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Experienced Teacher - Special Needs/Accelerated/English for All Ages
James C.

885 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Hourly Rate: $50
Response time: 3 hours
James C.'s Photo

Experienced Teacher - Special Needs/Accelerated/English for All Ages
Experienced Teacher - Special Needs/Accelerated/English for All Ages
James C.

885 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

885 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Qualifications for “autism”


In two positions, one at an international school in Uganda and one with the Pittsburgh Public Schools, I worked to provide special needs students, a number of whom were on the autism spectrum, with appropriate learning support measures. I have a detailed understanding of autism spectrum disorders as discussed in the DSM, and have read widely into the research literature on autism, but I also pay close attention to students' individual learning differences with an eye on offering the most personalized, beneficial instruction possible.


Related subjects
James has also tutored
Special Needs,
I have had a number of experiences teaching students with special needs. I created verbalization techniques for a college student with cerebral palsy and paraplegia to use during test taking...
Dyslexia
In two positions, at an international school in Uganda and with the Pittsburgh Public Schools, I worked to provide special needs students, several of whom were diagnosed with dyslexia, with...
and 1 more subject.

About James


Bio

...learning disabilities such as dyslexia, intellectual disabilities, speech-language impairments, and autism spectrum disorders. I have also worked as a private teacher to such students. In one case, I created...

(En español a continuación)

My main professional interests are teaching and language. I have degrees in linguistics and special education. I know Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Luganda, and American Sign Language. I have taught English in Africa, Europe, South America, and in the US to students of many different proficiency levels and nationalities. My clients have included academics, medical professionals, executives, software developers, clothing designers, salespeople, housekeeping staff, diplomats, and engineers. I have also taught for non-profit organizations, in schools, and to school-age children and their parents in their homes.

I offer English lessons using immersion techniques to focus on language relevant to the student (your job, interests, etc.). I provide TOEFL/IELTS/TOEIC preparation, editing of professional and academic writing, and tutorials in the use of PowerPoint and Word as needed. I can also assist you with public speaking for lectures, presentations, peer reviews and oral dissertation defenses as well as accent modification to help you speak more clearly in person and on the phone. My methods as a speech coach are based on my training in linguistics and are similar to the way a speech therapist works. In other words, I identify patterns in a client’s accent that are most likely to cause communication barriers with native English speakers and then I design ways of helping you modify them.

I also have years of experience as a special education teacher in which I provided learning support and wrote IEPs (Individual Education Programs) for students with ADHD, learning disabilities such as dyslexia, intellectual disabilities, speech-language impairments, and autism spectrum disorders. I have also worked as a private teacher to such students. In one case, I created verbalization techniques for a college student with cerebral palsy and paraplegia to use during exams in history and algebra. For clients seeking assistance for a child, I can offer help with study skills, test-taking skills, and tutoring in reading, writing, math, science, history for grades K-12.

In the event that you need to postpone, I kindly request 24 hours notice to schedule a makeup session.

I hold myself to a high professional standard and will bring that same energy to my work with you.

Mis principales intereses profesionales son la enseñanza y el lenguaje. Tengo títulos en lingüística y educación especial. Hablo español, italiano, portugués, luganda (de Uganda) y lenguaje de señas americano. He enseñado inglés en áfrica, Europa, América del Sur y en los EEUU a estudiantes de diferentes niveles de competencia y nacionalidades. Mis clientes han incluido la gente en las universidades (profesores, estudiantes de posgrado), profesionales médicos, ejecutivos, desarrolladores de software, diseñadores de vestuario, vendedores, personal de limpieza, diplomáticos e ingenieros. También he enseñado para organizaciones no gubernamentales (las ONG) y para niños en edad escolar y sus padres.

Ofrezco lecciones de inglés en las que uso técnicas de inmersión para enfocar a los clientes en el lenguaje relevante (su trabajo, intereses, etcetera). Proporciono preparación para TOEFL / IELTS / TOEIC, redacción de escritos profesionales y académicos, y tutoriales en el uso de PowerPoint y Word, según sea necesario. También puedo ayudar a mis estudiantes hablar en público para conferencias, presentaciones, revisiones por pares y defensas de disertaciones orales, así como a la modificación del acento para el habla más claro en persona y por teléfono. Mis métodos como entrenador de habla se basan en mi entrenamiento en lingüística y son similares a la forma en que un terapeuta del habla trabajaría con Ud. En otras palabras, identifico patrones en el acento de el cliente que con mayor probabilidad causarán barreras de comunicación con hablantes nativos de inglés y luego diseño maneras de ayudar al estudiante modificar estes patrones.

