My name is Eugene. I come from the former Soviet Union. I have a B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in English.
I am bilingual in English and Russian, and I am also proficient in French.
Since 1998, I have been a tutor in English literature, academic writing, and English as a foreign language.
Though I have mostly been tutoring groups at the college level rather than individual students, I have always spent a substantial amount of time with each of my students individually. It was both to discuss their work in progress as well as to analyze examination, test, or paper results.
My approach to tutoring combines emphasis on knowledge and skills. For example, if a student has a problem with mechanics of expression (e.g., prepositions, use of commas etc.), he or she will have a chance not only to study the necessary rules and practice them in straightforward exercises but also to play a role where these rules are a key component.
Such roles will be based as closely as possible on the student’s interests and may include: a teacher trying to explain the rules in question; an editor compiling a mini style guide on them; a literary critic commenting on their evolution and their meaning; an advertising specialist trying to use them to the utmost advantage in a given advertisement; a programmer devising an algorithm for their application; a songwriter trying to compose a song about them etc.
As a tutor, I do my best not only to encourage my students to pursue their interests while addressing a given problem but also to become involved myself in whatever excites them. I believe that my professional and personal development has equipped me with good abilities in this respect: I am a proficient and up-to-date computer user; I am interested in learning new languages (currently, I am working on my Italian); I am an amateur musician; I am combining my research in literature and language with an interest in film and theatre. All this enables me to create a learning plan that is engaging and inspirational enough for a given student.