Claire S.
Bellevue, WA
An English Tutor, for All Your Language and Literature Needs!
University of Washington (Seattle)
English LiteratureAbout Claire
Hello there!
I am a graduate of the University of Washington, with a BA in English language and literature. I'm well-versed in British prose and poetry from the 19th and 20th centuries, have a background in English linguistics, and am an extremely knowledgeable writer of fiction and non-fiction. I maintained a high level GPA while at
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12 hours notice requiredTravel Radius
Travels within 10 miles of Bellevue, WA 98004Claire offers online lessons
Claire is approved to conduct lessons through Wyzant Online. Wyzant Online allows students and tutors to work remotely via video, audio, and collaborative whiteboard tools. For more information about how online tutoring works, check out Wyzant Online.
If you’re interested in online lessons, message Claire to get started.
"The Best English Tutor I have ever had"
- Edith, Bellevue, WA on 4/13/15I have worked with Claire in linguistic phonetics for about 2 months and I have learned so much more than I ever expected. As a foreigner, I learned English writing and listening skills just fine, but I have been struggling with speaking English clearly for years. I have worked with over 10 tutors and Claire is the most accomplished and gifted tutor I have ever worked with. It's hard and frustrating to learn a second language, however, Claire was able to identify my strengths and weaknesses at our first meeting, and then tailored her teaching method to maximize my learning progress. It's amazing how she can tell what difficulties I was encountering and teach me exactly how to correct and form the sounds in my mouth. In only 2 months, I am able to identify and pronounce sounds that I have been having trouble with for decades. I just wish that I met Claire sooner.
Claire is not only knowledgeable in what she does, but she is also very patient, friendly, and she truly cares about her students. I have not only learned a lot from her, but also become more confident to communicate with other people in English. I can't tell you how many times that she encouraged me when I was defeated by reminding me how far I have come from the 1st lesson.
I highly recommend Claire and she is definitely the tutor you want if you are looking for a talented, accomplished and responsible tutor who also also has a lovely personality.
"Pretty good"
- David, Seattle, WA on 12/12/16Claire is very nice and has a lot of patience, she can know my problem and help me correctly. I think she can help me with my oral English a lot. I am very glad to have Claire to be my tutor
"A very patient and knowledgeable tutor"
- Sherry, Bellevue, WA on 6/20/15Claire has been tutoring my two kids for about a year and both of the kids like her very much. She is patient and designs the tutoring contents based on the needs.
"Good First Lesson"
- Naoyuki, Bellevue, WA on 6/15/14She is very good at explaining my unknown words by using many examples and different words. It was also very effective - she interrupted during my talking when my pronunciation was wrong. Reading an unknown book was difficult for me but I was really able to concentrate by her support. Thank you very much.
Approved subjects are in bold.
Approved subjects
In most cases, tutors gain approval in a subject by passing a proficiency exam. For some subject areas, like music and art, tutors submit written requests to demonstrate their proficiency to potential students. If a tutor is interested but not yet approved in a subject, the subject will appear in non-bold font. Tutors need to be approved in a subject prior to beginning lessons.
American History
I scored a four on the AP US History exam, and I'm an avid student of history in my spare time!
English
I graduated from the University of Washington with a degree in English Language and Literature and loved every minute of it. Over the course of my studies, I've passed every English class with flying colors, written a multitude of papers, read a mountain of books, published several pieces of my own work, and wrote a novel that I'm starting to shop around to book agents. Multiple professors have complimented my ability to help my peers with their own essays, and the quality and clarity of my writing. My grasp and command of the English language has always been fueled by my love of literature and the vast amount of books I've read, and it's therefore been a great pleasure to me whenever I can help someone else figure out how to master the English language.
ESL/ESOL
In addition to being an English major, I have also taken linguistics classes and complementary hybrid English/linguistic structure courses that covered most of the basic tenets of ESL and EOSL. Over the course of my degree, I have frequently volunteered with non-Native speakers of English to help them improve their language skills, confidence, and comprehension. I find it best to create an encouraging and supportive environment, while addressing speaking and writing skills in turn.
Grammar
Grammar--often the most dreaded component of understanding any language--is not impossible to understand. Over the years, I've studied Russian, Japanese, and Italian, and each language (paired with my progression through my English major) has helped me understand the mechanics of grammar from an outside view. I've also studied it from an internal linguistic standpoint during my time in college.
Literature
I first read Jane Austen's PRIDE AND PREJUDICE when I was 11 years old. Since then, I've fallen head-over-heels in love with books. Not only have I undergone multiple rigorous reading courses (absolutely piled with novels) at university, but I spend my free time reading as well, trying to work my way through all the classics. To understand a novel-who the characters are, what the point is, and the significance-is an essential process of reading!
Proofreading
You can't get through an English major without learning to proofread your own work and the work of others. Some students and writers are under the impression that to be considered "good" everything you say must be perfect the first time around. And that is so patently untrue, it's laughable. Proofreading is an art that needs to be practiced to be perfected-it's attainable, and you don't even have to revise your essays five times over, as I did in my first years of college.
Reading
I've been reading for pleasure and for academic purposes for many years now. I've been through mountains of books, articles, essays, and plays, and learned a number of tricks. There are always novels and assignments that might seem impossible to understand or impossible to get through awake, or even impossible to read through before the assignment is due! Speed reading is something I HAD to master to get through my degree, verbal tricks helped me conquer the foreignness of Shakespearean works and others like it, and I always found ways to restructure what was sleep-inducing! There is no need to be afraid of reading!
SAT Reading
I took the SAT practice test, as well as the official SAT test three times over, in an attempt to improve my scores. I took the test at the time when the written essays were required, and the test as a whole was scored out of 2400 points. My final score was a 2030. As an English major, book nerd, and experienced test taker--both the SAT Reading and Writing sections are both things I am quite familiar with.
SAT Writing
I took the SAT three times, in addition to the practice test, eventually scoring a 2030. I managed to perfect the Writing section (along with the Reading section), and they were consistently my highest-scoring sections. SAT Writing is all about clarity and articulation--and I have studied and refined both instincts through a myriad of university classes and standardized testing rounds.
Vocabulary
I have read a variety of books over the years, stretching from those published in the late sixteen hundreds, to those published just last year. My vocabulary has been tested by professors on tests, papers, and demanded by the particular world and time period each novel comes from. Part of a successful journey through college requires that your papers stand out from others--and that includes having a sophisticated vocabulary that articulates your point MORE clearly, rather than obscuring it. (It's also necessary to study up because no professor is going to consent to be your personal dictionary.)
Writing
In addition to being in the English department at the University of Washington, I've also taken creative writing classes at New York University. My own work (poetry and short stories) has been published in college literary journals, and I've done extensive academic work within my major. Writing has been absolutely essential to my success within college, and for my extracurricular and professional work. (It's also a result of life-long love of reading!)
Other Bellevue, WA Tutors
Claire S.
Bellevue, WA
An English Tutor, for All Your Language and Literature Needs!