También tengo años de experiencia como maestra de educación especial en la cual he proporcionado apoyo de aprendizaje y he redactado los PEI (programas de educación individualizados) para estudiantes con TDAH, discapacidades de aprendizaje tales como dislexia, discapacidades intelectuales, trastornos del habla y trastornos del espectro autista. También he trabajado como profesor privado para tales estudiantes. En un caso, creé técnicas de verbalización para un estudiante universitario con parálisis cerebral y paraplejía para usar durante los exámenes de historia y álgebra. Para los clientes que buscan asistencia para un niño, puedo ofrecer ayuda con las habilidades de estudio, las habilidades para tomar exámenes y la tutoría en lectura, escritura, matemáticas, ciencias, historia y habilidades para la vida.

En el caso de que Ud. necesite posponer, le solicito que me informe por lo menos 24 horas antes de la clase.

Me mantengo en un alto nivel profesional y aportaré la misma energía a mi trabajo con Ud.


Education

University of Pittsburgh
Linguistics, Cognitive Science
Long Island University (Special Education)
MEd

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $50
  • Rate details: If you have a group looking to study the same subject (max. 5 students together), the rate is still $50/hour split between each student. So, 5 students would pay $10/hour each.
  • Lesson cancellation: 24 hours notice required
  • Background check passed on 4/2/2019

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Schedule

James hasn’t set a schedule.


Approved Subjects

Art

Tango

Tango

I have danced social tango off and on for the past nine years and have traveled to several cities in the US as well as Istanbul, Rome, Palermo, and Buenos Aires to dance. To date, I have taught several beginner and intermediate classes; I can offer private lessons for anyone looking for an introduction to tango and the tango community. I am also looking for a partner who wants to delve deeper into the study of musicality across various styles—classical Argentine, Salon, Apilado, Nuevo, etc.

Business

Public Speaking,

Public Speaking

I can assist with public speaking for lectures, presentations, peer reviews and oral dissertation defenses, as well as accent modification for clearer speech. In my public speaking work, I help inspire cohesiveness in clients, mitigate stammering, and promote self-awareness of paralanguage (i.e., prosody, quality of voice, volume, and rate of speech). As a speech coach, I identify patterns in clients’ accents that cause communication barriers with native speakers and then design methods of modifying these patterns toward improved comprehensibility. This all follows from a particular rubric, which I provide to students after their initial assessments. I have done this work with English language learners of many different proficiency levels, nationalities, and professions.
Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word

Computer

General Computer, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word

Corporate Training

Public Speaking,

Public Speaking

I can assist with public speaking for lectures, presentations, peer reviews and oral dissertation defenses, as well as accent modification for clearer speech. In my public speaking work, I help inspire cohesiveness in clients, mitigate stammering, and promote self-awareness of paralanguage (i.e., prosody, quality of voice, volume, and rate of speech). As a speech coach, I identify patterns in clients’ accents that cause communication barriers with native speakers and then design methods of modifying these patterns toward improved comprehensibility. This all follows from a particular rubric, which I provide to students after their initial assessments. I have done this work with English language learners of many different proficiency levels, nationalities, and professions.
ESL/ESOL, General Computer, Grammar, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, Proofreading, Spanish

Elementary Education

Elementary (K-6th),

Elementary (K-6th)

In 2007, I made a transition from my six years in adult ESL to the elementary classroom through a position with the Pittsburgh Public Schools. During that time, I gave English lessons, taught math, science and social studies bilingually (Spanish-English), and I collaborated with special education teachers to create individual education plans for English students with further learning support needs. I have also substitute taught in mainstream elementary classrooms at all grade levels. I can offer help with study skills, test-taking skills, and tutoring in math, science, and essay composition. I can also assist with special needs tutoring (please see Special Needs under my subject listing).
Phonics,

Phonics

My studies in linguistics included a strong foundation in phonetics, phonology, and language development, all of which deepened my understanding of phonics as a tool to build reading and spelling skills. Since 1999, I have worked on these skills with native English speakers and English language learners in preK-8. Since 2004, I have served as a speech coach to adult clients of many different proficiency levels, nationalities, and professions. This work is also based on principles of phonetics and phonology in which I transcribe your accent using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), much like a speech pathologist. Then, I identify the phonological patterns that are causing communication barriers with native speakers and I train you to distinguish the standard American English phonemes of interest from your accented pronunciation. This, in turn, helps you develop clearer speech. This process follows from a particular rubric, which I provide to you after your initial assessment.
Elementary Math, Elementary Science, Grammar, Reading, Spelling, Vocabulary

