All of
Margaret’s current tutoring subjects are listed at the left. You
can read more about
Margaret’s qualifications in specific subjects below.
ADD/ADHD
With over 17 years of assisting students in traditional classrooms, home school, and private tutoring I have taught all subjects to students from K through 6th grade, college, and senior adults successfully.
As the President of the PTA at a local high school, I initiated a breakthrough math class attended by students of all learning capabilities with a dramatic increase in math scores.
I started homeschooling classes when my son was diagnosed with ADHD and the school system could not cater to his learning style. Understanding the ADD/ADHD student is vital for bringing them into an environment in which they are willing to participate. Most ADHD students cannot sit in a confined seat and remain focused on one subject, especially if that particular subject is not of interest to them. Today, my son is attending college classes, making successful grades, and he is an instructor of a martial arts studio. He is using teaching techniques that I put forth into teaching him, with his students. My son was inducted into the Hall of Fame as Instructor of the Year, in 2011!
I am a patient tutor who really cares about each student and analyzes what type of learner is the student. This allows me to present the lesson in multiple ways. It is necessary for the ADHD student to settle down at times to complete some tasks, but at the end of a focused session, an immediate reward is necessary. The goal I try to accomplish is to create a longer focused sessions in order to complete tasks on time. The ADHD learner cannot be expected to sit and do work, but if the student is doing the work by standing or jumping in place or while doing another activity simultaneously, the student can accomplish what is necessary. ADD students may not have the amount of “energy” as their counterpart, but the concentration is scattered, making simultaneous multiple tasks generally the key. Albert Einstein was kicked out of school because the teachers thought he was disruptive and not intelligent enough to be taught with his classmates. His mother, a school teacher, took him home and decided to home school him. It is now known that Einstein had ADD/ADHD! Many great people have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD other than Albert Einstein. A few other remarkable people with ADD/ADHD are: Frank Lloyd Wright, Pablo Picasso, Michael Jordan, Leo Tolstoy, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Wright Brothers, Robin Williams, Thomas Edison, Ansel Adams, and John F. Kennedy. The real challenge is to have these students conform to the school systems that need to have “cookie cutter” students sit at their desks for 8 hours a day. However, for the students who can be taught at home or have additional lessons to reinforce the day’s work, in a manner that is conducive to their learning, blossom in their abilities and show an amazing well rounded bank of knowledge!
Subjects that I have taught include Math (from counting through Algebra 1), writing, Cursive, Printing, Biology (from dissecting a worm to dissecting a piglet), Reading (including those with ADD/ADHD and Dyslexia), and more.
I am happy to assist you or your student with their studies, helping them with homework or just get a better understanding of their subjects.
Algebra 1
I have been tutoring and teaching Algebra 1 for over 17 years, in home-school and in one of the high schools in town, with great success.
Algebra is not so much a math science of facts, but more of a method to thinking logical.
Math is fun, and Algebra just takes it to another level!
ASVAB
ASVAB is a culmination of all practical learning situations, academic and life, required for entrance into the Military.
This is not rocket science; however, it is the basic academic knowledge and logical reasoning that one acquires throughout life.
Some practical knowledge of math - understanding what the word problems are REALLY asking and filtering the excess information.
Knowing and understanding the basic mechanics of engines and computers, vocabulary (reading is the best way to gain knowledge on that subject), and the ability to reason are some of the general items needed to pass the ASVAB.
When one can combine the academic knowledge and basic understanding of the world around us, is when one sees a successful ASVAB score.
Cooking
For six years, I taught high school and college students courses in Home Economics. One course was strictly on the creation of healthy meals. It was important that they were tasteful, nutritious, and satisfying, while staying on a budget. At the end of the year the students' final project was to collaborate and cook an entire meal for their family. Happily, all family members enjoyed the outcome!
Cooking is so much more than slapping some chopped meat in the pan or on a grill and pairing it with lettuce, pickles, mayonnaise, and bread.
Cooking needs to be considered as an extension of nutrition. How a meal is prepared is just as important as the ingredients.
Whether you are braising, roasting, grilling, baking, etc. the ingredients are extremely important. Also, when reading and following a recipe one needs to know the math in order to increase or decrease portions.
Take a look around - most of the so called restaurants are for fast food; however, cooking for oneself does not need to be tedious.
I have been cooking since I was old enough to crack an egg, and have created meals by simply eating at a restaurant and re-creating it, healthily, at home.
As an artist, I take the creation of food as an extension of my art. The first impression of a recipe is taken in with ones eyes, if that is pleasing, the next step is taste. When a meal is pleasing to the eyes, tasty, and nutritionally beneficial - That's Cooking!
