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Targeted, Personalized Reading/Writing/Study Skills/SAT Support
Susan B.

5.0 (954 ratings)

3,232 hours tutoring

Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee
Hourly Rate: $65
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Response time: 2 hours

About Susan

Bio

My goal as a tutor is for students to learn how to learn so that they will no longer need my help. I establish a calm, harmonious learning environment and employ an all-positive approach to help students with dyslexia, ASD, other learning disabilities, or none at all. My students learn and practice proven, effective strategies for reading, writing, studying and test-taking -- or any combination of goals.

I quickly retool and simplify concepts to suit different learning styles and skill...

My goal as a tutor is for students to learn how to learn so that they will no longer need my help. I establish a calm, harmonious learning environment and employ an all-positive approach to help students with dyslexia, ASD, other learning disabilities, or none at all. My students learn and practice proven, effective strategies for reading, writing, studying and test-taking -- or any combination of goals.

I quickly retool and simplify concepts to suit different learning styles and skill levels. As an experienced intervention/special education classroom leader, I help learners understand increasingly complicated reading assignments. As a published author of dozens of articles, I can teach them to convey ideas precisely and engagingly. Your student will finish each tutoring session better prepared to deal with what's next.

My beloved students learn to believe that they CAN learn, that learning is interesting, and that they can take charge of their own learning. I keep up to date on the very latest research and best practices, and make sure that my students feel valued and understood.

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Education

Ohio University, Athens, Ohio
Anthropology
Central Connecticut State University
Other
Member, Kappa Delta Pi -- International Honor Society in Education
Other
  • Licensed teacher

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $65
  • Rate details: When students arrive for lessons, I absorb the costs for planning time and materials designed for their needs. "No-shows" without notice will be charged up to the full rate for a missed lesson.
  • Lesson cancellation: 3 hours notice required

  • Background check passed on 1/6/2021

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Schedule

Susan hasn’t set a schedule.

Approved Subjects

ADHD

ADHD

Sudden shifts in attention can interfere with comprehension and study skills. I'm a certified special education/intervention teacher with years of experience in guiding students who are still gaining mastery over their attention. Reducing stress is important to increasing attention skills. I help my students to stay calm in order to stay focused. As a result, my students look forward to our lessons, and so do I!
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

I help my students with autism to direct and convey their thinking with increasing verbal fluency. This is mainly a matter of “translation,” as students with autism often can “see” what they wish to communicate before they can say it; I work to help students connect what they envision to words. As they become more flexible “translators,” not only do they enjoy cognitive growth, but they also display fewer symptoms of autism, and can better integrate sensory experiences. Gaining rapport with highly visual thinkers is one of the most stimulating and rewarding experiences I have enjoyed as a teacher.
Dyslexia

Dyslexia

Overcoming dyslexia requires a lot of practice. But what to practice? I provide multi-sensory instruction based on evidence-based programs for dyslexia remediation, such as Orton-Gillingham. My all-positive approach and steady, positive feedback let students know that they are making serious progress.
Elementary (K-6th)

Elementary (K-6th)

I'm a certified special education teacher with years of experience at the elementary level. I particularly love tutoring one-to-one at this level, because it’s easiest to determine where students are already strong in their reading and math skills, and where they need greater strength. Targeted instruction propels students to higher levels of achievement. I present instruction tailored to a student’s areas of interest, and this reduces or eliminates attention difficulties so he or she can stay on task throughout the lesson.
Elementary Math

Elementary Math

When students struggle with elementary math, it’s often related to reading or language processing difficulties. Helping students to make sense of the language of math is essential to their progress. At the same time, they need to “see” how math works, using objects you probably already have in your own home. Combining these efforts leads to steady progress in math performance.
English

English

It hurts to send a child off to school knowing he or she will struggle with reading and writing assignments all day. I’m a certified special education teacher, and I’ve helped dozens of children to gain the fundamental skills to make them more effective readers and writers. I will assess your child's current reading and writing skills – phonics, comprehension, vocabulary, grammar, and organization – and develop a focused tutoring curriculum based on your child’s specific needs and interests.
ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL

I teach lessons based on your interests. You'll enjoy gaining English speaking, reading, and writing skills as you read, talk, and write about what's important to YOU!
Proofreading

Proofreading

Before becoming a teacher, I was a professional writer. Proofreading is second-nature to me, and I can teach you, too, to proofread and evaluate your own writing systematically and effectively.
Reading

Reading

I'm a certified special education teacher with years of helping students to increase their reading skills. I evaluate a student's present level of achievement, and target instruction to address areas of need, for fastest progress. I always aim to connect whatever a student is reading with his or her areas of interest; this increases motivation. A motivated reader is ready to succeed!
SAT Reading

SAT Reading

Even students who love to read worry about facing the Critical Reading section of the SAT. This is because it's unnatural to read under pressure, especially for readers who like to "see" and savor what they read -- to imagine scenes and characters, and to make connections with what they already know. During the SAT, students are expected to read a passage, answer questions about it, and move on quickly to the next passage. There's very little time to apply the skills that make reading enjoyable. Further, students who already struggle with reading report feeling overwhelmed by passages that seem long or confusing and questions that seem tricky; the time pressure makes it all seem even more difficult. Doing well on the Critical Reading section of the SAT requires a.) knowing several basic tactics for answering the questions, and b.) knowing vocabulary words that can help guide students to the right answers. Mastering these tactics and understanding these words can take as little as four to eight lessons, with independent practice in between. My students complete tutoring ready to approach the Critical Reading section calmly and with confidence.
Special Needs

