ESL/ESOL, English Literature, TOEFL, Reading, Writing, and more

Karen B.

I grew up in an environment that stressed excelling in vocabulary, reading, language, writing, and spelling due to my mother having been a high school English teacher. At an early age I took up reading as a hobby, enjoying both classic works of literature and modern novels. As I made my way through secondary school, I was often praised by my teachers for my journals, poetry and short stories. I attended California State University Dominguez Hills, where I earned a Bachelor's degree in English Literature. The preparation for that degree made me well versed in such aspects of literature as American Literature, African American Literature, World Literature, Children's Literature, plays, and poetry.

In college I tutored many friends and classmates in literature and writing, For some of the people I tutored, English was their second language. For those students I would make comparisons between the literary work we were studying and their everyday efforts to communicate in the English language. I also worked in the business sector for many years which gave me skills in communicating with people from all over the world. I am experienced in tutoring teens and adults, however I would love to tutor children also. As a former Disney employee, I am well versed in communicating with children in a way that appeals to them!

The approach I take to tutoring depends on the subject. I like to draw parallels between studying literature, language, writing, and our everyday world. For a writing student I would often suggest keeping a journal of their daily thoughts and activities or practice communicating with a friend for an hour only in written form. For a literature student I would suggest finding the plot in a commercial, or their favorite TV show so they can see the elements of literature in a form they understand. For ESL/ESOL students I like to point out the different tones English can take with the same words.

Please contact me for more information. I look forward to helping you!