All of
Linda’s current tutoring subjects are listed at the left. You
can read more about
Linda’s qualifications in specific subjects below.
Elementary (K-6th)
I am a former home schooling mom who taught her four children up until high school. I have much experience teaching reading, phonics, grammar, language arts, writing, elementary school math, history, social studies and science. My main loves are reading/phonics, grammar, writing and language arts in general. I am also very experienced teaching English as a second language, and Spanish. I have experience working with children as I have been an Aurora Public Schools substitute in the elementary grades, and have also taught elementary and middle school students in the Aurora Public Schools Options Program. I have great amounts of patience and really enjoy meeting a student at their place of need and seeing them learn and succeed in their studies. My approach to students is one of recognizing and capitalizing on their strengths; learning styles provide direction for how to teach, and I often integrate music and movement into my lessons. No one likes sitting at a table for an hour at a time!
English
In my long career as a home schooling parent of four children (20 years), I have had much opportunity to teach phonics, grammar, spelling, writing,and reading comprehension. I have also taught ESL and Spanish-language students in grammar, writing, speaking and reading comprehension, and currently have students in these areas, ranging in age from high school through adult.I am a former APS substitute teacher for elementary grades, and have also taught Spanish and Art to students K-9th, through Aurora Public Schools Options Program.
ESL/ESOL
I began teaching English as a second language during my undergraduate career while volunteering at a neighborhood community center. Before starting my Master's in Spanish, I spent two years teaching ESL classes in a continuing education program for Aurora Public Schools. I taught students from all over the world. While studying for my Masters, I tutored a Spanish-speaking colleague in English academic writing, and did coursework related to language acquisition, linguistics and the teaching of foreign language. Presently, I tutor students in English writing, speaking, and grammar. My experience with ESL spans beginning learners through very advanced learners.
Grammar
Grammar is one of my first loves in language study. I homeschooled my four children through elementary and middle school years, and became quite proficient in matters of grammar. I have also studied Spanish (have a BA and MA in Spanish) and am very well acquainted with Spanish grammar, and many of the similarities between the two languages - English and Spanish.In my MA studies, I focused on linguistics and the acquisition of native and second languages.
Phonics
I have a great background in phonics having homeschooled my four children up until their Freshman year in High School. I taught all of them to read using phonics programs and believe strongly in the necessity of phonics instruction for promoting strong reading abilities. I also have a strong background in Spanish phonics, and a solid background in Spanish linguistics.
Reading
I am a former home schooling parent who taught four children up through middle school, and I currently tutor children and adults. I have been a substitute teacher for Aurora Public Schools as well as an Art and and Spanish teacher in their Options Program.
Teaching Language Arts and Spanish has given me a solid foundation in English-language grammar, phonics, reading and writing.I believe children need a strong foundation in letter recognition, phoneme identification and associated sounds as a way to ensure success in reading. "Mr. GH is hiding all around! Look! He makes those vowels say a different sound. Mr. GH is a funny little friend! He's silent in the middle and goes 'f' at the end! (as in the words night and tough)This is a sample of one of the rhymes I might teach, from the Sing, Spell, Read and Write Program used to instruct my own children.
Reading is a package deal. Just being able to decipher letters and sounds is not enough. Children need to have opportunity to talk about, re-state, write about, and, generally, learn from the material they have read. They need to be given the chance to teach it to someone else. In doing that, they truly begin to "own" the information, and build confidence.
Spanish
I have a BA and MA in Spanish from the University of Wisconsin and CU-Denver.As an undergrad, I attended the University of Madrid for a year while living with a Spanish family.Over the last 10 years I have taught Spanish to children, high school and college students, and adults in the community. I love the language and sharing it with other people. I am equally comfortable in a one-on-one or in a classroom setting.If you tutor with me we will cover speaking, reading, writing and listening, all in a very relaxed manner, and at your pace. I place a high priority on meeting the needs of my students at the level with which they are comfortable. With children, I often employ art and music in my teaching.I play the guitar, so if you are not adverse to singing, I might teach some songs to you adults too!
Spelling
I am a former home schooling parent who taught my four children during the elementary and middle school grades. I am well acquainted with various strategies and approaches to teaching phonics, reading, spelling and reading comprehension.I have used ABeka, Bob Jones, Rod and Staff, Houghton Mifflin and other resources in my teaching of Language Arts. Once my children started high school, their teachers always commented that they were some of the few students who actually knew their parts of speech and grammar. I believe reading and spelling goes hand in hand with a solid foundation in phonics, and so I emphasize this in my teaching.
Writing
Having recently obtained a Master's in Spanish, I have considerable writing experience! I have done tutoring in job- related and academic writing for ESL students.
I home schooled my four children from K-8th grade and so I am familiar with writing,reading, grammar, spelling,and phonics aspects of Language Arts.
I have taught Spanish to children through adults, and have included writing skills in my curriculum.