All of
Wendy’s current tutoring subjects are listed at the left. You
can read more about
Wendy’s qualifications in specific subjects below.
ACT English
I have taught some English, and often been commended on my grammar, but for the ACT, I can also teach test-taking skills.
ACT Math
I have done ACT prep for about 6 years' of students. I know what is on the ACT and even the Work Keys for the Prairies States, and also have many different versions of practice tests to use in review.
ACT Reading
I have been an avid reader for most of my life, and can help you to learn how to get the most out of a passage in the least amount of time.
ACT Science
While I am not certified in science, I have taken the credits to teach it, and I can help teach test-taking skills for the ACT.
Algebra 1
I have taught and tutored Algebra I for most of the last 20 years. I have developed many memory methods and enjoy taking the mystery out of combining letters and numbers.
Algebra 2
I have taught and tutored Algebra 2 for most of the last 20 years. Through that time, I have found and developed many memory helps that are often very odd, which makes them memorable.
American History
After not liking history in high school, a college professor taught me how interesting history can be. It is not just names and dates, but also stories that can help you to remember those names and dates. My goal is to pass that interest on.
ASVAB
I have spent considerable time in the past 12 years helping students to prepare for standardized tests. I am able to help guide students in educated guessing, as well as how to make the choices work for them. Additionally, I can help students with time management during testing, and techniques to overcome building stress. Finally, my education has tended to be well-rounded, so I can tutor in the variety of subjects found in such tests.
Bible Studies
I was raised Catholic, and received a Catholic education and all sacraments through 8th grade. Since then, I have chosen my own church and Bible studies, and currently coach a Junior Bible Quiz team for my church. I love the Lord, and am so glad to welcome Jesus into my heart and for the understanding that only the Holy Spirit could give me of The Word.
Biology
I have taken biology in both high school and college. I have tutored biology, and found that the biggest boost for students is to help them draw connections to link topics that seem unrelated.
Calculus
I remember taking calculus in college. Since then, I have been able to organize the topics, and this has helped me to be able to tutor students at the college where I teach, as well as teaching it myself at the high school level.
Chemistry
Though I usually teach math, I have a number of hours in chemistry in my bachelor's degree. I get the opportunity to tutor chemistry often during time in my school's math lab. I enjoy working with chemistry because it is a concrete area to apply the math learned in algebra and geometry.
Computer Science
I am a math teacher, but have done a considerable amount with computers. I have taken, and also taught, the programming language Pascal. I have worked with Fortran, C, and other languages. I have an instinctive understanding of the logic in computer programming. Additionally, I am well versed in many common computer applications such as the Microsoft line, working around in the Control Panel, and other ideas. I remember when computers ran on DOS, and Windows was a DOS-based application. My education with computers has kept stride moving on into Windows operating systems, and even experience with Macintosh and Apple systems.
Elementary (K-6th)
Subjects at the elementary level are often very intertwined. With that basis, I can usually find an interest of your child's, and expand that into the work that may be posing a difficulty. I work with my own elementary-aged daughter, now, and when she has trouble with something, I look to make connections with what she has an interest in. I find that she later brings up these connections to learn other material later.
Elementary Math
I am a certified secondary math teacher, but have tutored many elementary students, especially my own daughter, in math. I want to impart a love of math, which will help the student succeed later. I do this through steadiness, patience, and a sense of fun with the subject.
Elementary Science
Science can be a very fun subject. I've included it in trips to the zoo, and even general conversations with my daughter and her friends. Why is winter cold? Why is the sky blue? Why do different animals leave different footprints? It is all science, and I find it fun when those topics come up in my college math classroom. I also remember struggling with science from teachers who stuck to the book and lecture. Science is one subject that is learned best when discussed, not just studied.
English
When I was in high school, my counselor pointed out that I had earned more A's in English than in math. He questioned my desire to be a math teacher. While I love math, I am also strong at grammar, reading comprehension, and using and explaining them to others.
ESL/ESOL
Although English is my first language, I have interacted with many students who were in ESL classes. I am strong in grammar and in understanding what people are trying to say. I have had students who should have been in ESL classes, but for one reason or another were in my regular classes, yet I was still able to help them. I even had a roommate at one point who was working on her TOEFL, another form of ESL.
GED
I have worked with high school students for most of the past 20 years, readying them for graduation. The GED is similar, but much more involved due to being over every subject, not just one at a time. I am good at drawing connections between subjects, which helps a student learn and understand both, better.