Desktop Publishing
Business cards, Flyers, Brochures, Signs are all examples of desktop publishing. Once these were all tediously compiled by hand, gingerly placing lettering and graphics on a board to be sent to the printers. Photographs needed to be transformed into a velox, which is a pixelated form of the photo. Blue pencils were not able to be copied, so they were used to mark areas for placement of lettering etc.
Today all that hassle is gone, and with a push of a button one can place a beautiful photographic element on the page of a flyer, or brochure, etc. Lettering is a breeze and changes in placement or size - not a problem.
The computer has made our lives so much easier, but for desktop publishing - even a first grader can create a newsletter with their drawings and send them all around the world to family and friends.
I have a degree in Commercial Art with a minor in Graphic Arts which includes creating brochures, business cards, etc, the old fashioned way.
Because I know the principles of publishing it was an easy transition to Desktop Publishing. For eleven (11) years I have used many different programs to create program booklets, business cards, brochures and more for Colleges, non-profit businesses, and small companies.
I bring a wealth of knowledge and experience in this field to you, so let's get started!
Drawing
Drawing is the foundation to visual art: Drawing, Painting, Technical Illustration, Anime, and more.
I studied art in college, focusing on Graphic Arts my first semester and followed with Commercial Art and Fine Arts in the latter years. I hold an AAS in Commercial Art from New York Tech (formerly NYCCC).
I am a practicing artist, incorporating Drawing: Graphite, Colored pencils, and Pen and Ink in my portfolio.
I have taught the art of drawing to students from kindergarten through adults, beginning with a simple circle and through shadow and light, creating the illusion of a 3 dimensional sphere. From this first lesson it is possible to create lifelike figures of all shapes, including Zombies, Dragons, People, etc.
Drawing is fun, but it is also a serious discipline that can be the foundation of many artistic journeys.
Elementary (K-6th)
With over 17 years of assisting students in traditional classrooms, homeschool, and private tutoring I have taught all subjects to students from K through 6th grade and beyond, successfully.
As the President of the PTA at a local high school, I initiated a breakthrough math class which increased the math scores dramatically.
I started an art class for Kindergartners at a local elementary school and was requested to bring it to more classes.
I am a patient tutor who really cares about the learning of the student and analyzes the type of learner the student is, allowing me to bring the lesson in multiple ways.
Subjects that I have taught include Math (from counting through Algebra 1), writing, Cursive, Printing, Biology (from dissecting a worm to dissecting a piglet), Reading (including those with ADHD and Dyslexia), and more.
I am happy to assist your student K-6 with their studies, helping them with homework or just get a better understanding of their subjects.
Elementary Math
As a math tutor, I try to approach the student's learning by showing them different approaches to math problems.
Elementary math traditionally includes number theory, which is the study of whole numbers (as integers) and how they relate to each other, including number lines. Factors, multiplication, prime numbers, composite numbers, division and exponents, and fractions. These are the very basic parts of elementary math. These days, however, simple algebra, and geometry also have been inserted into the curriculum, which makes it more logical and visual - so in effect, more fun!
I love math, and can usually find a way to "connect" with my students. After all, math is part of our everyday lives, from grocery shopping, discounts on products, and balancing a checkbook and my goal is to make it "connect".
English
English has many components such as: Reading, Writing, Composition, Grammar and its Usage, and Literature. Reading is the most profound; it builds vocabulary, writing styles, imagery, and comprehension. The next progression is writing. When a student knows how to write well, they can proficiently express their thoughts and feelings, and use their words in a multitude of writing styles, and even take better notes. Language Arts, the nuts and bolts for growth in reading and writing, includes knowing the proper spelling and meaning of words, punctuation, and parts of speech.
My first student learned to read at the age of four. Today she is at the top of her class at a local university and is being sought after by many professors with academic requests. I taught English for over 9 years to students from 3rd grade through college in my homeschool. Today I continue to teach English to those learning it as a second language, military hopefuls, as well as K-6 students.
My experience of over 25 years comes from my middle management positions in the hi-tech industry, homeschool administrator and teacher, and owning my own businesses. It has always been imperative for me to know how to construct different types of reports, letters, emails, marketing materials, web material and much more, all requiring knowledge and proper use of English.
I am committed to my students and their academic achievements.
ESL/ESOL
I have an affinity with the English as a Second Language student. It gives me a great appreciation for our language that one would want to learn English.
I have a 4.0 GPA in Language Studies in Spanish and have traveled around the world, mostly in South America. It is important that one understands and can communicate with people that are around us.
I have communicated and taught Japanese and Spanish speaking adults and students how to speak English properly, without having to first learn the grammar.
The hardest part of the English language is the pronunciation due to all of our silent letters, and spelling abnormalities. However, with perseverance I have seen many students learn enough to go on to have a deeper understanding and ability to communicate.
It would be a pleasure to help you with the English as a Second Language (ESL) - Immersion is Key!
Marketing
I have a degree in Advertising/Commercial Art with a foundation in Graphic Art from New York Tech.
