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Spanish, ESL, writing, grammar, SAT verbal tutor, lived in Spain
Kathleen V. S.

5.0 (203 ratings)

2,972 hours tutoring

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About Kathleen V.

Bio

What I like most about tutoring is seeing the “lightbulb“ go off in a student’s eyes when they make a connection and begin to understand the patterns of grammar and sentence structure. I try to make tutoring fun, coming up with real-world and humorous examples, not just because it makes the time go buy more quickly, but because this is a good way to help people to cement concepts in their minds and to apply those concepts when they are on their own or taking a test.

I minored in English...

What I like most about tutoring is seeing the “lightbulb“ go off in a student’s eyes when they make a connection and begin to understand the patterns of grammar and sentence structure. I try to make tutoring fun, coming up with real-world and humorous examples, not just because it makes the time go buy more quickly, but because this is a good way to help people to cement concepts in their minds and to apply those concepts when they are on their own or taking a test.

I minored in English and creative writing in college and I worked at Penn State for several years as a science writer and editor. I have always enjoyed language and writing, putting words together like puzzle pieces to convey information or to inspire an emotion. I love grammar and etymology, discovering the history of irregular verbs, and helping others to edit their work to develop crisp, meaningful prose.

I majored in Spanish in college. During the 1990s, I lived in Valencia, Spain for seven years. In the early 2000s, after returning to the US, I worked at the Weather Channel Latin America, presenting the weather in Spanish, and later went on to AccuWeather where I presented the weather in both Spanish and English. After leaving AccuWeather I worked for several years as a science writer at Penn State University, where I wrote press releases about research, and translated many of those press releases into Spanish for Spanish-speaking reporters. I also produced a video series (in both English and Spanish) about research and new discoveries at Penn State. I have experience tutoring Spanish grammar.

I have three sons and my husband is a geneticist at Penn State. I enjoy sci-fi and mystery novels, Netflix binges, and true crime podcasts. My favorite foods are Diet Coke, veggie pizza, and cookies.

My cancellation policy is two hours. If I do not receive a notice of cancellation I reserve the right to access a cancellation fee.

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Education

Agnes Scott College
Spanish

Policies

  • Hourly Rate: $45
  • Rate details: Group rates please add $10/hour per person
  • Lesson cancellation: 2 hours notice required

  • Background check passed on 2/23/2023

  • Your first lesson is backed by our Good Fit Guarantee

Schedule

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Approved Subjects

ACT English

ACT English

I like to make writing and reading comprehension fun for ACT students, showing them how words fit together like puzzle pieces to convey information or to provoke an emotion. Specifically I help students to develop their writing skills to use linking and transition words effectively, to organize paragraphs to create a natural flow of ideas, and to self edit for grammar and syntax. In addition I help students develop reading comprehension skills that will help them excel on the ACT exam. These skills include finding the main idea and supporting details, picking up on cues that an author is listing exceptions or caveats, and using background information to “read between the lines.”
ACT Reading

ACT Reading

I like to make reading fun for ACT prep students, showing them how writers set the tone to make the reader feel connected to the story or to the information being presented. I also give students practical reading comprehension skills they can use to excel on the ACT test. These skills include finding linking and transition words, picking up on cues that an author is listing examples, exceptions, or caveats, and interpreting from context the less obvious, subtle elements of a text.
English

English

I minored in English at Agnes Scott College and have worked as a freelance writer for many years, as well as a science writer composing press releases at Penn State University. I enjoy helping students improve their writing style and reading comprehension.
ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL

I like to make grammar and vocabulary fun for my ESL and TOEFL students, showing them how words fit together like puzzle pieces to convey information or to provoke an emotion. Further, I help my students to develop and fine-tune vocabulary-expansion skills, showing them how to look for language roots and how to infer from context the meaning of new words. I also help them to develop writing skills, as well as reading comprehension skills such as finding the main idea and supporting details; picking up on cues that an author is listing exceptions or caveats; and using background information to “read between the lines.”
Grammar

Grammar

I like to make grammar fun for my students, showing them how words fit together like puzzle pieces to convey information or to provoke an emotion. I teach my students important grammar skills so they can learn to self edit for common errors (e.g., misplaced modifiers, fragmented sentences, subject and noun disagreement, and vague pronoun references).
Reading

Reading

I have always enjoyed reading, language, and writing. I like to make reading fun for my students, showing them how words fit together like puzzle pieces to convey information or to provoke an emotion. I give my students reading comprehension skills such as finding linking and transition words, picking up on cues that an author is listing examples, exceptions, or caveats, and interpreting from context the less obvious elements of a text.
SAT Reading

SAT Reading

I have always enjoyed reading, language, and writing. I like to make reading fun for my students, showing them how words fit together like puzzle pieces to convey information or to provoke an emotion. I give my students reading comprehension skills such as finding linking and transition words, picking up on cues that an author is listing examples, exceptions, or caveats, and interpreting from context the less obvious elements of a text.
SAT Writing

