My name is Laura, and I specialize in tutoring high school and college students in writing, English literature, test prep, and study skills. I am your typical bookworm from a family of brainy overachievers. My lifelong love of learning led me to success in school and on standardized tests, and I am passionate about helping others achieve in those realms. I have a degree in English and American Lit, which makes me an ideal writing teacher, editor, and tutor for all things literature. I also teach theater on a college level. I am a positive, energetic teacher. I bring genuine enthusiasm to this work, and strive to light the same spark in my students. I am exacting but encouraging, and believe in fostering a supportive environment for the student to grow. My goal is to help every student discover their own love of learning, and to provide them with the tools to pursue their ambitions.
A typical tutoring session will be structured to suit your individual goals and needs, but will look something like this:
1. Check In (What progress have you made in your goals? What skills are you struggling with? Are you feeling frustrated? Intimidated? What road blocks should we be aware of and working to overcome?)
2. Make a Plan (What is the objective for today? Where do we need to go, and what steps are we going to take to get there?)
3. Get to Work! (this is the majority of the session, and will include frequent comprehension checks)
4. Review (What worked? What didn't? Which concepts are still challenging, and which can you start to get your head around? What should we focus on next time?)
Outside of my tutoring life, I am a theater director. This job requires a few unique skills that translate well to tutoring. Directing a show requires a keen sensitivity to the unique gifts and challenges of everyone involved in the production. As a director, I take the time to understand each of my actors individually, and to provide them each with the support and feedback they need to give their best performance. Similarly, my tutoring philosophy centers on the needs of the individual student; I teach students to understand their innate strengths and use them to their advantage, as well as identifying areas where we can work together to help them improve. Additionally, directing involves taking a huge goal (putting on a play) and breaking it into achievable steps. Likewise, getting a high score on the SAT or becoming a better writer may seem like insurmountable tasks. I help students break those giant leaps into manageable steps, and support them in succeeding at each individual step. Finally, for students who struggle with English and literature, the identification of important themes and synthesis of big ideas can be profoundly frustrating. My strong grounding in textual analysis, extensive knowledge of the Western canon, and deep love of literature allow me to guide students through this process with care and enthusiasm.
In my own life, I'm a music and fitness nerd. I love going on adventures; recently, I went rock climbing in the Adirondacks, and did a week of hiking and kayaking in Acadia National Park. I'm an avid reader and cook, and I write in my spare time. My next big life step is to get a dog.
