Academia Tutoring By Jessica

First contact with families of new students is usually via a phone call in which we discuss the individual needs and circumstances of the learner. We review challenges and schedules and set up a first session.

First sessions usually involve the student demonstrating where they are academically and us getting a chance to see how one another operates. Sometimes I will offer advice for students and/or their parents to follow at home. 

I have been working in the field of education since 2005. I have taught high school math, middle school social studies, middle and high school drama, and middle and high school creative writing for schools in Florida as a full charge teacher.

I have worked as an educator in other capacities for various camps (including Santa Fe College for Kids) and homeschool cooperatives. In these I have taught physics, astronomy, geology, and anatomy for elementary, and engineering, circuits, Rubik's cube solving, film-making, sewing, cooking/baking, science-crafts, and cryptology to middle and high school aged learners.

I charge $30 on weekdays before 6pm and $40 after 6pm or on weekends. For full charge tutoring (i.e. I homeschool your student), I work on a scaled payment basis. I accept cash or digital payment via Zelle, PayPal, or Venmo, due at the time of service or prepaid in advance. 

My general available hours are from 8am to 6pm Monday through Friday and from 12 to 5 on Sunday.

My first teaching job was as a Brownie in Girl Scouts at the age of 8, teaching younger girls about trail signs. I decided then to pursue teaching as a career because I enjoyed the experience so much. My mother, two of my aunts, my cousin, and my grandmothers all had worked as paid or volunteer educators, so I grew up in an environment in which sharing knowledge and understanding with others was the norm. After finishing my bachelor's degree in math, I went on to pursue a career in teaching. Currently I am Certified for grades 6-12 Mathematics.

I have worked with practically every kind of student imaginable. I spent a couple of years as a substitute teacher, covering classes for gifted, ESE, Autism, English honors, etc. I have worked as a full time educator for public high school drop-out prevention math, navigating the challenge of a classroom full of students for whom school was more of an afterthought than a focus. I have taught at a private school where most of my students had at least one or more challenges such as ASD or ADHD or dysgraphia. I have done TESOL with immigrant families whose grasp of English was minimal. I have worked with shy kids and loud ones, fidgety kids and tired ones. I've also tutored several college students of varying ages and abilities in a variety of subjects, from Calculus to Biology to Spanish and more. I've taught homeschoolers and online schoolers and remote schoolers, as well as dual enrolled students. You name it, I've taught it!

An autistic client with ADHD and anxiety, with whom I've worked for nearly 4 years now, is about to graduate high school with an A average and over 30 dual enrollment college credit hours. I've seen this student blossom and develop, knowing that with my assistance he's been able to bridge to levels he struggled to attain alone. I've recently worked with him on Spanish 2, Microeconomics, Calculus, US History, Accounting, Chemistry, Comp 1&2, and more, and he's meeting these challenges head on. I couldn't be more proud!

I would advise anyone looking for help with accomplishing the task of learning to determine what kind of help they need and if the person they hire is able to provide that. Do they need a focus buddy? Do they need someone to break down the concepts of the material? Do they need help with reading comprehension or handwriting or some other prerequisite skill to accomplish the task in hand? Often my pupils will have some deficit that they are trying to overcome in one area that affects them in others (e.g. lack of note-taking skills). Having someone who addresses their root needs to make their other learning possible is the key to success, not being spoon-fed answers.

They should think about _why_ they are doing the learning and what they hope to gain. It's also important to have goals in mind. I had one student who tried to come for tutoring so late in his college term that there was no mathematical way for him to pass his course, even if he got 100% on _all_ of his remaining grades! Tutors cannot work miracles of that scale.

Being clear about their history and challenges and what they are willing and able to do is important. The more honest the student is with the tutor, the easier it is to develop a working relationship. It's far more effective to be honest with the tutor, but first that takes being honest with oneself. Remember: the tutor may have the knowledge of a teacher, but they are on the side of the client. As a tutor, I'm in my students' corner, and we function as allies.

Also, tutoring is generally needed on an ongoing basis for a period of time. Few people need a tutor just once, unless they have a teacher or text that is exceedingly vague. (And trying to find help the day before and exam is usually too late!)