I am a young and enthusiastic woman who has been working with kids for years, from babysitting to teaching English abroad. I recently graduated from San Diego State University in 2011 where I got my Bachelors Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, with emphasis in Spanish, Counseling and International Security and Conflict Resolution. I have a broad range of work experience from retail to writing and editing to working with children in many different environments.
I have always loved kids since a young age when I helped take care of my younger siblings and cousins. I began babysitting neighborhood kids around the age of 12 and since then have gained more experience teaching through jobs and volunteer work. I have taught English to children in Costa Rica and Brazil, where I also volunteered with impoverished babies as well. I tutored low-income Mexican indigenous children in San Diego. I worked for a daycare center in a classroom of 4-year-olds where I learned some basic Montessori strategies such as observing children, teaching by example instead of just words, mediating talks between the children instead of just forcing them to say "I'm sorry." I currently am a private tutor for a 4th grader in subjects like math, English grammar, reading, writing, Spanish and more. I also teach enrichment classes for a private education company such as Yoga and Dance. I speak English, Spanish and Portuguese and have traveled through Europe and Latin America. All of my travel and cultural experience has helped be more open minded, patient and creative.
I love helping kids have fun while learning and bringing creative and unique activities. Oftentimes, I create unique lessons based on the needs of my student as well as their personality and interests. For example, if a young boy really loves basketball, I will find a way to incorporate a small game of throwing a paper ball into a basket into a math lesson (perhaps timed like a basketball game). Another example could be using children's favorite television characters such Spiderman or Spongebob, sometimes a familiar face makes them feel more comfortable and interested. This allows me to keep the child's attention while building on their education skills, rather than being monotonous and boring. As each class is going on, I generally take small notes of difficulties the child is having so that I know what to include in the next lesson. This way I don't need to interrupt the current lesson to start something new but it can be resumed next time with a better, planned out lesson.
As much as I love to have fun, I also am very strict when it comes to being respectful. I don't allow kids to be lazy or rude to me or the other students. I am respectful to my students, and I ask them to be respectful back. I very rarely have any problems with children that I tutor, often it is just that they are tired and have difficulty paying attention. If I ever have a problem with a child, it will be addressed one on one with the child first then discussed with the parents. I have loved all of the families I have worked so far and don't predict any issues.
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