Shawn, the Holy Grail for Students of History & Lit

In ten years as a history teacher, tutor and instructional aide, students learned course content but also became better students. I emphasize improving organizational and study skills to create a more permanent solution to academic challenges. I also focus my learning activities around concepts and skills to build understanding, rather than focusing simply on rote knowledge.

Anyone and everyone can understand history. At its most basic, history is about relationships. We all have relationships with other people, and go into a history class with a built-in reference and relevance.

My interdisciplinary teaching style also features my varied life, travel and writing experiences.

My philosophy of education (and favorite quote) is from Tacitus, the historian from ancient Rome: “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be lighted”.

Shawn's Subjects

Art:	art history
English:	English, ESL/ESOL, grammar, literature, proofreading, reading, vocabulary, writing
Test Preparation:	ASVAB, GED
Language:	ESL/ESOL, Spanish
History:	American history, archaeology, classics, European history, geography, government & politics, religion, social studies, world history
Elementary Education:	elementary (k-6th), elementary math, elementary science, grammar, reading, spelling, study skills, vocabulary
Corporate Training:	ESL/ESOL, grammar, proofreading, Spanish
Homeschool:	elementary (k-6th), English, ESL/ESOL, reading, Spanish, study skills, writing

American History

I have taught US History at the middle and high school levels, focusing on the question of what makes one an "American". The issues of popular culture and identity are at the core of how US democracy had evolved over time; I look at the questions of who has rights and which rights they have as a reflection on who we say we are as Americans. Secondary foci include economic and diplomatic history.

Vocabulary

Everyone can improve their vocabulary, to include mastering technical jargon. The key is to understand the structure of words and language.

I teach through a variety of means, but the core of what I do is to look at how words are built within a language through the devices of a prefix, suffix, root word, or allusion. I link words by theme and category, as in words related to occupations, types of behavior, or foods. I also link words by their function in language, such as prepositional... Read More

Grammar

Grammar is not merely a set of rules to follow--it is a means to expression. One of my favorite authors, William Faulkner, took this concept to its max. Good writers use grammar to efficiently and directly convey what they are saying. This is what I can help you do.

European History

I have taught European History at the middle and high school levels, and have also tutored AP European History students. My specializations include the dialectic between economic and political change, as well as imperialism and the cross-fertilization of cultures. My favorite period is from 1870 to 1945 (the Modern Period), when people wrestled with new technologies, scientific possibilities, and the depths of the human mind as reflected in psychology, philosophy and the arts.

Reading

My lessons to help students with reading are based around central concepts for content recall and interpretation. Students use graphic organizers, cartooning and role-playing to improve comprehension and interpretive skills. In addition to phonics and spelling rules, I also emphasize vocabulary development through root words, prefixes, and suffixes.

My teaching approach is about helping students become better students even as they learn content. That is the lifetime gift that I give... Read More

Spanish

A history teacher specializing in cross-cultural interactions, I am also a husband of a native Spanish-speaker from the Dominican Republic. Although I am a norteamericano ("American"), I enjoy Spanish culture and history. I attend Catholic mass in Spanish and enjoy the expressiveness that pervades it. I would like to share my passion for opening connections and understanding between cultures and people.
!Llámeme!

Writing

As a teacher, one of my specializations was improving student writing. I use the John Collins Writing and Empowering Writers programs to help students approach writing as an engaging and very personal process of expression. This process includes collecting thoughts through brainstorming and free-writing, organizing and planning, writing a draft, editing, and finally, publishing. I help students improve their reflective, narrative, expository, persuasive and creative writing.

Geography

I like helping students understand their world better, becoming more aware of how our world is a very interconnected "Global Village." Through the 5 Themes of Geography (Location, Place, Region, Movement and Human/Environment Interaction), my students have gained a better understanding of how people are impacted by the environment, how people impact the environment, and how these interactions affect history and society--from the prehistoric times of hunter-gatherer societies to the advanced civilizations... Read More

English

Building literacy through basic reading, writing, speaking and listening skills has helped my students' learning across the curriculum more meaningful and successful. They have developed the basic building blocks for being more successful students, and being more in charge of their lives and professional and personal opportunities.

Furthermore, I enjoy very much delving into literature with students as they come to understand it in its historical context, but also through its more timeless... Read More

Government & Politics

The age-old question of "Who's the boss?" is addressed periodically by all human societies. That question, as well as questions of how we determine who is boss, how they should rule, and are there limits for the boss are at the core of any study of government and politics. I can help your student understand government and politics thematically through these questions. (The answers to these questions are myriad,but one should know that democracy as we know it in the US is historically a relative... Read More

Literature

I enjoy delving into literature with students as they come to understand it in its historical context, but also through its more timeless and enduring themes as they address the essence of the human condition and experience. Literature is about how we live and interact--it is about relationships; it is relevant to every person, academically-oriented or not.

