College Developmental Reading/Writing and English/History/Humanities instructor.
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...new career opportunity in the K-12 system, has provided Dr. Dabney the opportunity to commit even more to doing her life's work, by helping young students discover their own talents and opportunities, through hands-on learning in a classroom and online in a virtual learning environment. Dr. Dabney is currently serving as an associate professor of Business Professions and Entrepreneurship for Odessa College in Texas. She is passionate about student learning and is dedicated to helping...
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...School District, where I believe I learned all the fundamental study skills to carry me successfully through my following years to come. When I obtain my B.S. from Rutgers, I plan to go on and eventually get a Master's and Ph.D. My favorite and strongest subjects are math and the sciences. Because of my background in high school and major in college, I have plenty of experience with Calculus I through IV, Biology, Physics, and...
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...speech coach. My background has lent itself well to tutoring English, Reading, Writing, and History. I believe in working with students in a way that empowers them to build their own skills- an approach with an eye on long term sustainability and skill development. I think that it is important to be able to find fun in the learning process and I try to incorporate that in all of my sessions. My main hobby is...
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I enjoy helping people reach their potential. If you're struggling in a class, there's probably a good reason. It may take some work, but I'm confident that I can help you succeed.
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...harder than they need to be. I use technology as much as possible and like to find resources that I can provide to my students to make their academic careers more enjoyable and manageable. I retired from the US Navy in 2015 after serving for 22 years on active duty. I am enjoying my retirement and each opportunity I get to work with the wide variety of students here on Varsity.... I view teaching as a...
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...guesses on given occurrences. It goes on and on! Working with math is a fun, unique experience that I enjoy very much. I graduated Binghamton University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Creative Writing. I then went on to Queens College, where I spent many years building my math credentials, taking undergraduate and graduate level courses in calculus, problem solving, math for business, and history of mathematics, to name a few. I...
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...is very easy to create a goal and work toward it when a student already has their sights set on a particular college, and I love being a part of that process. I like to think of myself as a goal-oriented tutor, helping my client pick out the thing that he or she wants by the end of our sessions and driving toward it. I also believe in meeting my client where they are in...
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...students since I was in high school myself in a variety of subjects including Math, Latin, and Writing. I like to focus on any questions the student may have with the material and working on some examples before moving on to work on any assignments. My favorite subject to tutor is math because there is usually a simple way to explain a concept that clears away any confusion. In math, there are many right ways...
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...to the level of comprehension by a lay person or a professional of varying discipline -- a precursor to my present occupation. After transitioning from the industry to education, I was fortunate to discover passion and fulfillment in helping students achieve their personal goals, be it basic education, performance in math and science, standardized testing, high school equivalency attainment or self-improvement through further education and more lucrative career options. In addition to being a tutor,...
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...students to apply critical thinking skills to the subject at hand. By focusing on fundamentals and proper techniques, students will gain the experience needed to apply these skills to those problems which seem initially challenging. My intended profession is teaching, and I try to impress upon my students my passion for knowledge. I dont just teach to the test; I work to provide a firm foundation so that you can achieve whatever your goals are...
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Our interview process, stringent qualifications, and background screening ensure that only the best ISEE- Upper Level tutors work with Varsity Tutors. To assure a successful experience, you're paired with one of these qualified tutors by an expert director - and we stand behind that match with our money-back guarantee.
Receive personally tailored ISEE- Upper Level lessons from exceptional tutors in a one-on-one setting. We help you connect with the best tutor for your particular needs while offering flexible scheduling to fit your busy life.
ISEE- Upper Level Tutoring FAQ
The Independent School Entrance Exam, or ISEE, is leveraged by independent and private schools for admissions and placement. It is offered for three different levels: Upper, Middle, and Lower. Each test includes questions in multiple-choice format, as well as an essay question. The amount of time given, the difficulty of the questions, and the number of questions is dependent upon the level taken. Varsity Tutors can help you find a skilled tutor who can help your child study for the ISEE Upper Level exam.
The Upper Level is for students who are entering grades 9-12. The test consists of five sections: Verbal Reasoning, Quantitative Reasoning, Reading Comprehension, Mathematics Achievement, and the essay. Your student will have 2 hours and 40 minutes to complete the entire exam.
The Verbal Reasoning section consists of sentence completion and synonym items. They assess your child's vocabulary knowledge, and his or her ability to reason. Children have 20 minutes to complete the 40 questions on this portion of the exam. Your child's ISEE Upper level tutor may work with your child to increase his or her vocabulary by utilizing flashcards with grade-level appropriate words, or they may use other techniques based on your child's current level of mastery.
The Quantitative Reasoning section of the exam uses multiple-choice questions to determine your child's ability to problem-solve and to think mathematically. It does not assess specific math skills. Your child will have 35 minutes to complete 37 items. The ability to think critically is a key factor in answering these questions correctly. Your child's tutor may work with your student on identifying what the question is asking, as well as time management techniques.
Both the Reading Comprehension and Mathematics Achievement portions of the exam are designed to measure your child's ability to answer grade-level questions in math and reading. Your child will be given 35 minutes to answer the 36 questions in the Reading Comprehension section, and 40 minutes to answer the 47 questions in the Mathematics Achievement section. These sections are skill-based, and your child's tutor will spend time determining which skills your student needs to focus on in order to pursue the highest score possible.
The final section of the exam is a single essay question, which is not graded by the ISEE. Instead, it is sent to the school or schools identified on the registration form. While it will not be part of the ISEE grade, it is an important factor in admissions for many schools and should be given the same care and attention as the other sections. Your child's tutor may work with him or her on creating a clear and concise outline to answer writing prompts in preparation for this portion of the exam.
It is important to note that the ISEE only looks for the number of correct answers and does not impose a penalty for those items that are answered incorrectly. Because of this, your child's tutor may also work on making educated guesses, as there is no benefit to leaving a question blank.
The Varsity Tutors live learning platform allows you to schedule your child's private ISEE Upper Level tutoring session at a time and location that is most convenient for your schedule. Private tutoring sessions can be scheduled in a virtual setting or in person. To connect with a tutor who is eager to work with your child, contact Varsity Tutors today.
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Recent ISEE- Upper Level Tutoring Session Notes
I first went over some practice tests the student did in the prep book. He did rather well on them. We then worked on an essay the student had started previously, so he finished writing it. After that, we worked on some more complicated square root problems, and finally finished with some synonyms practice.
We started to look the math section and began with geometry. We went through questions on squares, rectangles, parallelograms, rhombi, other quadrilaterals, kites, and hexagons. I had the student find the measure of angles, length of sides, area, perimeter, and diagonals. Some of the questions included other material such as finding the mean or a percentage. She needs to break the problems down into smaller parts and diagrams are very helpful. She is used to working with the metric system but the ISEE includes questions in both English and metric; she's going to need to learn how to convert between the two systems and within the English system. She also needs to make sure to read questions carefully so that she answers the question being asked. We will work together to make her proficient in all these areas.
We made some great progress with math. We're going through each concept covered on the test and reviewing things he forgot. We also did an overview of reading comp strategy and how to look at the questions given. Great work!
It was great meeting this student today! She's a very bright, very friendly student, and I appreciate the amount of hard work that she puts into our sessions. We began by reviewing the way that the ISEE is structured and basic math vocabulary. When it was clear that she could jump into more advanced topics, we immediately started working on percentages and word problems associated with algebra and percentages. She did a great job with translating those word problems into equations.
The student finished the lessons for all sections on the ISEE today. She feels confident about her progress thus far and is using the notes we took as a guide.
