writing Articles

Ken B., known as "The Best Little Tutor In Texas", has just surpassed the 400 hour tutoring mark in Houston, Texas! What makes Ken so good and popular in Houston? It is because of his diverse background and of being able to do the following: mathematics, statistics, chemistry, physics, computers, and computer programming. He can help a student in many many different areas. Ken does both high school and college and does regular, honors, IB, PAP, AP, etc... All that is quite a talent. Ken says that the subject most tutored in the past several months is statistics, and the reason for that is that most teachers use the 'dump' method...they 'dump' a copious quantity of power point files onto the student but the teachers do not really teach how to 'do' the problems...he has seen the same trend with other subject areas, and this is most unfortunate for students taking the classes...so, if you need to get on top of your mathematics and science courses (except of biology), then Ken in Houston is the person to contact.

Circle Game (from The Write Brain Workbook)

1. Select the word that most appeals to you: Carousel, Banister, Alabama, Diesel, Exorcist

2. Select another word that appeals to you: Flatulence, Garage, Harried, Insensitive, Jambalaya

3. Select yet another word that you find appealing: Keepsake, Lamb, Nonsense, Massage, Oriole

4. Use these three words in a story. Start with: Sometimes I feel just like a gerbil, running around and around on his wheel!

As a tutor with 4+ years experience at a college writing center, I have had my fair share of tutoring sessions. Tutoring is probably one of the most challenging, yet most rewarding jobs a person can have. Nothing is more rewarding than to see the light bulb go off in a student's head when he or she finally understands something new about the subject!

Tutoring has taught me some valuable lessons about myself and who I am. I wouldn't trade my time tutoring in college for anything, and I can't wait to help someone else become a better writer!

Write a 250 word piece about the best birthday you've ever had and include the words: worst, lousy, bad, irritating.

Sometimes, it is essential to provide students with additional perspectives, besides the tutor's. As I tutor more and more, I realize that even with the one-on-one benefits of tutoring, there is a need for interaction with other students. However, the problem is, there are no other students to provide this feedback when you are tutoring a student. I have found that creating relationships with other students is a remarkable enhancement to the tutoring experience.

I have used Pen Pals to meet this need. There are a variety of websites that offer pen pals for different purposes. If I am tutoring a student in Social Studies, Geography or History, a Pen Pal is an amazing resource for FREE and REAL information about the study topics. This is usually an exciting concept that is well-received by the student because they thrive with interactions with others and they think it's amazing to connect with people like them all around the world! Using the right resources for this is essential, so I suggest that tutors spend some time locating the right program for their needs. Usually, those that are dedicated to teachers offer the most security and less potential for spam and unwanted leaks of information to the Web. Additionally, these sites allow the tutor more access to hand-picking the pen pals for their needs. The greatest benefit for this type of tutoring lesson is the ability to focus on the writing skills of the student while not needing to create writing assignments for the sake of writing! This makes the students more likely to give their effort to their tasks AND it allows the tutor to challenge the student to become eloquent in their writing efforts because it is directed at a "friend". I encourage tutors to give this a try in Foreign Languages, Writing, History and Social Studies, ESOL... actually, the possibilities are endless! I'd love to know how YOU are using Pen Pals in your tutoring!