Individualized Educational Services

Jonathan G.

ADHD

People with ADHD have a Norepinephrine difference- they don't get the same "I did it" intrinsic motivation that neuro-typical people get on a job well done. Success comes from simplifying routines to automate the essentials to make room for the big things. I also support individuals with the emotional regulation needs of ADHD, something that is now being recognized and honored in the literature, with the SCERTS model to set the stage for success,

Algebra 1

Need to more on the essentials to make math easier? It should always be 1, 2, 3 easy! I can support students with all texts understand what the basics of algebra are so they can solve any equations, graph any function, and solve word problems. I can bring visual lessons to clarify any math topic to bring grades up to where they need to be!

Algebra 2

Algebra 2 is a class to get excited about- we can finally discuss why we can't divide by zero! I help students learn the essentials about functions and help them generalize the essentials across all graphs to quickly find success. I love conics, but not every text has them- reach out if you'd love to know how straight lines can create awesome curved shapes.

Art History

Did you know after every major tech revolution there was a romantic movement? Well, we're wrapping up the 4th tech revolution and we're due for another! Gain and understanding of how humans have learned to express themselves visually. Ideas, mood, and emotions can be covered with a study of classical art history, architecture, and more!

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

I have worked with individuals with on the autism spectrum in general education, in a resource program, and special day class, as well as in their home. Key to helping any child on the spectrum is understanding their behavior and the signs and non verbal cues that they show us but sometimes we miss. When we find these out, developing the supports to help your child grow is easy! I use a variety of instructional strategies such as direct instruction, DDT, and picture communication strategies in combination with applied behavior analysis to develop successful lessons in all subject areas. My lessons are broken down to step by step instructions to ensure mastery of a concept. I am willing and able to provide behavioral support and / or academic support for all families with autism at any point, including support with Tri Counties Regional Center, your school district, and any other vendors that may be involved with helping your child.

Career Development

Transition planing is always a challenge! Helping students understand their interests and strengths is essential in developing a sustainable long term plan. After we find a good fit, I can help develop a learning plan to develop the needed job skills to bring about success, even if it is something as simple as starting chores at home or as complex as starting a college certificate program. I'm happy to support neurodiverse individuals with their post-high school needs.

Dyslexia

The understanding of what dyslexia has changed- it's no longer words moving on the page- it's a language based need. I've helped students find success in all academics by bringing a highly structured visual approach to ensure that students master processed based learning over trying to memorize everything. I'm trained in multi-sensory programs (but I can't say there names here) and use them; however I've adapted these teaching strategies to the core lessons to make lessons accessible from the start!

Elementary (K-6th)

My background is working with special education and general education students and helping them master the core curriculum. I have been doing this for over five years as a teacher, volunteer, and tutor. The goal for any student is to master the curriculum, and as a whole it looks big and scary, even for teachers to find a way to squeeze it all into a tiny school year. I specialize in finding ways to help kids to master it by developing accommodations to the curriculum to make it easier to understand and master. Accommodations are not ways to cheat nor are designed to skip over lessons. They are changes in the way the lesson is taught to make it easier to grasp. For mathematics, this could be something as simple manipulatives to learn to count to learn how to compute operations. I have been trained on "On Cloud 9," a Linda Mood-Bell program to help students master mathematics. Reading comprehension strategies include using visual vocabulary cards to learn the meaning of new words (or even multiple meaning words), graphic organizers for comprehension, and picture based note taking. I have a wide variety of standards based curriculum as well as my own teacher designed supplementals and skill based worksheets to help any student master what they are currently working on and move on to the next level!

Homeschool

I've been a vendor for Independent Study Schools in California since 2015! I'm able to support parents understand their purpose in home schooling, find curricula and implement plans for success! I offer small group classes to homeschooling classes in all academic areas to make quality academics open to all students, regardless of learning needs!

Literature

Helping readers better appreciate novels is a true joy. There are so many good stories that help us understand our place in society and the world. I bring a whole language approach to literature and embed vocabulary, literary devices, and rhetorical skills to ensure that today's students can be tomorrow's leaders and be able to work with others to make the world a better place.

Phonics

I have worked with students for over five years in helping them learn to read. Phonics is helping students learn letter / sound correspondence and then transferring that knowledge to sounding out and blending words together and then learning to spell. I have worked with over 100 students as a teacher and I am quick to notice what they have mastered and what areas need to be taught. I am happy to assess what grade level your child is reading at and determine what specific needs he or she has. Phonics isn't for everyone, though. I have worked with students who have a hard time learning to blend words together or sound out words but have mastered of all their letter names and sounds. In this cases like this, I have worked hard to come up with sight word based programs to help students learn to read.

Prealgebra

I take great pride in helping middle school students gather their thoughts on fractions, decimals, percents, geometry, and probability. By using hands-on, visual lessons, students are able to relearn elementary concepts quickly and truly understand concepts rather than just memorize steps. I've have many students increase their test scores over three grade levels in one school year!

Special Needs

I have worked with students with special needs since 1999, in all settings: at their home, in their community, general education, resource programs, and special day classes. I have been a special education teacher for five years and I enjoy not only helping all students achieve academic success, but advocating for their rights and needs. I have worked with students across all 13 qualifications for special education as well as those students who may be falling behind in their general education classes. No matter the child, I know that they need the caring and high levels of support before they can begin to feel good about learning and making progress. I will help to show your child that they have mastery of what they know and slowly build off of that for any subject so that they may start to feel confident about themselves and feel like they can learn. As a tutor and teacher, I look for the appropriate accommodations that children need to master the curriculum. Accommodations are not giving out the answers, but things that just make sense. An example would be a book on tape for a student that is visually impaired, has dyslexia, or poor visual processing abilities. I do not believe in avoiding difficult concepts nor watering down the curriculum. I do believe in finding ways to help everyone find access to the curriculum. As a home tutor, I have helped families with children with special needs with academic tutoring as well as behavioral support systems. I am trained in applied behavior analysis and nonviolent crisis intervention, which focuses on how to talk to people when they get upset. I help families understand their child(ren)'s behavior to get an understanding of what their needs are to help the parents develop a routine and system to encourage children to be polite and follow through with homework, chores, and other activities.

Study Skills

I have worked with students from the upper grades on to increase their organization and help with study skills. The transition from elementary school to middle school is usually a scary one for students, and they are all mostly worried about dressing out for P.E. But what about going from one teacher to six or more? Helping students maintain a system to tack all of their assignments and notes makes it easier to work with their teachers and show mastery on tests and assignments! I can work with any student to create an organized binder and backpack so they are ready for anything that the day may bring. I have also helped students with general study habits, including teaching how to outline textbooks and nonfiction, using graphic organizers to track novels' characters and plots, and developing writing strategies to help with longer essays.