I'm a Science of Teaching Reading Tutor.
I help elementary students with Math.
I am an IXL Certified and Licensed Tutor, holding an official IXL Tutor account.
I help elementary & middle & high school students with reading and writing.
Mastery of Reading and writing is needed across all the grades and across all the subjects.
I tutor especially on these critical skills that build upon one another, like stepping stones. Together, they form a strong foundation in reading and writing that supports success not only in elementary school, but also in middle and high school. Here's how each one contributes across grade levels:
1. PA = Phonemic Awareness
Elementary: Children learn to hear and manipulate the smallest sounds in words (e.g., /c/ /a/ /t/). This is the bedrock of reading.
Middle: Strong phonemic awareness aids in decoding multisyllabic words and improving spelling accuracy.
High School: It continues to support vocabulary growth and fluency when students encounter complex academic words.
2. LS = Letter Sounds
Elementary: Recognizing letters and their sounds helps students map spoken language onto print.
Middle: Reinforces decoding of less common words, prefixes, and suffixes.
High School: Supports word analysis in advanced texts (scientific, historical, and technical vocabulary).
3. SB = Sounding Out and Blending
Elementary: Students learn to connect sounds smoothly into words, a key decoding step.
Middle: Helps students tackle challenging, longer words (e.g., "democracy," "photosynthesis").
High School: Strengthens decoding unfamiliar terms in literature, science, and SAT/ACT vocabulary.
4. RW = Regular Words
Elementary: Frequent practice with regular words (e.g., "cat," "jump") builds confidence.
Middle: Helps strengthen fluency and reinforces spelling rules.
High school provides a foundation for automatic recognition, freeing brainpower for the comprehension of complex texts.
5. IW = Irregular Words
Elementary: Students memorize high-frequency words that don't follow phonics rules (e.g., "said," "does").
Middle: Expands to academic irregular words (e.g., "colonel," "yacht").
High School: Supports efficient reading in specialized subjects and standardized tests where unusual words appear.
6. RF = Reading Fluency
Elementary: Students build accuracy, speed, and expression while reading.
Middle: Fluency allows smooth reading of content-rich textbooks without stumbling.
High School: Strong fluency enables students to read at a grade-level pace, engage with complex novels, and manage timed exams.
7. LC = Letter Combinations
Elementary: Students learn common digraphs and blends (sh, ch, th, bl, str).
Middle: Knowledge of letter combinations supports accurate spelling and pronunciation of academic words.
High School: Supports etymology and advanced vocabulary development (Latin/Greek roots, word families).
8. AP = Advanced Phonics
Elementary: Teaches vowel teams, diphthongs, r-controlled vowels, and syllable types.
Middle: Enables decoding of multisyllabic and academic vocabulary.
High School: Essential for analyzing new technical and discipline-specific terms across subjects.
9. Comp = Comprehension
Elementary: Students begin to make meaning from text by identifying the main idea, details, and sequence.
Middle: Comprehension expands to inference, author's purpose, and text structure.
High School: Critical for analyzing arguments, synthesizing across texts, and preparing for college-level reading and writing.
My favorite subjects are ELAR and Math. I enjoy learning as well as teaching these subjects, as they foster my cognitive skills.
My teaching philosophy:
"Every child is a capable learner. My role is to guide them in discovery, build confidence, and create joyful lifelong learners."
My favorite hobbies outside of academia:
Cooking, organizing the home, gardening, listening to music, spending time in nature, long walks, spending time with family, traveling, sleeping, stretching, meditating on the divine.