It has always been a passion of mine to make people aware of certain things throughout my life and my advertising background certainly has helped.
Owning businesses since 1989, with a marketing degree and background has been a very fruitful.
When I started marketing businesses and products, the internet was not as prevalent as it is now, but the messages and word was spread quickly and effectively. As an Avon Representative I was given a territory of 110 homes. Within a year, due to my marketing and customer service skills, I had over 500 client households.
My marketing skills provided me with the Grand Openings and Re-Openings for all of the Burger King establishments in the SF South Bay, when I opened my face painting business, "Happy Little Faces". Another very successful business!
For the past 22 years, I had the pleasure of working for myself. Saying "Goodbye" to the corporate entities and opening and marketing my own products and services, "The Old Fashioned Way".
These days, marketing is very different. I have been the Social Media Director for a very successful Computer Show Producer for the past three years and I completely understand the "viral" need of the Social Media Marketing. Today's companies NEED to know Facebook - FAN Pages, Twitter, YouTube, and so much more. Gaining fans and followers can make your business grow to immense proportions - as I have seen it first hand.
I'll be happy to demonstrate in detail each specific style of Social Network and online Marketing.
Microsoft Windows
I have been using Microsoft Windows programs since I stopped using and programming DOS, in the 1980's.
I currently own computers with XP, Vista, and Win7, which I used on a daily basis. I also have acquired the Droid OS Tablet.
All of these systems are very similar and easy to use.
At the LA Computer Fair I had the opportunity to give a session on using Win7 with online and internal operations.
My first encounters with computers was while I worked at Olympus Corporation, New York, 1976. Afterwards I gained more knowledge from the engineers at NEC Electronics, Mountain View, CA. My first desktop computer was the NEC APC (all in one computer). I have replaced chips for faster computation and have configured my desktop for my needs.
Using any windows product takes a moment to think of how the engineer wants it to work, and most times they have a very user friendly set up.
I would be delighted to offer my services on showing you how to use your desktop, laptop, netbook, or tablet using the Droid (for mobile devices) and/or Microsoft Windows OS (Operating System) for other computers.
Painting
Painting is a fine art discipline that incorporates the basic principles of art and design such as: Line, Shape, Form, Space, Texture, Color, Value, Movement, Balance, and Harmony.
I studied Fine Art at Hunter College and Southampton College, where I received an Art Scholarship. My focus was Drawing, Painting, Art History, and Sculpture. My professional status came from sales of my artwork at outdoor art shows, where I was consistently "sold out".
For over 10 years I taught art at one of the private schools in Gilroy, as well as to homeschoolers. We explored techniques from Jackson Pollack to Mondrian and established businesses in which to exhibit the artwork.
After raising my family I returned to painting using watercolors as my medium, and submitted my work to galleries for exhibit at juried art shows. I have been accepted in galleries in Berkeley, CA; San Francisco, CA; Houston, TX; and Cincinnati, OH and continue to paint for other shows, commissioned work, and to fill my portfolio. I am a member of the Houston Watercolor Society.
I continue to grow in my art and watercolor techniques by taking workshops throughout the year with leading Watercolor Artists.
It would be a pleasure to share my knowledge of painting with you.
Phonics
I have worked with students, since 1988, with dyslexia, ADHD, ADD, and others to read and spell using the sounds and syllables of phonics.
Phonics is the precursor of reading and spelling. Without a strong foundation in phonics success in other subjects becomes more difficult. Having the student understand that each letter has a sound and that a group of sounds placed next to each other form words is the key to understanding why phonics is so important. Once we understand and become comfortable with the phonetic rules, students begin to see success in reading and spelling.
The Phonetic rules, how letters interact with each other, are necessary to understand the sounds of words. Not only long and short vowels, but silent letters, double consonants, prefixes and suffixes, contractions, abbreviations, the whispering 'h' sound and more. These are the "rules" that make Phonics interesting and, yes, even fun!
With over 17 years of assistance in traditional classrooms, homeschool, and private tutoring I have taught phonics successfully. Today I still hear some of my former college students use the phonetic rules when writing their college papers.
Let me help you too, so you can reach the "Next Level"!
Prealgebra
Pre-Algebra is a way of introducing not only the facts and formulas for Algebra, but it is an introduction into the art of Logic.
As a homeschool mom and tutor I have had the opportunity to assist students with their understanding of math, including Pre-Algebra, Algebra, and Geometry.
I have been teaching and tutoring math since 1989, through 2011.
I am looking forward to working with you student.
Public Speaking
My experience in Public Speaking has been as an emcee for many large concerts, for the College Music Department and the South Valley Symphony. In my position at a Computer Show company, I have had to make presentations - Impromptu and Prepared, and have had to make announcements throughout the show.
