Highly Experienced ESL Professor and Tutor

Ron L.

I am an ESL professor with extensive teaching experience. For the past decade, I have been a faculty writing tutor (ESL Specialist) in a university writing center program. In this capacity, I have worked principally with international undergraduate and graduate students. In contrast to the classroom, I have found tutoring especially rewarding for both student and tutor as the one-on-one dynamics afford greater opportunities for in-depth, pinpointed learning.

Tutoring allows me to better guide my students to a clearer understanding, to help them to arrive at the meaning they want to convey whether in spoken or written English. In short, I can better facilitate their learning. The rapport that unfolds between student and tutor is, for me, the essence of the work. The one-on-one, by its very nature, fosters communication, trust; it naturally creates a genuine conversation with the work at hand. All my tutoring is student-centered. That is to say, I follow the needs of the individual student, not, necessarily, a curriculum.

At present, I am in the final stages of publishing my book that deals with the challenges that the Chinese student faces in learning English. This work is the culmination of my extensive tutoring Chinese learners.

I encourage students to come to class, prepared to discuss a specific topic of their choice. For example, they might say, I would like to discuss the difference between “even” and “even though” or I have several sentences that I have doubts about. Can you please help me with them?” or "Can you help me with this business report, or email or composition that I have written for class?” I will then guide you to the correct understanding, to the correct usage, answering any questions that may occur to you during our conversation.