Hi! My name is Catharina. I live in the Princeton area and I have 6 years private tutoring experience. My two areas of specialization are:
1) COACHING FOR THE SAT CRITICAL READING AND WRITING TESTS:
My job as a dedicated tutor is to help your child achieve his/her goal of attending a first choice college or university with the best possible financial package. Standardized test performance is a key component of academic and financial opportunity.
Specifically, in preparation for the SAT Reading and Writing Tests, I tailor my work to each individual student to efficiently maximize his/her success in every way. My work involves a brief initial assessment of my student's performance to determine priorities and customize tutoring strategies. I have been highly successful in improving my students' scores because: I continuously research the most diverse up-to-date strategies and working materials and include private resources based on my experiences as a tutor; I allocate prep time according to my student's strengths and weaknesses; I teach my students how to reduce test taking anxiety and manage time optimally in the exams; I am an engaging teacher with a great sense of humor, attuned to my students' personalities, and I am a terrific confidence-building coach! I guarantee that I will efficiently guide you to achieve results wherever you seek help -- with the challenges of essay writing, grammar, reading comprehension or vocabulary.
2) ALL AREAS OF ELEMENTARY EDUCATION - PRE-KINDERGARTEN THROUGH 6TH GRADE.
In ELEMENTARY EDUCATION my greatest pleasure as a tutor is helping young children develop the skills that build competence, confidence and pride in their schoolwork. I specialize in instruction that is tailored to your child's needs. I have spent 2 years teaching and 6 years tutoring children in Preschool and grades Kindergarten through Grade 6. My priority is accessing both your child's strengths and individual learning style and then applying diverse strategies to build up weaknesses. I consider my patient, non-judgmental teaching style to be especially valuable for a student who has experienced frustration with schoolwork and/or has special needs related to ADHD, OCD, etc. At the same time, perseverance is an essential component of achievement, and I am dedicated to your child's success!
In teaching reading, I have utilized various decoding strategies - phonics, word recognition, context, and reading comprehension overview. I always seek to make the process enabling and pleasurable for your child, as reading should be a lifelong joy. My approach to writing includes teaching grammar and composition, and uncovering your child's personal 'voice' as a writer.
In teaching math, I first do an assessment, engaging your child in simple problems, so that his strengths and weaknesses become evident, revealing his ways of thinking. I use manipulatives for young children, visual images, comparisons, guessing and checking, and basic skill development as necessary. For older children, in addition to prealgebra concepts and introductory geometry, we study various forms of problem solving including learning number sense and number theory, classifying, making tables and diagrams, and working on formulas We learn using analogies estimating unknown quantities, collecting and analyzing data, and exploring concepts of probability and statistics where appropriate. I emphasize strategies for evaluating whether a possible solution makes sense. We will also go back and work on particular weak areas such as fractions, exponents, and complex word problems as necessary.
My true goal is to work supportively and sensitively, while building your child's tolerance for challenge(or overcoming his/her fear thereof) and help him/her to succeed!
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