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Adele C.'s Photo
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Experienced, Effective Reading Teacher, Multiple Certifications
Adele C.

5.0 (14 ratings)

106 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee
Hourly Rate: $50
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About Adele

Bio

I love tutoring! And I’ve found my tutoring passion: reading! I‘m an experienced educator (almost 50 years) with seven teaching certificates from three states.

Whether your child - of any age - is a beginning reader who needs a firm base, an intermediate reader who hasn’t yet found joy in reading, or an advanced reader who needs to hone his/her comprehension skills (the highest level of comprehension is ‘technical comprehension; it is subject-specific, and needed for excellence in high...

I love tutoring! And I’ve found my tutoring passion: reading! I‘m an experienced educator (almost 50 years) with seven teaching certificates from three states.

Whether your child - of any age - is a beginning reader who needs a firm base, an intermediate reader who hasn’t yet found joy in reading, or an advanced reader who needs to hone his/her comprehension skills (the highest level of comprehension is ‘technical comprehension; it is subject-specific, and needed for excellence in high school and college reading), I can help. I would consider it an honor & a privilege to be part of your child’s educational team.

I have been tutoring since 2016 when I retired after 47 years teaching in elementary and high schools, working as a school and district administrator, and working for the Minnesota Department of Education. It is delightful to now have the time and opportunity to work individually with children and young people, finding their strengths and areas needing strengthening, sharing my love of reading and the skills I’ve learned over the years.

My certifications are: Elementary School, Elementary School Principal, Secondary Social Studies, Reading (remedial & advanced), Specific Learning Disabilities, Mild to Moderate Mentally Handicapped, and Director of Special Education.

“Sparkie’s approach was engaging, patient, and highly effective. She helped Stella become genuinely interested in stories, invested in characters, and motivated to improve her skills. Under Sparkie’s guidance, Stella’s retention and vocabulary grew significantly, and her confidence as a reader blossomed.

What stands out most is Sparkie’s genuine care and personal investment in Stella’s growth. She didn’t just tutor Stella- she became a trusted friend and mentor, providing encouragement and inspiration that went beyond academics.“

If it sounds like I could be helpful, please contact me. I’d love to explore what I might be able to offer you.

Read more

Education

Wheaton College, Illinois
History, Education
George Washington University, DC, Special Education
Masters

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $50
  • Rate details: $500 for one month (3/week, four weeks); must be a prior agreement.
  • Lesson cancellation: 24 hours notice required

  • Background check passed on 7/11/2019

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Schedule

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Approved Subjects

ADHD

ADHD

I have worked with many students identified as having ADD/ADHD, both in the general education setting and in the special education setting. As a special education teacher in Maryland, Massachusetts and Minnesota, I spent over ten years working with general education teachers, helping them to adjust their teaching style to accommodate the needs of students who have this disability. I am currently tutoring two young men, one 16 and one nine, who have both been identified as having ADD, one the hyperactive type. They are both exhibiting significant growth. One, a high school student has been moved from a special school back to a general education high school. The younger boy is progressing well in reading and we are now working on understanding how math works.
Elementary (K-6th)

Elementary (K-6th)

Over my career I’ve taught every elementary grade except fourth, and hold certifications in multiple areas of general education and special education. During my time teaching at the university level I supervised upper level college students in the elementary classroom as they developed their skills in preparation for their teaching certification. For several years I also led seminars for educators on how to individualize teaching approaches using hands on methods, demonstrating how to change your approach based on the unique needs of each child. I hold a master’s degree from George Washington University, earned on full fellowship.
Phonics

Phonics

I have certifications in seven areas, including reading, elementary/secondary education and special education, and I taught for over 20 years before moving to the Minnesota Dept. of Education. Phonics, in addition to sight words and comprehension, is one of the legs of the three cornered stool called reading/writing. It's a puzzle: you need to be able to hear a sound and identify a squiggle on paper, as that squiggle represents a specific sound. Then you need to put the sounds/squiggles together to create words which have meaning. This can be a fun adventure! It can also be frustrating. English has so many exceptions to the rule the rules sometimes seem pointless. They are the place to start, however, and the key is to find someone who can help you learn to successfully play the game of language!
Reading

Reading

I am a certified reading teacher, and also hold certifications in several areas of special education, general education and administration. And reading is my passion! Reading is about figuring out how language works. That is done by understanding the way a student learns and best done by understanding who the student is. I’ve tutored students from public, private & home schools. I’ve tutored a student who’s reading level jumped five grades in one year, and I’ve helped the parents of a student in a special education school work with the district to move him back into a regular education school, with support. I’ve helped parents move their child from home-schooling to private schooling. And I’ve testified in court, as an expert witness, in an educational dispute. What do you need me to do as part of your child’s educational team?
Special Needs

Special Needs

I have 20 years of experience teaching children who have disabilities, both in the regular and special education classroom. Additionally I have taught college courses in special education through Massachusetts State College, North Adams, MA & St. Thomas University, St. Paul, MN. I worked for almost 30 years at the Minnesota Department of Education training teachers in special education and working with districts and parents as they designed special education services for specific students. I am certified as a teacher of students who have a learning disability and students who have a mild or moderate disability. I'm also certified as a special education director and have wide experience helping parents and districts to successfully design plans for students with various disabilities. I'd be successful working with an adult with a disability or a child with a disability. I am especially skilled at disentangling difficult situations between students and educators.
Writing

Writing

I am qualified by certification - elementary, reading, special education - to teach basic writing skills. I do not feel comfortable tutoring students who possess high level writing skills and wish explore a particular type of writing, such as technical writing or writing for other types of publication. Writing is a basic skill allowing us to communicate with another in a way that will be memorialized. It is necessary for success in school, and in life. It's tightly related to reading and is not scary as it sometimes appears; it's simply reading in reverse! It's creating reading! It can be done with a pencil or a computer, or some other type of electronic device. Let me help you understand writing and find fun in putting your ideas on paper!

Examples of Expertise

Adele has provided examples of their subject expertise by answering 6 questions submitted by students on Wyzant’s Ask an Expert.

See all of Adele ’s answers ›
Adele C.'s Photo

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Ratings and Reviews

Rating

5.0 (14 ratings)
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Reviews

Prepared, Patient and Passionate

Adele has been tutoring two of my children (14 and 12) for the past two summers. Each child has their own unique strengths and challenges, and Adele has gotten to know them and their respective personalities very well. She comes well-prepared to each session, with the goal of making progress toward the personalized long-term goals she has for each child. One of my children has cognitive and attention issues, and Adele's extensive background in special education has been so helpful as she works with him. She is patient and kind, yet has a knack for redirecting and keeping the lesson on track. Adele also keeps in touch with my wife and me, taking the time as needed to hold meetings outside of tutoring sessions to provide her thoughts and gather feedback. We highly recommend Adele for your tutoring needs.

Justin, 43 lessons with Adele
Hourly Rate: $50
Contact Adele