
About
I excel at proactively engaging scholars in academic content. At heart, I am a nerd! I love to learn things, I love to know things, and I love sharing this passion with scholars!
The central tenet of my teaching philosophy is scholar motivation; I believe the most effective way to teach is to create opportunities for the scholar to motivate themselves. When scholars are intrinsically motivated to learn, they engage in the activity solely because of the personal satisfaction of doing so - not for an external reward. In this way, scholars learn faster and retain knowledge longer (because it is their choice to do so).
Accommodating scholars’ idiosyncrasies is also an essential component to teaching, moreso for online teaching. Scholars should believe that they are speaking with (and being listened to by) a real human, one that will meet them where they are. Simply put, scholars do not learn effectively from teachers who cannot demonstrate this.
Without a doubt, the most enjoyable aspect of teaching is the personal relationships I form with scholars. I enjoy understanding how scholars think, as well as the challenge of constantly reinterpreting material in ways that are accessible, meaningful, and engaging for the scholar.
I enjoy the freedom being in the classroom affords me. Lesson plans are always necessary to have, though I frequently deviate from them to watch a quick video, do a quick Google image search, or check a fact online. I do this to reward scholars’ all-important curiosity; I want them to see how much fun it is to satisfy their inquisitive natures.
For K-6 scholars, this hunger for knowledge is so strong, one can teach them anything. As a teacher, I love the idea of being able to take any relevant topic, extract the most meaningful elements from it, and teach those elements to a receptive group of passionate young people.
Highlights
Reviews
Robyne M.
Diem N.
Tania K.
Carrie L.
Carrie
Bianca I.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
I have a 3-step process when beginning work with your scholar. First, you and I will have an in-depth conversation, during which time we’ll discuss why you are seeking tutoring for your child, what specific improvements you hope to see, and your short/long-term academic goals.
Second, I will administer a grade-level assessment for me to gauge the scholar’s current level of reading, writing, or spoken English. This data serves two purposes: it will determine the most appropriate group for your child’s enrollment, and it will inform my instruction as to how I can most effectively teach them.
Third, after the initial assessment, you and I will reconnect to discuss what it reveals. After analyzing the results, we may amend our initial strategy to be more closely tailored to your child’s learning experience. Additionally, I will identify key areas of growth, and my strategy for helping your child improve.
Finally, after an agreed interval has passed (typically 6-8 weeks), I will administer the same assessment again, this time comparing the results against the initial evaluation. This will give us both a chance to compare notes, discuss the most effective strategies, and any other changes to make future tutoring more successful.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have more than 7 years of classroom experience. In my professional career, I have personally worked with +14,000 scholars while teaching in 4 countries.
I recently completed my MA of Education at Claremont Graduate University. This program gave me new insights and strategies to make me a more effective educator, as well as the technical know-how to navigate the education system.
I am a fully-credentialed teacher in the state of California, and I hold additional certifications in TESOL (Teaching of English as a Second Language) and CPR. I am a recipient of the Segal Education Award, given to those who complete more than 1,700 hours of educational community service (I’ve completed more than 2,000).
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
For 1-on-1, 50-minute sessions, I charge $50.
How did you get started teaching?
I had a real hunger to return to America (my family and I had moved to Italy when I was 16) and learn more about Chicago, where I was born. This led me to serving with City Year, a national educational non-profit that aims to stem the dropout crisis in middle and high schools in low-income communities. I served in a 9th grade Literature classroom, wherein I worked with and mentored 22 scholars for the academic year, closely monitoring their attendance, classroom behavior, and coursework performance.
After that amazing experience, I wanted more! I moved to South Korea next, where I taught for two years. I then moved to Shanghai, China, wherein I became Senior Teacher at a nationwide chain of English academies. During this time, in addition to teaching, I designed several Project-Based Learning curricula that were implemented at our branches throughout China.
I returned from China in early 2019 to pursue my MA of Education, which I finished late last year.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have taught nearly every age from TK to adult (I designed and taught a course for municipal workers in Seoul to improve their English), though the majority of my experience has been with K-6 scholars.
I have lived abroad for nearly half of my life; I have a large working knowledge of different cultures and traditions, and there are few age/ethnicity groups with which I do not have some familiarity. I have taught American, Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Mexican, Afghan, Italian, French, and Taiwanese scholars.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
I am incredibly proud that my scholars routinely declare how much they love our online class. Obviously, everyone would rather be in the classroom, but I do not exaggerate when I say that our class is doing better than most in terms of high spirits and general enjoyment.
My classes are fun and engaging, scholars eagerly participate and constantly raise their hands to answer questions. I try to make their experience as interactive as possible; whenever possible (typically through material distribution), I try to equip scholars with materials and manipulatives we can use during instruction to “spice things up.” For example, to more effectively teach a unit on shapes to my 1st graders, a set of colorful foam shape manipulatives were distributed so they could grapple with something more engaging than paper, pencil, and mini-whiteboards.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
You need to consider two things:
First, you need to be really clear with yourself about what you need before you even contact me. What are your goals? How do you learn best? With whom do you work best?
Second, be selfish! There is a chance I might not be the right fit for you (and that’s ok). However, if you want someone that will be emotionally invested in your child’s learning journey, I am the right choice.
The only way I have ever been an effective teacher is if I’ve had a personal relationship I can leverage during instruction. It just doesn’t work if we don’t know or care about each other!
What questions should students think through before talking to teachers about their needs?
I don’t agree with the premise of the question. I don’t think you always need to think through a question before asking it; if you’re anything like me, you need to talk things through a few times before it sounds right!
DO NOT TRY TO THINK OF THE PERFECT QUESTION TO ASK. Ask a messy question - I don’t care! I just want to know where you are, how I can help you, and how we move forward together.
These are some of my favorite words in the English language: “Mr. Finerty, I don’t get this yet; can you help me?” YES. Yes I can help you!
Don’t worry about filtering your questions; if you don’t understand something - say so! I can help you get there, that’s my job! Your job is to be curious and make mistakes!
Again: Your job is to be curious and make mistakes!!!