Life Write

I like to have a discovery session first to see if we are a good fit. I like to know as much as I can about the student and how I can help them. Then once I see what they need and how they learn, I tailor my various teaching and coaching styles to fit them. So whether they just need help with school assignments or want help with more general skills, I can help with varying modalities.

I have a BA in Japanese and a MA in Language Acquisition and Teaching. My specialty is in ESL for Asian students, but I can teach/tutor any of the language arts skills such as writing, grammar, vocabulary, etc. I prefer to work with teenagers and adults, but have experience with children as well. I am also a certified cognitive brain skills trainer having worked with students with ADHD and ASD. I have life coaching training, and one of my favorite things to do with clients is to consult and help teach more general study and life skills. I can cover topics such as organization, time management, setting goals, and overcoming obstacles. 

I have a sliding scale depending on the services rendered. For straight up tutoring (where you supply materials and what to cover), I have a base of $50 per hour. For group lessons, that is knocked down to $30-$40 per hour depending on the number of students. (2-5 students is $40 per student per hour and 6-10 students is $30 per student per hour). If you would like to use my materials and have me create a curriculum for you, that is $75-$120 per hour depending on individual circumstances. This covers materials, preparation time, access to me through emails and messaging, and any travel time I may incur.

I started as a learner. I studied Japanese and fell in love with the culture, so I started teaching English as a way to travel to Japan inexpensively. I have since discovered a love of curriculum development and working in smaller groups, especially one-on-one with students because I feel like everyone is so individual in their learning needs. I also prefer a holistic approach to education that includes not just helping students understand specific concepts, but also teaching them how to learn on their own so they will function well when our time together is over.

I have worked mainly with 14-25 year-olds. I do have experience teaching English to children and older adults, but the bulk of my clients are teenagers and young adults.

I'm not sure what it means by recent event, but I did a seminar back in December for the Eye Level Learning Center in Belmont. It was a 2 day tutorial in basic life skills and personal development. We covered topics such as core values, SMART goals, and achieving success. The students were wonderful, and I so thoroughly enjoyed starting them down the road to planning their lives.

Make sure you have good rapport. If you don't like your tutor or teacher, then you will be less motivated to do the work to truly learn. However, if you like the person with whom you are working, then you are much more likely to succeed. So much of language acquisition (and learning in general) is just being comfortable enough to make mistakes, so it is important to feel that level of connection.

What specific skills do you want to work on? Where is your skill level now, and where do you want it to be? What is your timeline for improvement? How much time do you have to dedicate to studying? How often do you want to meet with the tutor and for how long?