Greetings to English Language Learners and their families!
In July, 2012, my family and I moved from Rochester, NY to Phoenix, AZ. I am new to Arizona, and I wish to continue my career of teaching English to speakers of other languages.
Until June, 2012, I was a full time, tenured ESL teacher at Greece Olympia High School in the Greece Central School District in Rochester, NY. My students came from many different countries and spoke many different languages. Some had good education from their native countries, and other students came to us with very little or no education at all. Also, some students came to us already knowing some English, while others knew no English.
During the 4+ years I taught at Olympia High School, I had separate ESL classes where students came directly to my classroom to build their English skills. Also, I often went into subject classrooms to help students learn English while they studied their subjects. The subject classrooms I went to were Global History, U.S. History, English for grades 10-12, algebra, health, and career classes. Those are all subjects I know and can help with, too. Additionally, I have a bachelor's degree in Spanish, so I've tutored students in that subject as well.
All of the high school students in NY must pass 5 New York State Regents Exams to graduate. My ESL students did pass their tests and graduated! Most of them are attending college in the Rochester area and are doing very well.
Just before I began working at the high school, I was getting my Master's degree in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) beginning in 2005. I graduated in May, 2008 from Nazareth College in Rochester, with teaching certification in TESOL, Birth - Gr. 12. I received my Bachelor's degree in Spanish from the State University of New York, College at Geneseo in 1981.
While I was a graduate student, I tutored a Chinese PhD professor of statistics in English pronunciation. When I was first hired by Greece Central School District, I was a full time tutor for 2 young men who came to the U.S. from Burma. I worked with them directly for 5 months, building basic English and academic English skills.
From 2001 to 2005, I worked as a teacher aide in an elementary school's Reading Skills Center. Therefore, I am also comfortable working with young children, especially with reading and language skills.
My tutoring methods will depend on the needs of a student. During the first session, I will learn exactly what my students (and parents) want, and what they need. I will determine where there are strengths and weaknesses, and design lessons accordingly. I believe strongly in developing all 4 language skills equally (speaking, listening, reading, and writing). After each session, I will give my student(s) a specific skill to work on until the next session.
My goal, the bottom line, is to teach you to NOT NEED ME anymore! One of the most important aspects of tutoring is to give you strategies so that you can ultimately help yourself.
As a person, I am very relaxed and friendly. Although I am easygoing, I expect 100% effort from my students while we are working together. English is learned best when the learner is relaxed and not nervous, so I feel very strongly about having a relaxed atmosphere. It is not difficult to work hard AND have fun!
I look forward to meeting all of you!
Warmest Regards,
- Ann
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