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Don L-- English, Literature, SAT prep, Grammar, and Writing Teacher
Donald L.

5.0 (1,169 ratings)

4,190 hours tutoring

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Hourly Rate: $65
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Response time: 3 hours

About Donald

Bio

Since retiring in February 2014 from teaching high school English full-time, I have really enjoyed tutoring all aspects of English instruction. I loved teaching high school, and I am finding tutoring just as enjoyable. I am meeting many new, interesting people, and I am teaching students of all ages now.

I am patient, flexible, and personable. I prefer to praise and encourage students whenever possible; however, a teacher's job is also to point out weak areas and help students strive for...

Since retiring in February 2014 from teaching high school English full-time, I have really enjoyed tutoring all aspects of English instruction. I loved teaching high school, and I am finding tutoring just as enjoyable. I am meeting many new, interesting people, and I am teaching students of all ages now.

I am patient, flexible, and personable. I prefer to praise and encourage students whenever possible; however, a teacher's job is also to point out weak areas and help students strive for improvement. I also pride myself on being businesslike: punctuality and communication with my students and their parents are important to me.

I was named teacher of the year twice (1992 and 2011), once by the National Honor Society (students) and once by my teaching peers.

I feel very confident teaching anything English-related: grammar, writing (I teach grammar, writing, essay, and ACT English at an SAT prep company), literature, test prep (I do quite a bit of SAT prep), vocabulary, reading comprehension, and college admissions work.

It's important for me to get to know each student's strengths and weaknesses, and to proceed from there to improve skills. English allows for different approaches and styles, and experience has taught me how I like them completed, and how other teachers' expectations may differ.

As I have learned from my other teaching experiences, I continue to find that I am not perfect, that students teach me as much as I teach them, and that I love what I do.

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Education

Rutgers
English
  • Licensed teacher

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Approved Subjects

College Counseling

College Counseling

I have worked with hundreds of students and their college essays. Most of this work was done in my high school Honors and College Prep English classes. I have also worked with many students on highlighting skills for their applications. Finally, I have contacted colleges and spoken to their representatives on behalf of students several times.
English

English

I have 35 years of experience teaching English. I have taught literature, writing, test prep, vocabulary, and grammar. I combine good knowledge of subject matter with different strategies of practice and learning. I have always loved this field and I have enjoyed tutoring since my retirement from teaching.
Grammar

Grammar

Many students have commented that my grammar instruction has been practical and helpful. I love to focus on common writing errors and words commonly confused with one another. Because most people tend to use the same words regularly, I also work with writing samples to focus on personal growth. I am currently teaching an SAT writing and grammar class.
Literature

Literature

As a high school teacher, literature was the mainstay of my curriculum. I have taught British, World, and American literature many times. I love to focus on theme and character analysis, and to make literature approachable by comparing it to everyday life.
Reading

Reading

My teaching experience required constant attention to reading, comprehending, and discussing many different reading selections.While vocabulary and grammar help a reader to understand what he is studying, reading different genres is important to develop stronger skills. For today's student, who typically does not read as much as students 20 years ago, reading different materials is even more important to raise skill levels.
SAT Reading

SAT Reading

The digital SAT reading section certainly contains difficult questions, but there are several tips that can help students select correct answers. Reading closely is paramount. As the passages are short, this is less time-consuming than on previous incarnations of the test. I often use practice-test passages with students not preparing for the SAT because they are sexcellent for honing reading comprehension skills.
SAT Writing

SAT Writing

I'm surprised at how many grammar lessons I am doing for the digital version of the test. Many students say they have not been taught the punctuation, modifier usage, and sentence connection concepts needed to answer the questions asked on the digital version of the test. I like to teach grammar, and it enables students to know that the answer they select is correct.
Study Skills

Study Skills

I have 35 years of experience as a high school teacher. I have helped students organize notebooks, speeches, essays, and test reviews. Study skills depend more than anything else on understanding the lesson, objectives, and unit being studied.
Vocabulary

Vocabulary

Every student of English should work on building vocabulary. I have materials that focus on building good vocabulary, especially for the middle school and high school years. Finally, I provide 'common context' to illustrate appropriate usage in a sentence for new words.
Writing

Writing

In 35 years of teaching English, I learned to specialize in analytical or 'college' writing. Organizing essays, using proper sentence structure, and avoiding common writing errors are strengths of mine. I have several different formats to help students write more clearly and to be more organized.
ACT English
American History
ESL/ESOL
GED
Spelling
TOEFL
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Response time: 3 hours

Ratings and Reviews

Rating

5.0 (1,169 ratings)
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4 star
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3 star
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Reviews

Excellent Tutor!

Don was Great! I needed help with a "Fiction Analysis" paper for English 102. Don was able to help me understand exactly what my professor was looking for in this assignment and then helped me with different ways that I can approach it. He not only helped me with this assignment, but helped me gain a deeper understanding of how to write papers and gather the important / key information out of the story which will help me with my future assignments. I highly recommend Don for anyone in need of help with a writing assignment!

Christie, 1 lesson with Donald

patient and skillful

My son told me that Don is patient and skillful. He can be both inspiring and also gently pushing him to explore and develop his own ideas when they were brainstorm writing project.

Angela, 8 lessons with Donald

Great tutor

Donald is very knowledgeable and patient. He has good knowledge of SAT English. And he prepared for the class and sent practice material afterwards. My daughter learned a lot from him.

Lilly, 1 lesson with Donald

Great Tutor

Mr. Donald is very patient and flexible. He is always prepared for the lesson, even sometimes on short notice. My son really enjoys working with him. We appreciated his help very much.

Helen, 5 lessons with Donald

Great first session - hope it is the beginning of some more great lessons!

This was my son's (9th grade) first lesson with Donald. My son was struggling with his English essay writing and Donald started out with the basics in his first lesson. This is exactly what he needed! My son found him very helpful and asked to have another session with him! We are excited and I think my son will benefit greatly from Donald.

Diem, 10 lessons with Donald

Great tutor for my ninth grader.

My son is responding well to sessions with Donald. I’ve already seen a major improvement with his Literature and Composition assignments at school. We look forward to having Donald as a resource for College Essay prep and other English courses in the future!

Tiffany, 5 lessons with Donald

Practical help

Donald has been helping my daughter with improving her high school English Honors essays. His guidance is practical and clear, which is helping her feel more confident with her writing.

Shilpa Gavali, 3 lessons with Donald

Great teacher!

Donald was very helpful in showing me how to answer certain questions, he is very patient and a great teacher. 100% reccomend!

Sade, 6 lessons with Donald

clear, concise lesson & a patient teacher

Donald has been an excellent teacher to sharpen, refine and apply the concepts that my child believed she had understood, and to correct and teach the ones she did not know. The key is always to identify the weaknesses versus the misunderstanding of the basic concepts and fix the foundation. Donald has helped my child to do so. An excellent tutor for SAT ELA portion!

MLT, 3 lessons with Donald

Excellent tutor!!

Donald was such an Excellent tutor in helping me with my college essays. He's very knowledgeable with all types of writing and provided me with the help I needed to bring out the best in my own writing skills. Plus He's the most patient tutor I've worked with in a long time. Donald will always be the tutor I'll contact first to assist with any writing needs I may have in the future.

Theresa, 2 lessons with Donald
Hourly Rate: $65
Response time: 3 hours
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