About
I recently left Colorado State University where I majored in Spanish. Despite leaving college, my passion for learning and tutoring has only continued to grow. When I am not working, I teach myself German, Arabic, Japanese, and American Sign Language, read books, or practice my Spanish. I have a deep passion for learning anything and everything and truly enjoy sharing said passion with others. I have experience teaching ESL online to children. I was employed by a company called Qkids where I taught children in China aged 4-12. This was a very rewarding experience for me and I only ever received good reviews from both parents and students. I also have experience teaching ESL in person to children. When I was studying abroad in Uruguay in 2019, I volunteered as an ESL teacher at an orphanage. Many of the children there were not motivated at all to learn, but I found interactive ways to get their attention and make learning English fun for everyone. By the end of my six months there, I could see great improvements in the children's English speaking and writing abilities. During the COVID pandemic, I took up tutoring Spanish to adults (ages 13 to 50). Incidentally, it was during this time that I found my undying love for the English language and a strong desire to help others fall in love with English literature as much as I have.
As I am currently learning various languages, I understand the difficulties that come with language: grammar, essay writing, reading classic literature, et cetera. However, I also know how rewarding this learning process can be when you have the right teacher. I want to share my passion for English with others. Whether the student is learning English for fun or for work, I believe that with the right teacher, any student can form a passion for English. I want to be the teacher that fosters that passion in my students. Although I love teaching in person, in this busy and digitalized world, online learning can be a good substitute for in-person classes. Because I believe that everyone deserves access to education, I want to make myself as available as possible to anyone seeking to improve their writing and/or reading skills. I find that online tutoring is an excellent alternative to in-person classes because it allows students to connect with teachers without having to worry about getting to class on time or paying for transportation.
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Daytrell S.
Yunisse E.
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Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
With any new student, I spend a bit of time getting to know them a bit better before I begin tutoring. I ask about their learning experience(s), style(s), and goal(s). I also usually inquire about what they do and do not understand about the topic I will be tutoring. Additionally, I might ask them to describe their favorite teacher, talk about their interests, or tell me a little about themselves. All of this information helps me to better tailor tutoring sessions to the student. After I've gathered this information, tutoring begins! For the first few sessions, I'll try one or two different teaching methods that I believe will cater to the student's learning style best. After the first few tutoring sessions, I'll usually ask the student about what their favorite/least favorite parts of the tutoring session were, which parts were the most helpful to them, and what they believe I could do better.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I have tutored peers in various subjects throughout my academic career and have always thoroughly enjoyed it. Additionally, I worked with a company called Qkids which allowed me to teach ESL to smaller children (aged 6 to 12) in China. This experience taught me different strategies to use in order to get a student's attention. Additionally, this job taught me how to work with people of different ages and how to recognize when a student is confused. Finally, I recently obtained my TEFL certificate. The TEFL class not only teaches me the technicalities of English grammar so that I can teach ESL, but it also offers advice and lessons for how to teach to people of different ages.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
I don't have a standard price. I believe that education is highly valuable and powerful and that everyone has the right to be as well educated as possible. Thus, I set my price based on what the student can afford to pay. I do take into consideration the amount of time and effort I will probably have to devote to teaching a student; this consideration is reflected in my initial pricing. However, I am very flexible and understand that not everyone is made of money. For this reason, I like to discuss how much a student is willing and able to pay for lessons directly with the student. I will then tell them what I feel would be a fair price for each lesson; if they can't pay that amount, we can discuss further until we come upon a compromise.
What types of students have you worked with?
I have mainly worked with students who are 18 years or younger. Occasionally, I have tutored adult students (mid- to late-fifties). However, because of my experience tutoring on a non-professional level throughout my academic career and my experience teaching ESL at my job with Qkids, I have found that I am more experienced in tutoring youth.
Describe a recent event you are fond of.
Recently, I had the opportunity to volunteer to teach ESL at an orphanage in Uruguay. This was such a rewarding experience for me as all of the children there were always excited to have visitors. Since the volunteer opportunity didn't have much structure to it, the volunteers weren't often provided with the time or resources to teach. Thus, I spent a lot of time with the children playing soccer, dancing, and drawing pictures (all while trying to incorporate some English into the activity). Although the job was tiring, I was always so happy to interact with the kids as I loved reminding them that they were important and making them feel heard and seen. It's an experience I believe I will always look back on fondly.
What advice would you give a student looking to hire a teacher in your area of expertise?
Be patient with yourself. Learning any language is difficult; Spanish is no different. Immersing yourself in Spanish media will help you immensely with your comprehension and speaking abilities. It will also introduce you to Latino/Hispanic culture and allow you the opportunity to hear Spanish spoken in different accents. Since understanding the culture is an important part of understanding and learning any language, reading books, watching movies, and keeping up with the news are all important activities that will aid in your understanding of Spanish. Additionally, try to make friends who are native Spanish speakers. Talk with them (in Spanish, if you can) to get a sense of their outlooks on the world. Having a friend who is a native Spanish speaker will allow you to have a go-to person when you have a question about the language and will also help you better understand and appreciate the Latino/Hispanic culture.