SAT Writing

I have worked as a freelance essay writer for many years. I also worked for several years as a science writer at Penn State University, where I wrote press releases about research, and translated many of those press releases into Spanish for Spanish-speaking reporters. I also wrote and produced a video series (in both English and Spanish) about research and new discoveries at Penn State. I like to make writing fun for SAT prep students, showing them how words fit together like puzzle pieces to convey information or to provoke an emotion. I give my students writing skills such as how to use linking and transition words, how to organize paragraphs to create a natural flow of ideas, and how to self edit for grammar and syntax.
Spanish

Spanish

Bachelor's degree in Spanish, seven years living in a Spanish-speaking country, 14 years working in industries where I used Spanish for my work.
TOEFL

TOEFL

I like to make grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation practice fun for TOEFL students, showing them how words fit together like puzzle pieces to convey information or to provoke an emotion. I also help them to decipher slang and idioms, which can be unique to each region of the English-speaking world. Further, I help students to develop and fine-tune vocabulary-expansion skills, showing them how to look for language roots and how to infer from context the meaning of new words. I also help them to develop English writing skills, as well as reading comprehension skills, such as finding the main idea and supporting details; picking up on cues that an author is listing exceptions or caveats; and using background information to “read between the lines.”
Vocabulary

Vocabulary

I like to make grammar and vocabulary fun for my students, showing them how words fit together like puzzle pieces to convey information or to provoke an emotion. I help my students develop and fine-tune vocabulary-expansion skills, showing them how to look for language roots and how to infer from context the meaning of new words.
Writing

Writing

I have worked as a freelance essay writer for many years. I also worked for several years as a science writer at Penn State University, where I wrote press releases about research, and translated many of those press releases into Spanish for Spanish-speaking reporters. I also wrote and produced a video series (in both English and Spanish) about research and new discoveries at Penn State. I like to make writing fun for my students, showing them how words fit together like puzzle pieces to convey information or to provoke an emotion. I give my students writing skills such as how to use linking and transition words, how to organize paragraphs to create a natural flow of ideas, and how to self edit for grammar and syntax.
Study Skills

Examples of Expertise

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

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Kathleen V. S.'s Photo

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Ratings and Reviews

Rating

5.0 (203 ratings)
5 star
(199)
4 star
(2)
3 star
(1)
2 star
(1)
1 star
(0)

Reviews

Thorough and Enthusiastic

Kathleen is extremely thorough with her teaching approach and very enthusiastic about sharing her knowledge. I feel that my skills are improving under her direction and she inspires to learn more. The classes are informative and also fun. Learning a new language is intimidating for me and I feel comfortable during class to make mistakes. After all, making mistakes is a part of the learning process.

JAMES, 10 lessons with Kathleen V.

Dad

My son feels that the lessons that Kathleen is providing are helping. Can wait to see how the first test come out as a result of the tutoring and added support

Mark, 9 lessons with Kathleen V.

5 stars

Kathleen is very good at teaching Spanish! She is knowledgeable and patient.

Shejiang, 5 lessons with Kathleen V.

Strong with both speaking and writing

Kathleen's background as a technical writer in English and Spanish shows as she is able to teach how to write in Spanish--sentence construction, conjugations, etc.

Jeff, 3 lessons with Kathleen V.

great writer!

Kathleen wrote a religious essay for one of scholarships and it is the best one I’ve ever read. It hits all the key points I wanted to talk about but stays focused on the topic. :)

Nanaki, 1 lesson with Kathleen V.

Creative and persistent

Kathleen had several examples that addressed my needs for a template. After working through those, she graciously kept digging deeper into her repertoire for each question I asked. I ended up with very applicable templates - my goal!

Elli, 1 lesson with Kathleen V.

Great teacher

very good looking for another class with Kathleen She is very helpful and good at teaching for youth like me

Yuwen, 1 lesson with Kathleen V.

Kathleen was very accommodating and responsive

Kathleen helped me with an assignment for my Spanish class. She responded quickly to my messages and agreed to meet with me at my zoom address so that I could record the session. I was very pleased with the session.

Letha, 2 lessons with Kathleen V.

Awesome tutor for my 9th grader!

Kathleen was so great with my son-who is taking 9th grade Spanish. She made the concepts so easy to understand, and has great examples that he can continue to study. Highly recommended. My son cannot wait for another lesson!!! Awesome!

Emily, 4 lessons with Kathleen V.

Total confidence builder!

Kathleen was intentional in learning my goals and structuring the lesson accordingly. She taught me basic rules of the language and then we put it into practice. She was warm and encouraging and overall instilled a since of confidence in me that I CAN learn Spanish — something that has been my Mount Everest for years and years!!

Virginia, 2 lessons with Kathleen V.