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Experienced ELA and Speech Teacher
Tonya B.

5.0 (2 ratings)

59 hours tutoring

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About Tonya

Bio

Hello,

My name is Tonya, and I am a Texas-based teacher with twelve years of classroom experience in Texas and Louisiana. I am certified in 7-12 Speech, 7-12 ELA, and English as a Second Language. I have been coaching speech and debate as both a head coach and an assistant for a decade.

I earned my MA in Communication at West Texas A&M University in 2016. I was a substitute teacher in Texas from 2014-2017. I earned my secondary teaching certificate in 2017 and have taught middle and...

Hello,

My name is Tonya, and I am a Texas-based teacher with twelve years of classroom experience in Texas and Louisiana. I am certified in 7-12 Speech, 7-12 ELA, and English as a Second Language. I have been coaching speech and debate as both a head coach and an assistant for a decade.

I earned my MA in Communication at West Texas A&M University in 2016. I was a substitute teacher in Texas from 2014-2017. I earned my secondary teaching certificate in 2017 and have taught middle and high school since then. I have been a full-time classroom teacher for the last nine years. When I plan a lesson, I want it to be both challenging and engaging. Sometimes that means playing games related to the material or finding a new approach to a topic.

Our first meeting will be focused on figuring out your tutoring needs. I may ask what you are working on in class or your most recent assessment information. This helps us create goals for your sessions in the future. If time allows, we will begin working on the subject. I am always open to feedback about how to make tutoring sessions better. Please feel free to reach out with suggestions.

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Education

Kansas Wesleyan University
Communication
West Texas A&M University
Masters
  • Licensed teacher

Policies

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Approved Subjects

Debate

Debate

I have been competing in debate or coaching it since I was fifteen years old. I coached at the college level for two years while pursuing my MA. Then, I was a high school debate coach in Texas for 5 years, where I earned the NSDA District Assistant Coach of the Year award. I coached for two years in Louisiana at both the high school and middle school level. I have experience with UIL and NSDA formats. My specialties are Congressional Debate and Policy Debate.
English

English

I am certified by TEA in 7-12 ELA and have been a classroom teacher since 2017. I have primarily taught on-level English courses, but I have taught honors classes as well. My students showed consistent growth in MAP tests. Most of my students who needed to retake their STAAR Test (Texas) passed their English 1 exam by the end of the school year.
ESL/ESOL

ESL/ESOL

I am certified in 7-12 ELA and ESL Supplemental by the Texas Education Agency. While working in Texas, I implemented strategies in the classroom to help students understand American Literature while acquiring new English language skills.
Grammar

Grammar

Just like math or science English grammar has rules. Once you figure out what those rules are, you can play with them. I have enjoyed that both as a teacher and as the editor of my college newspaper. Anyone can write an essay with correct grammar, even if they may not understand the topic.
Literature

Literature

I have always loved literature and was lucky enough to turn it into a profession. I took IB English in high school and several elective English courses in college. My students read novels and short stories and begin to analyze themes and literary devices as a precursor to college courses. I also coached competitive UIL Literary Criticism.
Proofreading

Proofreading

I have nine years of teaching experience and am certified in 7-12 ELA in Texas. Prior to becoming a teacher, I was the editor of my college newspaper and helped other students on the speech and debate team polish their speeches. Writing has always been a passion of mine, and I love to help people refine what they want to say while still maintaining the authenticity of their message.
Public Speaking

Public Speaking

I began competing in debate in 2007 and have been coaching speech and debate in some capacity since 2014. I have been a quarterfinalist in Pi Kappa Delta Parliamentary Debate, 2022 NSDA District Assistant Coach of the Year, and have coached numerous students in competitive speech at the state and national level. I have instructed high school speech and professional communication classes and have even been the instructor of record for Dual Enrollment Speech. In competitive speech, my main focus is Policy and Congressional Debate, but I've coached just about everything else.
Reading

Reading

I have been an avid reader since childhood and still enjoy reading inside and outside the classroom. My students' MAP reading scores show drastic improvement through combining short texts and novels in the classroom. My goal is growth. What that looks like is different for every student and their needs.
STAAR

STAAR

I have been a TEA-certified teacher since 2017. My certification areas are 7-12 Speech, 7-12 ELA, and ESL Supplemental. While teaching in Texas, many of my students were retaking their English 1 STAAR test for the fourth or fifth time. More than half of my students passed by the Spring exam.
Writing

Writing

Writing is a creative exercise, whether writing a fiction or nonfiction text. I have always loved writing and keeping a journal, but my experience as a writer for my college newspaper and my MA thesis strengthened my writing skills. I teach my students to write strong claims and use evidence and logic to support their points. Combining logic and good arguments with grammar is a formula for success.
Vocabulary

Examples of Expertise

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

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Ratings and Reviews

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