My favorite authors are Tim O'Brien, Mark Kurlansky and Michael Ondaatje. Favorite poets include Louise Gluck, Pablo Neruda, and... Read More

World History

I have taught world history at the middle and high school levels and have also tutored AP students. My specializations include the dialectic between economic and political change, as well as imperialism and the cross-fertilization of cultures. My favorite period is 1870 to 1945 (the Modern Period), when people wrestled with new technologies, scientific possibilities, and the depths of the human mind as reflected in psychology, philosophy and the arts.

Proofreading

I treat writing as a process, based on brainstorming and free-writing, organizing and planning, writing a draft, editing, and finally, publishing. Whether the writing is reflective, narrative, expository, persuasive or creative, treating it as a process is essential to success.

In my proofreading work, I evaluate writing on how well it meets content requirements, and communicates that content effectively to the intended audience.

My experience ranges broadly as a teacher... Read More

GED

I became a teacher to help people "get where they want to go". In other words, I like giving people a hand-up to improve their personal and professional life opportunities. A GED is a second chance in life.

By relating course content to students' lives, I have helped many students from age 12 to age 70 learn basic academic and job skills that have empowered them to get more from life.

ASVAB

As a former Marine, I have taken the ASVAB myself, and like helping people interested in a military career take the ASVAB and get the scores they need to enter into the occupational specialties of their choice.

As a teacher and tutor, I have the background in study skills and prepping students for standardized tests like the ASVAB, AP exams and MCAS (the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System). I like helping people get where they want to go--let me help you jump-start your military... Read More

Study Skills

As a teacher and tutor of over ten years, I have helped my students become better learners--become better at apprehending, organizing, remembering and utilizing content. I use the Landmark Methodology developed by Joan Sedita to help students improve skills and focus on concepts and themes, rather than emphasizing rote knowledge. I can help students work to their strengths while developing their weaker areas in developing a system of learning strategies that works for them.

Religion

I am a Catholic who converted from Lutheranism (Protestant) a number of years ago. That being said, I am familiar with the Catholic Cathechism, but also have a perspective on how and why Protestants disagree on certain doctrinal issues. I am also very familiar with the Bible Study, which I have done as both Lutheran and Catholic. Church history is also a strong suit of mine, as it is interesting to see how the Church has evolved over time and why it made the decisions it has made and how it has... Read More

ESL/ESOL

Much of my ten years of teaching and tutoring has been with students not originally from the US and who do not speak English as their first language. This is also my circumstance at home, as my wife is from the Dominican Republic--her native language is Spanish.

I enjoy working with students to help them learn English and enjoy more personal and professional opportunities in the United States. I have helped students learn the basic sound-letter combinations in English, and patterns... Read More

Archaeology

Archaeology is not always like Indiana Jones running into a long-lost temple, chased by the locals or treasure-hunting Nazis. Since the 19th century, archaeology has evolved into a social science, and it has a painstaking methodology to objectively collect, interpret, synthesize and evaluate data to make and test theories about people and how they lived (and live now).

As a history teacher, I have integrated archaeological methodologies into my World and US History courses as well... Read More

Art History

As a history teacher, I have often brought art into my lessons and projects, as a means of understanding the spirit of a society and its times. I also have taught an elective course called History Through Art, a basic survey for middle and high school students that focused on the art of Western Civilization. My areas of concentration are in Renaissance, modern and contemporary art; my baccalaureate Honors thesis was written on the Bauhaus, a school of art and architecture in 1920s/30s Germany... Read More

Social Studies

A history teacher, I have helped middle and high school students learn and enjoy Social Studies. Learning Social Studies is really learning about people, which is something in which we all have the potential to be experts. Why do people do what they do? How do people interact with each other in different situation and environments? Social Studies is really about our lives.

Furthermore, I have also taught Social Studies and Social Sciences courses, such as Psychology, Geography and... Read More

Classics

The Classics have been the core of my ancient history courses, as well as critical segments in my History Through Art course, standard college-preparation world history courses, and AP World History tutoring.

The ancient foundations of Western Civilization are the Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian traditions. Reading the literatures of these traditions can give us modern-day folks a view into why we think what we think and why we do what we do--even fifteen hundred years after the collapse... Read More

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Education

Undergrad, Northeastern University - Boston Graduate, MEd, Worcester State College

Great tutor - resourceful and works well with my 10 year old. — My son has come a long way in a few months while working with Shawn. He just completed a strong essay that he would not have been able to write a few months ago. I highly recommend Shawn! Shawn is an excellent tutor. He is flexible and develops meaningful strategies and lessons for my son to learn from and work with. I highly recommend him.

— Jacquie from Leominster, MA

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Shawn will travel within 30 miles of Worcester, MA 01606.

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