Special Needs

As a certified K12 special education teacher, I'm trained to teach students with special needs at all academic levels. I have taught students with cognitive delays, emotional and behavioral disorders, autism spectrum symptoms, and/or specific learning disabilities. I have helped them improve language processing skills and study skills, as well as reading comprehension, writing, sequencing, and motivation. As a tutor, my main goals are to identify and address the needs that will help your child become a stronger, more independent student, so that he or she will no longer need my help. I am happy to be in contact with your child’s teacher, as well, to be sure we are meeting IEP goals.
Study Skills

Study Skills

Special educators/intervention teachers know: better study habits can be acquired through repeated, conscious application of specific skills -- such as effective note-taking -- and of habits of thought. Good study skills mean knowing what to study and why. It's helpful for students to learn to think like a teacher -- in other words, to ask, and then to answer: "What does my teacher think is most important? What is she most likely to ask on the test? What are different ways she could ask it?" I help children learn to ask and answer such questions, as well as how to organize their notes and thoughts to better use the information they have learned.
Writing

Writing

Before becoming a teacher, I was a professional writer. I can teach you, too, to write effectively by following a sequence of steps to ensure that your writing communicates exactly what you mean to say.
ACT English
American History
Elementary Science
European History
Geography
Grammar
Literature
Prealgebra
SAT Writing
TOEFL
Vocabulary
World History

Examples of Expertise

Susan has provided examples of their subject expertise by answering 1 question submitted by students on Wyzant’s Ask an Expert.

See all of Susan ’s answers ›
Susan B.'s Photo

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Response time: 2 hours

Ratings and Reviews

Rating

5.0 (954 ratings)
5 star
(934)
4 star
(17)
3 star
(2)
2 star
(0)
1 star
(1)

Reviews

Skilled and patient tutor

Susan has been working with my teenage son for a while: first on SAT prep and then helping him with essays. He has a hard time with written expression, and writing essays is his most dreaded task. Susan is very methodical, structured, patient, encouraging, and personable, helping my son to make step-by-step improvements. Oh, and he did very well on his SAT. Thank you, Susan!

Irina, 39 lessons with Susan

Excellent tutor

Susan has helped tremendously in improving my sons reading and writing skills. His confidence level has improved and he enjoys the work. His grades in the last year have gone from the 70’s in English to the low to mid 90’s.

George, 137 lessons with Susan

Excellent tutor

Susan has helped tremendously in improving my sons reading and writing skills. His confidence level has improved and he enjoys the work. His grades in the last year have gone from the 70’s in English to the low to mid 90’s.

George, 137 lessons with Susan

Very Patient and know how to engage with children!

I have notice a huge spike in my son’s confidence when it come to reading. He get excited to read and isn’t hesitant about reading out loud. Ms. Susan is the best!

TiAnna, 131 lessons with Susan

More patience than anyone at home.

I like how patient Susan is with my son because he’s hard to tame or teach. Thanks for putting up with him and coming up with a compromise to help him understand and motivate to love learning. Your enthusiasm helps the session go by so smoothly. Thanks for your help!

Trang, 2 lessons with Susan

My son is getting a lot of useful skills.

My son is learning a lot of useful skills and gaining confidence in his academics. He is also gaining important organization skills. Susan has helped a lot. We will be continuing.

Ann, 6 lessons with Susan

Susan has been a Godsend

My son (now 17yo) has fairly severe dyslexia and receptive/expressive language issues. He’s had tutors sporadically in the past, with varying levels of success. Only a couple really clicked and helped him see real improvement, but unfortunately they were only available for a limited time. I’ve been his primary tutor/study guide, etc. for the last few years, and did the best I could, but knew my son was still left struggling. Susan has been amazing!! She is patient, friendly, insightful, encouraging, and gentle while also challenging. In just a few lessons I have seen my son become more confident and more engaged. Her lesson reports (and the bit I’ve eavesdropped on) has shone a true light for me on where his progress stands and what he struggles with most. At his recent IEP meeting his English noted the dramatic changes he had seen in my son in the approximately 3 weeks preceding. That’s exactly the timeline he had been working with Susan. Yeah- she’s that good. I am a single mom who needs to make each dollar count. Susan is priceless. My only regret is that I did not find her sooner.

Ellie, 13 lessons with Susan

Knowledgeable and well-versed tutor

Our 11th grade daughter has had a couple session so far with Susan, and she has found the sessions very helpful. Susan is incredibly thorough, knowledgeable and has a wide variety of strategies she is able to share with students needing study and test-taking skills. She also has research-backed methodologies and creative tips/tricks to give even the most reluctant student some great tools to add to their toolbox. We look forward to having our daughter work further with Susan to continue improving in these areas.

Mary, 5 lessons with Susan

Great Tutor

If you are searching for a reading tutor Susan is the best. She works with students, determines their reading level, then creates a lesson plan to increase students reading skills and boist their confidence. She is hands on and patient. My granddaughter and me live her teaching style.

Iris, 71 lessons with Susan

Very helpful and informative tutor.

Ms. Susan understands the dyslexia mind set. She's amazing with breaking down confusion. She helps you to understand how a question should be read vs adding too much thought into it and also to stop adding unnecessary information to a question. I enjoyed her.

Brooke, 1 lesson with Susan
Hourly Rate: $65
Response time: 2 hours
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