General Computer
Computers are all around us, and used for things from playing games to writing papers and programs. The basics of computers can seem confusing, until you speak the right language. I am adept at teaching that language to others.
Geometry
I have taught geometry for much of the last 15 years, and doing so successfully. I have found that approaching geometry like another math or algebra class does not help with understanding. Instead, it takes a retraining in the brain, and I see my job as facilitating that training.
Grammar
Grammar is an important, but often overlooked, part of any communication today. With the influx of texting shortcuts and poor grammar on TV and in movies, it is harder for students today to recognize bad grammar in their own or others writing. I begin by trying to model good grammar, and continue with teaching and discussing rules to grammar to help a student recognize what was meant compared to what was actually said. This often tightly links with spelling and words that sound the same, but are spelled differently.
Linear Algebra
During my bachelor's degree, I took linear algebra and passed. Then, while working on my master's degree, I earned an A in the graduate level of Linear. For anything I have forgotten, I am good at reading the text and reteaching myself, and then my student.
Literature
I have been an avid reader for much of my life. In that time, I have read many different authors, including Jane Austen, Charles Dickens, J.R.R. Tolkein, C.S. Lewis, some Shakespeare, and many others, all for my own enjoyment. I enjoy what are considered the classics, and immerse myself in the plot when I am reading them. I would love to pass this love of the classics and other literature on to your student.
Microsoft Excel
I have used Excel to create many different things. Each use needs to be tailored to its purpose, and an understanding of the capabilities of Excel make this much easier.
Microsoft PowerPoint
Two training sessions in PowerPoint were a good start in learning to create presentations, but the way to develop mastery is through experience and practice with the options in the software. I have been using PowerPoints to teach my classes for the past few years, since projectors became available to me, and I use them to guide lessons, demonstrate relationships, and even create review games. I enjoy helping others to learn what can be done with the software.
Microsoft Word
I have been using Microsoft Word for many years for writing papers, creating forms, building worksheets and tests, and even making small books for my daughter to learn to read. Microsoft Word is very flexible for the user who knows how to use its features, and I enjoy helping others to learn those.
Needlework
Though I have not been formally trained in any type of needlework, I have successfully completed multiple projects in many types. These include counted cross stitch, chicken scratch, needlepoint, candlewicking, ribbon embroidery, even latch hook. I can teach how to read patterns, do a variety of stitch types, starting and finishing projects. I can show the changes to make depending on fabric type (prepared fabric, clothing embellishments, etc.) and finished design types. This is a hobby of mine that I would enjoy teaching to interested students.
Pascal
During my bachelor's work, I took a course in Pascal. I later served for 3 semesters as a undergrad teaching assistant for the Pascal course.
Phonics
English language is a tricky one to read with rules that seem to change at random, but rules do exist to cover those changes. I remember teaching my 3-year-old brother (yes, 3) to read using phonics, and my elementary daughter, too, now. I look forward to opening the world of reading up to everyone.
Physical Science
I have taken many courses in physical science including weather, natural disasters, and much of my elementary and middle school time. It is a topic that interests me greatly, and I look forward to passing that interest on to other students.
Prealgebra
I have taught pre-algebra at the middle-school, high school, and even college levels. At each level, the difficulties students face are different, but seem to boil down to a few things. I have learned that I am good at identifying the difficulty and helping the student around it, no matter what their age.
Precalculus
Precalculus is the beginning of the more theoretical math classes, and, as such, is less concrete than students are generally used to. One thing that I try to do in this case is to help the student regain the firmer footing that came with algebra, and seems missing here. This is a matter of vocabulary and knowing how to look at the problems that are asked. Make it seem more familiar.
Probability
What are the chances that it will snow? Rain? Choose a red card? Roll a 3 on each of two dice? Whether the probability is one or two or more parts. Whether the parts are dependent or independent. Probability is deciding, based wholly on the numbers and make-up of the experiment, how likely one particular outcome is. The trick is to interpret the question and categorize it into many different sets. That is what I can help with. I can give your student the methods to make those groupings, and from there, to calculate the probability of pulling the ace of spades.
Proofreading
I have always been an avid reader, which has led to a strong sense of punctuation, grammar, and spelling. I can help your student to learn to notice those issues with papers, and also to refine understanding of often misused punctuation to make the writing even better.