English

Public Speaking,

Public Speaking

I can assist with public speaking for lectures, presentations, peer reviews and oral dissertation defenses, as well as accent modification for clearer speech. In my public speaking work, I help inspire cohesiveness in clients, mitigate stammering, and promote self-awareness of paralanguage (i.e., prosody, quality of voice, volume, and rate of speech). As a speech coach, I identify patterns in clients’ accents that cause communication barriers with native speakers and then design methods of modifying these patterns toward improved comprehensibility. This all follows from a particular rubric, which I provide to students after their initial assessments. I have done this work with English language learners of many different proficiency levels, nationalities, and professions.
ACT English, ACT Reading, English, ESL/ESOL, Grammar, Proofreading, Reading, SAT Reading, Spelling, TOEFL, Vocabulary, Writing

History

Geography, Social Studies, World History

Homeschool

Elementary (K-6th),

Elementary (K-6th)

In 2007, I made a transition from my six years in adult ESL to the elementary classroom through a position with the Pittsburgh Public Schools. During that time, I gave English lessons, taught math, science and social studies bilingually (Spanish-English), and I collaborated with special education teachers to create individual education plans for English students with further learning support needs. I have also substitute taught in mainstream elementary classrooms at all grade levels. I can offer help with study skills, test-taking skills, and tutoring in math, science, and essay composition. I can also assist with special needs tutoring (please see Special Needs under my subject listing).
Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Biology, English, ESL/ESOL, Geometry, Prealgebra, Reading, SAT Math, SAT Reading, Spanish, Spelling, Writing

Language

ESL/ESOL, Spanish, TOEFL

Math

ACT Math, Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Geometry, Prealgebra, SAT Math, Trigonometry

Most Popular

Elementary (K-6th),

Elementary (K-6th)

In 2007, I made a transition from my six years in adult ESL to the elementary classroom through a position with the Pittsburgh Public Schools. During that time, I gave English lessons, taught math, science and social studies bilingually (Spanish-English), and I collaborated with special education teachers to create individual education plans for English students with further learning support needs. I have also substitute taught in mainstream elementary classrooms at all grade levels. I can offer help with study skills, test-taking skills, and tutoring in math, science, and essay composition. I can also assist with special needs tutoring (please see Special Needs under my subject listing).
Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Biology, English, ESL/ESOL, Geometry, Prealgebra, Reading, Spanish, Writing

Other

ESL/ESOL, Geography

Science

Anatomy, Biology, Psychology

Special Needs

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD),

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

In two positions, one at an international school in Uganda and one with the Pittsburgh Public Schools, I worked to provide special needs students, a number of whom were on the autism spectrum, with appropriate learning support measures. I have a detailed understanding of autism spectrum disorders as discussed in the DSM, and have read widely into the research literature on autism, but I also pay close attention to students' individual learning differences with an eye on offering the most personalized, beneficial instruction possible.
Dyslexia,

Dyslexia

In two positions, at an international school in Uganda and with the Pittsburgh Public Schools, I worked to provide special needs students, several of whom were diagnosed with dyslexia, with appropriate learning support measures. Using my linguistics background and my detailed understanding of this learning difficulty, I can offer dyslexic individuals a personalized toolbox of methods to work around the initial need for letter-sound association. I do this using memory and handwriting drills to train students to spell (and later, read) words as whole elements rather than solely by the phonics-based approaches that are problematic to them. This technique is based on the same premise as using sight words to expedite recall in emerging readers and beginning language learners.
Phonics,

Phonics

My studies in linguistics included a strong foundation in phonetics, phonology, and language development, all of which deepened my understanding of phonics as a tool to build reading and spelling skills. Since 1999, I have worked on these skills with native English speakers and English language learners in preK-8. Since 2004, I have served as a speech coach to adult clients of many different proficiency levels, nationalities, and professions. This work is also based on principles of phonetics and phonology in which I transcribe your accent using the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), much like a speech pathologist. Then, I identify the phonological patterns that are causing communication barriers with native speakers and I train you to distinguish the standard American English phonemes of interest from your accented pronunciation. This, in turn, helps you develop clearer speech. This process follows from a particular rubric, which I provide to you after your initial assessment.
Special Needs

Special Needs

I have had a number of experiences teaching students with special needs. I created verbalization techniques for a college student with cerebral palsy and paraplegia to use during test taking scenarios in history and algebra. As a special needs teacher in Uganda, I worked to support the literacy, math, and life skills of students with learning delays/disabilities including dyslexia and autism spectrum disorders. Most recently, while teaching K-5 ESL for the Pittsburgh Public Schools, I collaborated with special education teachers to create individual education plans for English students with further learning support needs. For clients seeking assistance for a student with special needs, I can offer help with study skills, test-taking skills, and tutoring in math, science, and essay composition.

