English Teacher Thielen

I like to begin by building rapport with a new student by discovering the strengths, interests, and needs of the child. As a fifth year teacher, I know all students have different learning styles, so it is important for me to work with the student to determine what strategies will be the most effective. I ask the student to reflect on the work they are doing in class and identify his/her own challenges, so we have a base point for beginning our work together. I start by listening and understanding the child.

I am in my fifth year of teaching English at the high school level, I was a substitute teacher for all levels in 2012, and I taught ELD summer school to middle school students. I also tutor in our PACK tutoring program on campus.

I charge $50 per hour. This pricing system was established after speaking with several parents and finding out about their needs and pricing desires. I also spoke with tutors, both certified teachers and not, and found a middle price that I felt to be fair for what I can offer.

I decided I was going to be a teacher in the fourth grade, not because I was inspired by another teacher, but because I enjoyed being in the classroom and collaborating with others. I veered from this a bit my first year of college to explore new possible paths (nursing and kinesiology), but ultimately returned to my passion: Literature with an emphasis on Writing. From there, I saught out other teachers to get advice and created a unique path for myself that led me to my dream job, that I seem to love more and more with each passing year.

I have worked with elementary school, middle school, and high school students of all abilities. I've worked with several ELD and ALL students, as well as students with IEPs and 504s. Many of my students over the past five years have been diagnosed with autism or specific learning disability.

One student immediately comes to mind because it occurred just a few days ago. I began working with this student her freshman year, as she was in my Key Club and often came to me for assistance. I knew she was capable and had the motivation, but she was struggling in her English class. I continued working with her and then in January 2019, she was enrolled in my English 12 class. Just last week, I wrote her a recommendation letter for a scholarship. Not only did she win the scholarship, but instead of offering a total of $1200, they offered a total of $1200 per year for every year she attends the college.

I would advise them to hire a person they feel they can connect with - someone that listens to them and understands their needs. So often, the reason for struggles in class is due to a disconnect between student and teacher.

It is crucial to hire someone that you feel cares about you as a person, not only as a student or "client."

They should reflect on their current English classroom or content and ask themselves what challenges they are currently facing. They should also think about their goals, so the teacher and student have a clear end in mind. 

If you don't know where you're going, how are you going to get there?