I am a current senior at Columbia University originally from sunny San Diego, California. My tutoring specialities are writing (both academic and creative), grammar, and critical reading skills in both French and English. I can also tutor the SAT/ACT, study skills, and various social studies subjects (my specialities include anthropology, art history, and modern European/World history). I also have experience counseling and mentoring students through the often stressful, but ultimately satisfying, college admissions process.
French is my true passion and I have studied the language in school and independently for 8 years. My qualifications include:
-- Study abroad in both Paris and Nice, France for a total of one year. I took master's-level political science and African studies courses at the prestigious Université de Paris 1 - Panthéon-Sorbonne during the fall and winter of 2011.
-- French and Francophone Studies major at Columbia University, class of 2013. I'm currently writing my senior thesis (in French) on the influence of colonialism, Parisian art collectors and world fairs in the reception of African art in Western Europe and the United States.
-- A score of 5 on the AP French Language exam in 2008, a score of 4 on the AP French Literature exam in 2009. Although I took these tests back in high school, I can help you or your student excel at either of these tests!
-- Taught beginning French lessons to a kindergarten class at Dingeman Elementary in San Diego, California, giving one lesson a week for an entire school year.
-- Three years of experience as a French tutor for adults, teens, and youth at different fluency levels. I have many references - both in the US and in France - who can attest to my French language skill and/or tutoring ability.
Our French lessons will be tailored to your needs and supplemented by materials that I have either created myself or have found as effective tools for French learners. I will take into account not only your previous experience and exposure to the language, but also your motivations for learning French (travel, conversation, business, romance, etc.). My philosophy is that strong language skills will naturally follow a passion for the culture and that language is useless without cultural understanding; thus, I strongly recommend incorporating culture into lessons (though ultimately, you are the judge of what I teach). I am also more than happy to tutor students of all ages - it's never too late to learn a new language!
My English language and composition tutoring lessons focus on the needs of the student. Just like with French, I strive to help students discover, engage with, and analyze their personal relationship with the English language to help empower students to overcome their writing insecurities and reading road blocks. I have helped students master writing persuasive essays, feel more comfortable with English grammar, and express themselves with clear, concise and precise vocabulary choices.
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