Sports/Recreation

Tango,

Tango

I have danced social tango off and on for the past nine years and have traveled to several cities in the US as well as Istanbul, Rome, Palermo, and Buenos Aires to dance. To date, I have taught several beginner and intermediate classes; I can offer private lessons for anyone looking for an introduction to tango and the tango community. I am also looking for a partner who wants to delve deeper into the study of musicality across various styles—classical Argentine, Salon, Apilado, Nuevo, etc.
Yoga

Yoga

I have an ongoing yoga practice that began in 2005, during which time, I have studied Iyengar, Ashtanga, Kundalini and Yin styles. I am not certified, but I currently incorporate the above styles into my own personal practice and can teach a willing learner.

Summer

Elementary (K-6th),

Elementary (K-6th)

In 2007, I made a transition from my six years in adult ESL to the elementary classroom through a position with the Pittsburgh Public Schools. During that time, I gave English lessons, taught math, science and social studies bilingually (Spanish-English), and I collaborated with special education teachers to create individual education plans for English students with further learning support needs. I have also substitute taught in mainstream elementary classrooms at all grade levels. I can offer help with study skills, test-taking skills, and tutoring in math, science, and essay composition. I can also assist with special needs tutoring (please see Special Needs under my subject listing).
Algebra 1, Algebra 2, Biology, ESL/ESOL, GED, Geometry, Reading, SAT Math, Spanish, Writing

Test Preparation

ACT English, ACT Math, ACT Reading, GED, PSAT, SAT Math, SAT Reading, TOEFL

Ratings and Reviews


Rating

4.8 (162 ratings)
5 star
(142)
4 star
(16)
3 star
(0)
2 star
(0)
1 star
(4)

Reviews

Intuitive, informed, attentive, and adaptable tutor!

James tutored our 2nd grader in math for 15 lessons in the Spring/Summer of 2nd grade, and covered many topics from addition and subtraction, through data collection and multiplication. Long story short, James is great and we highly recommend him for tutoring! In particular, James is attentive to the individual child, and what is very interesting is that part of James' teaching approach is to pull back from the lesson and talk about bigger issues. For instance if while your kid is having their lesson, they aren't paying attention, then James might discuss what is distracting them, and set a goal related to paying attention to the rest of the lesson. I don't give his method justice with this description. He's not someone who powers through lessons no matter what. He tries to teach your kid introspection and executive function while they go about learning the topic. Great!!!

Mike, 14 lessons with James

Creative Caring Student-Centered Tutor

James is a vey caring tutor. He keeps on finding new ways to connect to my son and make learning possible, He is a creative versatile tutor that makes learning fun, functional, and relatable.

Christopher, 81 lessons with James

EXCELLENT TUTOR

My daughter is a student with learning disabilities and James is very patient with her. She is able to communicate with him which makes everything so much easier. THANK YOU JAMES!

Isis, 32 lessons with James

My son is now feeling much more confident in math!

My 11th grade son has been meeting weekly with James to work through high school Algebra I and II. He has some significant gaps in his math foundation, coupled with learning loss from the pandemic years. My son really enjoys his tutoring sessions with James, and is starting to feel much more confident with the material. James is a great tutor, we are very happy.

Crystal, 43 lessons with James

Knowledgeable and patient tutor.

James is an excellent tutor! I recommend him to anyone looking for a patient and engaging instructor. I look forward to continuing to work with him as part of my homeschooling team for my son!

Jessica , 6 lessons with James

Very Knowledgeable

James teaching is very detailed and easy to grasp. I enjoy the way gives great examples and feedback of information. With the support that I need to become a great educator, I think James would definitely help me with that.

Randallyn, 8 lessons with James

Knowledgeable and patient

Its taken a while for my 3yr old son to adjust to a new way of learning via a virtual setup. James has been extremely patient and thorough in making sure hes comfortable, and able to grasp the lesson at hand.

Shakena, 8 lessons with James

assessment

We just met with James today for the first time. James was able to make a knowledgeable observation and point on essential recommendations to help improve my son's (7 years old with autism) interaction and learning skills while moderately reducing anxiety behavior.

Victor Sebastian, 30 lessons with James

Thoughtful and understanding teacher

I just had 1 lesson so far. He made me comfortable and relaxed, he's receptive and understanding. He's a good tutor with patience and willingness to help.

Irena, 1 lesson with James

excellent tutor

James is a very thorough and thoughtful tutor. He gives great consideration to the student's situation and does whatever it takes to help the student.

Anna, 1 lesson with James
Hourly Rate: $50
Response time: 3 hours
Contact James