Risa Holmes Tutoring

I like to first get to know a new student and find out what fascinates them in life, challenges they may have with what they're learning, and what they're wanting to get out of tutoring. I check in with the student and evaluate the material that needs to be learned in order to gain an understanding of where the student is at in their knowledge and what gaps exist. Knowing now what is needed, I break concepts down into chunks and start with the basic concepts that are most fundamental to understanding the subject. From there we progress to more complicated concepts. I check in with my students along the way to make sure that they are understanding and following easily. If something isn't making sense to the student, I keep changing the angle of my explanations to find what clicks with the student. 

I recently graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Biology and a minor in Studio Art. I have over 6 years of experience tutoring in subjects such as Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Calculus, General Chemistry, Biology, Spanish, and English. In high school, I started tutoring elementary students in Reading, Math, Spanish, and English. Since then, I have worked in various tutoring programs at my university, helping college students learn subjects in Biology, Chemistry, Math, and Spanish. I have tutored people with a wide range of ages and cultural backgrounds and have been trained in relating to people with diverse cultural backgrounds and people who are differently-abled.

My current rate is $17/hour.

While in school, I have always enjoyed helping my friends understand our classes better and I enjoy connecting with new people, especially kids. In high school, I was offered a job with a tutoring company in town and I started tutoring elementary students in a variety of subjects. It was an adventure for me learning how to keep kids' attention and make what we were learning engaging and fun. When studying abroad in Spain, I took advantage of the opportunity to help young kids learn English, which stretched my limits in communicating across language and cultural barriers. Later, I was offered another tutoring job at my university and since then, tutoring has been a reliable and rewarding way for me to pay for my own education.

I have worked with students from the ages of 2 to 35 from the United States, Spain, and Brazil. Some of the students I have worked with have had attention deficits or other conditions that affected their learning. Some of my students have been parents who were working full-time jobs while going to school, or simply young college students with busy schedules. I have worked with students for whom English was their second language or came from a culture extremely different from mine. 

This past summer, I camped in the forest near a lake with a friend and by chance woke up before the sun rose, while the full moon was still out. I hiked up the mountain nearby by myself, found a beautiful little stream, and got to see the sun rise over the lake. It was a precious moment of witnessing the beauty of nature by myself.

Find someone who you can connect with on some level who speaks in a way you understand.

Why am I studying this? 

What isn't working for me?

What kind of support do I think I need most?

What do I want to accomplish through tutoring?