PSAT
I have worked with standardized testing review for many years. The PSAT is more challenging because the reviews are not broken down by subject as much as for other tests, like the SAT or ACT. I feel prepared to help your child excel at the PSAT as I am comfortable with all subjects involved and love to do test prep.
Psychology
My minor during my undergraduate degree was psychology. I was introduced to Skinner, Freud, and Pavlov, among others. Psychology is an ever-changing field, but the basics, the vocabulary, stay fairly constant. I enjoy this field, which is why it became my minor and an endorsement on my teaching certificate.
Public Speaking
I have taken speech classes in both high school and college. I have been a teacher for over 17 years. I have given talks as a teacher, a trainer, a presenter, and a colleague. I have learned ways to get attention and entertain while making a point, which makes my talks memorable. Practice in front of an audience is a big help, especially when my goal is to help you do your best speech.
Reading
Reading can be very tricky for some. Every excerpt that you read can be interpreted differently by everyone who reads it. Reading is different when done for pleasure or for information. I suspect that is part of what needs to be taught in many cases, and can best be taught in a one-on-one setting. I am able to answer questions and to help anyone learn to be a better reader.
SAT Math
I have helped students with ACT math preparation for most of the last 15 years. While the ACT is not the SAT, they do have similarities, and in that time I have also taught all of the math involved. As such, I feel confident in helping your student to prepare for this test.
SAT Reading
Reading for the SAT is very different from reading for fun or for school. A student needs to read and comprehend quickly, and soon be able to shift gears into a completely unrelated topic to read and comprehend for even more questions. Those sections can get very tiresome and tedious without a strategy, and that is what I would like to give you. I want you to be able to maximize your reading time so you have as much time as possible for answering questions.
SAT Writing
Writing on an unfamiliar topic with no time to digest, outline, write, and re-write can be quite a challenge. With this in mind, I want to help you to streamline your writing skills, know common grammar, punctuation, and spelling pitfalls, and help you to turn out your best work in a pressure situation.
Sewing
I have had one formal class in sewing, back in about third grade. However, my mother was a seamstress, and I am good at reading patterns and following directions. As such, I have been able to make doll clothes, my own clothes, matching Easter dresses for my daughters, and even the bridesmaids dresses for my sister's wedding. I have designed curtains, bird cage covers, and even combined completely different patterns for my goal finished product. When your tastes are not really like current trends, you have to get creative with the fabrics, and I love doing that.
Spelling
Spelling is something that I have always taken pride in doing well. When it comes to learning, there are many rules that are applied differently in many situations. As a tutor, I need to help my students to understand when and how to apply those rules to move beyond the current week's spelling list and prepare them for the future ones as well.
Study Skills
Different subjects take different skills and habits to master. Math takes practicing rules, while history takes reading, notes, and even time lines. The idea with study skills is to pick the methods that work best with the subject that you are studying, though all subjects are best studied with few distractions, paper and pencil ready, a comfortable place to sit, and plenty of room to work. It depends on the topic, and the student, but I can show notecards, color coded notes, practice materials, and many more ideas, both traditional and innovative, that work with your student.
TOEFL
When I was working on my undergraduate degree, I had the opportunity to live in my campus's international house, sometimes with students preparing for the TOEFL. As such, I helped them to prepare to move on to other colleges with better English preparation than without that course of study.
Trigonometry
Who ever thought that the Pythagorean Theorem could have so much importance in everything around us. It starts with sin, cost,and tan. Then we flip them to sec, cosec, and cot. And then are the inverses. Not to mention using radians and p where degrees used to be enough. Trigonometry is memorization and application. Using the unit circle will seem easy, once I've had a chance to guide you through it. It is always amazing when all those trig identities fall into place together into one simple answer.
Vocabulary
A large vocabulary comes naturally from reading a lot. But, sometimes we have to learn words that pertain only to the subject at hand. Those words are often more difficult to learn, but it can be done. Repetition, flash cards, study of the context can all be used to learn new words. I have been known to be inventive when teaching new words, and have fun helping your student to have fun learning them.
Writing
Writing a paper requires more than a topic. It requires knowing your citation style, the type of paper you are writing, and writing to make sense. Each of these must be considered at each stage of the writing process, while creating a work that flows naturally while saying what you want. My entire master's degree was earned online, and so I wrote many papers. I learned many common pitfalls to the writing process, and finished with one grade not an A, and that was in math. I can help to get other students to that point by learning from my mistakes and skipping making their own.