LaDawn E.
Huntsville, AL
Tutor for ESL and Students Who "Hate to Write"
University of Iowa
Comm. StudiesMIU - Fairfield, IA
Master'sAbout LaDawn
In Iowa I taught part-time for ten years at a League for Innovation community college with enrollment of 15,000. While there I found I preferred teaching one-on-one in our writing center, where I could help students with the specific part of the writing process where they were struggling. Sometimes it really is spelling, punctuation and citations
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1 hour notice requiredTravel Radius
Travels within 30 miles of Huntsville, AL 35806"A creative ESL tutor for my wife!"
- Mario, Huntsville, AL on 8/26/15I was looking for an ESL tutor for my wife to help on developing her listening and speaking skills and LaDawn was a great fit. She listens to my wife's needs and she's very creative to find different material to bring to the tutoring sessions to make it more dynamic. She is very patient and provides excellent feedback. I highly recommend LaDawn to anyone that is looking for an ESL tutor.
"Very Helpful"
- Hal, Huntsville, AL on 8/8/16Ladawn was very helpful to my daughter this summer. She tutored her in High School English where she helped reinforce writing principles and guided her through some college preparation exams. She was an excellent communicator and fostered a great rapport with my daughter. We will definitely contact her again if the need arises.
"Excellent tutor"
- Ara - Son is Garett, Toney, AL on 10/24/14Ms. LaDawn was very helpful! She was very easy to communicate with and her instructions were very helpful. She provided me new insight as to how to approach testing. She responded quickly and was willing to work with my schedule.
"Great Tutor All Around"
- Sara, Madison, AL on 8/17/14LaDawn is very easy to talk with. She knows what she is tutoring very well. She made it very easy for my child to understand. She is very professional. This was the best experience I had with getting my child a tutor. I would recommend her for anyone.
"Great Tutor!"
- Dee, Huntsville, AL on 4/24/14Mrs. LaDawn is a great tutor. I like that she is patient and understanding. She takes her time, and she makes sure I understand before moving on. My ACT English score improved by 5 points, and I gained an extra point in math. Mrs. LaDawn is easy to contact via phone and very good about responding to emails in a timely manner. She was also very helpful in providing additional resources to aide in reaching my educational goals. I will definitely seek her out each time I may need tutoring assistance in the future.
Some students need both tutoring and advising as they make the transition to college. I am happy to share what I've picked up in my 10 years of college teaching.
"Patient and knowledgeable"
- Sussan, Huntsville, AL on 1/28/14Ms. LaDawn is a very helpful tutor. She is very patient and knowledgeable. I will try to improve my writing with a great help that she offers.
Approved subjects are in bold.
Approved subjects
In most cases, tutors gain approval in a subject by passing a proficiency exam. For some subject areas, like music and art, tutors submit written requests to demonstrate their proficiency to potential students. If a tutor is interested but not yet approved in a subject, the subject will appear in non-bold font. Tutors need to be approved in a subject prior to beginning lessons.
ACT English
Years ago, I worked for a company in NC that offered SAT test prep. Currently, I have one student through WyzAnt. She has dyslexia, which slows down her reading. I encouraged her to ask for extra time from ACT, which she received. Her scores on the practice tests have gone from aprox 15% to 85% since we have been working together.
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
For the past year I have been volunteering with and mentoring young adults on the autism spectrum. Currently I am coaching a student through the job-search process, including doing mock interviews and brainstorming how best to react to common workplace scenarios that can mean trouble for people on the autism spectrum.
This has involved a lot of self-education, including reading several books by Temple Grandin, PhD. (I was also fortunate to attend the lecture she gave at UA-Athens this year.) It's clear to me that the best approach for connecting with anyone on the autism spectrum is to begin with appreciating the topics they are passionate about and then patiently encouraging them to transition into topics that might lead to a paying career.
