Greetings prospective tutees (and parents of tutees),
I want to help you master your courses, awaken your educational interests, see what is significant therein and actualize your potential as a student. But what I want you to know most of all, is that I will do what is in your best interests. This raises the question, “what do I think is best for the student?”, since, ultimately, I must set a course of action/study/work for the student. In my view, the significance of education is not as an academic discipline, rather what has been learned is put to the test outside of the classroom and only then does it become clear if it has lasting, or true, significance in the form of the growth of the person. Helping the student to get through school and be successful thereafter is the greater goal. As the tutor I can help the tutee develop the necessary tools, skills, and techniques that will help him be successful in academic work. Fortunately, these skills (logic, critical thinking, etc.) are not limited to what is academic and they are applicable to a life of learning.
My approach:
Keeping in mind my perspective of education it’s fair to say that my approach to tutoring has developed out of sincere concern for the person who has both academic needs and interests beyond academia. Such an individualized approach means that the structure of sessions may differ greatly from one student to the next. (e.g. student A might only need help with comprehension while student B may need help finding what subject(s) is most interesting before going to college)(or, e.g., student A may need to work through lots of sample problems while student B may need a session that is more open-ended and leaves him with relevant questions.)
It is my intent to encourage discussion of the material rather than lecture. Often a book, essay, or other written, prepared work can present information better than a teacher, face to face (not to mention it is a better reference). In contrast, my sessions aim for discussion because discussion conveys, to tutor and tutee, more than information. Through discussion there is continuous question and response which allows me, as tutor, to identify problem areas in the students application of tools; and it allows the student ample opportunity to clarify what impedes his/her own understanding. It may be helpful to think of my discussion based approach through the following analogy. The tutee is now pilot. He flies his plane with his own two hands on the controls while maintaining a conversation with air traffic control in order to make appropriate course corrections. In contrast, the tutee to whom a tutor lectures is a pilot with the airplane on “autopilot”. There is no need for this pilot to take an active role in flying the plane. He does not have a creative stake in the course or destination of his flight. The course he takes has been laid before him. The former pilot learns how to fly the plane while the latter learns to watch it fly before him.
Certification and experience:
The assertion, that “I will do what is best for the student,” beckons assessment of my qualifications to help each individual student. My credentials are limited to a B.A. in Philosophy which I received from the institution California State University of East Bay in March of 2011. However, my approach to tutoring and my experience say more about me as a tutor than any certification held. I have relevant experience for tutoring at the college level. I spent last month tutoring at Diablo Valley College which has helped me develop my approach to tutoring. Also, my studies at California State University of East Bay gave me a strong foundation of logic and critical thinking on top of which I have continued to build a deep understanding of education and the student-teacher relation, ever since my graduation. My knowledge of subjects (in which I am most proficient) extends to logic, philosophy, and social studies. Particular skills for which I can be of assistance are comprehension, writing--for various purposes, logical thought and argumentation, analysis and evaluation, and study skills.
If at any time I think your needs would be met better by another tutor I will not attempt to keep you as a tutee for financial gain. I’m here to help you. I look forward to working with every one of you and the challenges we embrace.
Regards,
Corey
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