Public Speaking is usually avoided by many people due to its unnecessary cause of anxiety. However, there are clearly some ways to avoid excessive anxiety which I will be happy to share with you.
I have been sort out by the South Valley Symphony to emcee their concerts
Reading
Reading is an essential to academic achievement. It begins with knowing and understanding the alphabet. Learning the sounds of each letter and putting those sounds together in an organized pattern creates words. Understanding and learning the syllabic iteration of a word assists in spelling and vocabulary, creating a connection with the English language and Romance languages. Proper pronunciation is also developed with this knowledge allowing more intricate uses as in rhyming poetry. This works hand in hand with phonics. Phonics is the subtleties of the English language, which allows us to create poems using the iambic pentameter or rhythm of the sentence. The more frequently and gradually more advanced works one reads, the more knowledgeable one becomes in many areas of academia and life. When a person continues their journey of reading they tend to mimic the vocabulary and ability to communicate in a more insightful manner. Of course, reading brings to life a deeper comprehension of the written word, which is not only useful in our everyday life, but also in academic subjects not related to English, such as mathematical word problems.
My college and business successes at Hunter, NY Tech, University of Phoenix, Gavilan, and Southampton University and my career path with Olympus, NEC Electronics, as well as owning my own companies and home school were immersed in immense amounts of reading and comprehending technical, and business journals and books. It is for this reason, that I hold reading and comprehension in such high esteem.
I have had the pleasure of teaching/tutoring students as early as 4 years old to read, beginning with merely saying the alphabet as sounds, instead of letters. That particular 4 year old student has since graduated with honors at her Community College and is on the Dean’s List, slated for Honors Graduation at her University. She is constantly reading and can hold a thought provoking conversation with just about anyone, in just about any subject. This is not indicative of just one student, but many of my students from home-school, and subsequent tutoring have improved their reading skills year after year, achieving better grades in all subjects, including Math and Algebra.
I look forward to bringing my love of reading to students of all ages!
Speech
Speech writing and presentations are not for the faint at heart, unless you know what to do.
I have been writing speeches and presenting them for a multitude of companies and audiences. I have emceed the Bach to Blues festival concerts, including the main concert in 2009. This is an honor given to very few people, and mostly celebrities and former deans of the college.
I have also emceed for the South Valley Symphony's concerts since 2007 and have made presentations at the largest annual fundraiser for a local school.
For three years I have been creating radio advertisements, and trade show speeches, both pre-written and impromptu.
Speech writing is not an essay that is verbalized. It is very important to sound like a human being, not a robot, and to have a natural flow.
It would be my pleasure in coaching (or tutoring) you on Speech writing and presentation.
Study Skills
Studying for a class, test, presentation, or in general takes time and perseverance.
Understanding the type of learner the student is will greatly improve success.
I have worked with different types of learners: Auditory, Visual, Dyslexic, and those with ADD/ADHD at all different grade levels.
There are definitely different methods that a student can use to assist themselves with their studies. The methods that I shared with my students have been successfully used even as my students have gone onto college, or further onto the higher learning platforms.
I have seen my students improve from being placed in detention during a class and failing high school to retaining a presence on the Dean's List at the local Community College.
A student needs to be involved and active in their study habits. The more accountability the student has, the more likely that they will retain more information. Becoming organized and aware of time management, how much time the student has to study and using it well, is a major benefit to the student's success.
While I taught students from the local high school at my homeschool, I saw an immense improvement in their preparedness and in their academic success.
Knowing how to organize, focus, and manage their study time, along with understanding how they learn best, is the most beneficial way to show success.
During my 17 years of teaching and tutoring, the study skills of Organization, Lists, Time Management, Recorded Reading, Visual "triggers", etc. when used have proven to be invaluable for success.
Writing
Writing can be seen on many levels. Writing can be the actual formation of letters than when placed next to each other in the correct order creates words. There is the art of printing and then cursive, this is but the most basic explanation of writing.
Once one can form words and create simple sentences there is a "door" that can be opened. By stating facts, creating new ideas, new worlds, new ways of thinking about old subjects the written work can be informative, an escape, or thought provoking.
Pulitzer prizes are won by authors that started reading and writing sentences as simple as: "See Jane run. Run, Jane, run!" simple yet effective.
Most of us have the thoughts in our heads. Writing is the manner in which we organize our thoughts and accomplish the point we wish to actualize.
A very important aspect of writing is the proper usage of the English language, tense, verbs, adverbs, etc.
Realization that the students are writing for another person, perhaps someone that has no idea about the subject, is imperative, so details are not eliminated. When I work with my students we strive to keep the information very clear and concise. Facts are always cited. The understanding that plagiarism is never allowed for any writer is probably one of the most important facts for proper writing. We learn how to word information without copying.
Writing can be fun and should be encouraged. This is one subject, of a handful, that requires constant practice.