Career Development
For six years I taught Comp II: Technical Writing, which emphasizes job search strategies, resume writing, effective cover letters and the importance of timely thank you letters. We even went so far as to do mock interviews (ungraded) to help raise students' confidence levels. I was surprised to learn that my over-25-year-old students in the night classes often needed this more than the teenagers. If I had a text for tutoring career guidance it would be What Color Is Your Parachute? by Richard Nelson Bolles. I have been using these networking principles in my career for over 15 years, so I know they work. Keep in mind that you don’t just get MY knowledge, but the accumulated wisdom of all the professional recruiters, HR directors who have spoken in my classrooms.
Cooking
I have taught nutrition and cooking classes at New Pioneer Co-op in Iowa City, IA. I am a dedicated self-taught cook, well-versed in local, organic, and healthy food that kids like to eat. Gluten-free, plant-based protein options and healthy eating on a budget are specialties. I can also show favorites from "Little House Cookbook" or "The Diet for Teenagers Only."
Give your children and yourself the tools for a healthy life. My kitchen accommodates up to three student cooks (Adults can watch for free).
English
I taught English composition to college freshmen for 10 years. We focused on personal essays, including how to overcome writer's block, organization, voice, clarity, and revision. Other college courses I taught emphasized finding reliable online resources, proper citation to avoid accusations of cheating and preparing resumes. In addition, my individual writing center tutoring exposed me to assignments that involved literary criticism, offering balanced opinions in persuasive papers, and resumes.
ESL/ESOL
I taught college English for 10 years (including many immigrants and refugees who had completed my community college's ESL program) and worked with ESL students as a volunteer last year. One of my regular students was from Mexico, and had been studying English for several years.
Government & Politics
In my 10 years of teaching both face-to-face and online for community college and local universities I helped students with a variety of government papers in the writing center. In addition, I have been involved in politics in the federal, state, and local level. I also follow politics closely through the media and online, because I am so interested in how government can make life safer and more fair.
Grammar
During the 10 years I taught in community college classrooms in Iowa I also did microteaching in the writing center. This was the ideal environment to explain the rules of grammar that many students missed out on during middle school. In my current online college English composition classes I offer comprehensive feedback on grammar and usage errors, often including a link to a site that offers exercises.
Marketing
My professional writing career has spanned more than 20 years and included PR, direct mail, websites and video. During my two years with Stamats Communications in their Educational Services Group I created award winning packages for schools ranging from Mercer University School of Law to Castleton State College in Vermont. This experience prompted my being hired to create and teach Strategies and Tactics in Marketing for Mt. Mercy University, which wanted its PR/marketing grads to have client experience. Over a semester these students would plan and execute an event to benefit a local nonprofit. I also taught Intro to PR for two years.
Public Speaking
In addition to 10 years as a classroom instructor, I have a strong theatre background. I held supporting roles in main stage productions of Theatre Cedar Rapids (recognized as top 25 nationally) and assisted with teaching workshops on Shakespearian diction and stage combat. In my role as a PR professional I have been interviewed on live radio and TV programs, as well as appearing in promotional videos for United Way of East Central Iowa. I served as a judge for Iowa’s competitive high school speech competition. For both academic and professional contexts, I would use video to encourage students to realistically assess their speaking style and help construct a stronger presentation.
Study Skills
I taught English composition at Kirkwood Community College for 10 years, and discovered that most of my ENG 101 students needed study skills before they could begin their essays. In addition to breaking down the writing process for 18-year-olds, I have structured lessons for my step-daughter throughout her school years.
For my tutoring students, I intend to structure incentives for meeting milestones towards their bigger goals. I use the principles of "How to Study in College" (11th ed.) by Walter Paulk, who incorporates Cornell notetaking system. This is ideal for students transitioning from homeschool to a formal classroom environment.
Theater
I have been involved with four community theatres for nearly 20 years--primarily musical theatre and comedy--on stage, backstage, front of house, and assistant directing. I offer theatre games, scene study, and audition assistance. Past experience with children includes summer workshops.
Writing
I have written professionally since 1990 for local and national publications. More recently, I have done marketing writing, helped with resumes and created content for web sites.
In addition, I taught composition at universities and community college for 10 years.
Other Huntsville, AL Tutors
LaDawn E.
Huntsville, AL
Tutor for ESL and Students Who "Hate to Write"