Berardo English Tutoring

For me, one of the first and most important steps is making sure my students and I have a good connection and a mutual understanding of what their goals are. The best learning happens when students and teachers are on the same page! I work on developing a strong system of communication between us and ensure that I am creating a judgement-free environment that promotes healthy learning habits.

I am a current education minor who has been tutoring since 2015. I've taken multiple classes in education and developmental psychology that allow me to not only understand the material that I'm teaching but also the person I'm working with. I am mental health first aid certified and a previous employee of two institutions that have required working closely with academic staff. 

In elementary school, I began spending most of my breaks in my school's special education classes. I began assisting teachers whenever I could and focusing on building one on one relationships with my peers. Soon after, my younger brother began struggling with school work because he benefitted from the personal interactions that public school teachers cannot always give. I began tutoring and developed a love for teaching that has stuck with me for years.

I've worked with students of all ages, from elementary school to adults in community college. I have some experience working with special education students, although no formal training that many special education teachers benefit from. While English is my specialty, I regularly tutor math (through algebra 2) and work with students without a specific subject in mind, with the goal of improving their general education-based skills (organization, formal language, peer communication).

I am incredibly fond of any "ah ha!" moments that I am present for in my students -- those moments when the material suddenly clicks and the world seems to make perfect sense. 

On a separate (non-tutor) note, I played through a song on the piano in a way that felt very real and strong to me. Somewhat of an "ah ha!" moment within my playing!

My first piece of advice for writing is, simply, to write. If you have an idea that you want to put on paper, just write your thoughts down without a care for grammar or spelling or logic. Challenge yourself to write for a minute straight without taking any pauses, even if you don't think you have any thoughts on the subject. Whether this turns out to be a brainstorming session or a great bit of writing or simply an exercise to get the words out of your system, I find that just writing for the sake of writing can help in a myriad of ways.

What goals would you like to work towards in these lessons?

What are your strengths as a student? Your weaknesses?

Does online-learning make any areas of learning especially difficult for you?