Having been studying all the way to a Master of Arts in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Wisconsin - Madison, I have much experience learning, and helping others learn on a range of subjects, from writing, reading, research, law, and more.
My Bachelor of Arts degree was also from UW-Madison, in Sociology. Specific subjects in which I've specialized include social studies in religion and ethnicity and also history and politics of the United States, Middle East, and Europe. I also took advanced literature and grammar courses in French, and have some experience tutoring it.
I am able to help with science and math, though I have most college level experience studying social sciences, literature, and writing. I've taken an advanced class in biology and studied pre-calculus in high school, where I graduated salutatorian of my senior class. I feel comfortable tutoring students in algebra I and II and high school-level biology.
Since being out of a university environment in 2007, I found that I missed academia. I studied for my paralegal certification and attained it with good remarks from teachers in 2009. But after drifting on that career prospect, I found a passion for tutoring elementary and secondary school children at Chicago's branch of the national nonprofit, 826, founded by author Dave Eggars.
At 826CHI, I've been tutoring on nearly a weekly basis since March 2010 during times when public school students have been in class. I take a pretty hands on approach, helping elementary and middle school students with creative writing, social studies, and math. I allow students to make mistakes, but correct them with encouragement and positive criticism before they finishing their homework. When a fourth grader needs to be goaded to finishing their math homework on metric measurements, I make a game out of it or make jokes, allowing a creative outlet to reward persistent effort. I make it a point to tell a student what they are doing well and help them understand areas where they are having difficulty.
At 826 CHI, I've also helped a high school student with French homework, answering questions on vocabulary, diction, and grammar. I have made the student look up a word so that s/he had to do some work in preparing his/her French project, lending a guiding had when needed.
Overall, my tutoring philosophy is that I am to be a guide with a critical eye for my students. They have to form their own viewpoints on subjects regarding history, writing, literature, social studies, and be allowed to learn from mistakes. I look for ways in which they can succeed and reaffirm their strengths. I also know that I may not have all the answers but will work hard to find them.
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