Thoughtful Writing And Editing

Students will email me their work or assignment along with an explanation of their goals or requirements.

This sample shows me what the writer intended and what they made with their current writing skills. I can then assess where the student got lost in their own mind, or what skills need improvement so they can achieve their goals.

I have a BA in English. I did write a lot of essays and creative writing pieces in my college years. I also wrote some technical writing (mostly recipes and one grant.)

Writing a lot of the same structure made me knowledgeable in college essay writing and creative writing.

But then I took an Editing and Syntax class. This was the class and the professor that made me a better writer where it mattered. My sentences. Sentences that made up the bulk of my papers and my mistakes.
Why did it help? I understood what I was doing. I understood how the parts of a sentence work together, and how they can be rearranged to make points to your readers. I learned to write simple sentenes well, and focused more of my editing on just rearranging my ideas, rather than comma splices and dangling modifiers, which were common mistakes on most papers.

College essay writing taught me how to come up with an idea based on research, ask questions, and format a paper.
Editing and Syntax taught me how to be a better writer from the start, so that I could be an editor of ideas more than sentence structures and punctuation.

One session is $30 for 30 minutes to a maximum of 1hr 15 minutes.
Some students learn quickly for various reasons. It could be we share similar learning habits and skills, explanations that they understand.

Other students who have different natural learning skills or feel intimidated may need that extra time, especially during the first sessions where we're getting to know each other. 
I prefer to teach with clarity and thoroughness and leave my students feeling confident that they know what they're doing. 

Tutoring in Highschool and College.

I have a natural curiosity. I like investigating things I don't know ever since I was 4. I was curious where clouds came from and why it rained. From there I studied meteorology geology, volcanology, astronomy, etc.. It was a chain reaction of self-education and help from my local library. (Not kidding, I loved going to the VHS section of the library for documentaries.)  So at school, I was often ahead of my classes, not out of achievement, but simply doing what I do naturally, learning and observing.

I helped my friends in Math classes and English classes. I helped people find their personal reasons to enjoy learning something, not because they have to, but because they want to. I help them find their inner reason. Without this, it's hard to learn things you don't see the point in learning. It's logical.
It was the same for college. I struggled in some of my classes. So I would form study groups and we would tutor, quiz, and critique each other so we could get through our classes and learn.

I've worked with students who defeat themselves from the start before they start learning and feel that they can't learn something.

Part of this feeling, may not be wrong. Sometimes lessons are taught only to appeal to one of our learning senses. Sometimes there is not enough time to cover the unique preference of a hands-on student or a more creative learner. This is where tutors come in to help.

I also have experience with people who feel they are slow, whether or not for medical reasons. These students taught me to have patience and I learned to have different listening and teaching strategies for these students.

Does the tutor know in what situations passive voice is useful?

Passive voice is a contested sentence structure in writing. A savvy writer and editor knows and can explain when this structure is effective. Not just, "It's good." Or "It's bad. Avoid it like the plague."

It's more useful in creative writing than in academic writing. 

Do I need help with punctuation and grammar? Or do I need help with outlining and brainstorming?

When you have a history of comments from teachers about comma splices, dangling modifiers, and fractured sentences, you need punctuation and grammar tutoring. The examples above are just a few. If you also feel unsure about where to put a comma or a period, you can learn from a grammar tutor.

When your papers seem like their going in tangents, or you feel intimidated about coming with good ideas, you need outlining and brainstorming tutoring. 
This kind of tutoring helps you figure out how you can pick ideas from a brainstorm and structure your papers to the requirements of an assignment word/page count.