Alison O'Neil Tutoring

I like to get to know the student's interests, as well as his or her unique challenges and strengths.  I really enjoy personalizing my teaching methods to stimulate the student's interest in the subject!

I am about to graduate from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in History and Political Science, as well as a minor in Energy Studies.  I have tutored in a range of subjects since eighth grade; I currently work as a tutor at Notre Dame's Writing Center, where I help students workshop their essays for classes.  I am also about to begin a Master's in Education at Notre Dame.

I do not have a standard pricing system; I am open to negotiation depending on the nature of the lessons and how much a family is willing/able to pay.  I am eager to help families access tutoring during the COVID-19 crisis, so I am amenable to a range of salaries.

I began tutoring as an eighth grade student, when I worked as a "homework helper" with a second-grade student at my school.  Throughout high school, I tutored middle-school level French, and I also worked as a National Honor Society tutor.  In college, I have worked as a teaching assistant for a philosophy class, as well as a Writing Center tutor and an independent math tutor.

I have worked with students at all grade levels, both as a one-on-one tutor and as a classroom lecturer (for the aforementioned philosophy class, I co-taught a group of about 15 students in an informal classroom setting).  My youngest client was in second grade, but I have also worked with college students one-on-one through my Writing Center job.

In my own life, my most recent event that I am fond of would have to be spending time with my friends at university.  I am lucky to have a solid and diverse friend group that has made my college experience special.  In terms of tutoring, however, I would have to say that my happiest recent experience is teaching time-management to my eighth-grade tutee.  My tutee struggles with perfectionism that inhibits his ability to finish assignments quickly -- a problem that I understand quite well, as I used to suffer from the same academic issue before I overcame it.  I am gradually teaching my student how to let go of his perfectionism so that he can complete assignments well, but still in a timely manner.

Since my area of expertise is writing tutoring, I would advise the student to look for a tutor with 1) as much experience as possible, and 2) the ability to write and teach writing across a variety of disciplines.  I say this because I do a great deal of writing for my courses and also participate in student journalism, and I feel that this has made me a much more well-rounded and effective tutor.

Students should ask the teacher how he or she plans on approaching lessons -- i.e. through readings or homework assignments outside of class, through educational videos or hands-on projects, etc.  They should also consider asking the teacher about how much experience he or she has had working with students of diverse backgrounds.  Students should try to obtain as much knowledge as possible about the tutor's prior experience and specific teaching methods.