Landis Tutoring
About
I'm a retired teacher and writer. I've taught all ages, kindergarten through graduate school. I also worked as a writer for many years, have been published in many genres, and have won numerous awards.
I encourage reading by helping the student choose engaging books and having them read daily. I ask them questions about their reading to gauge comprehension and engagement. And try to incorporate their reading into their writing assignments. I also support the school reading curriculum and can do one-on-one work on phonics, spelling, and comprehension if needed.
I will develop a reading list with the parents and child to include, if appropriate, Manga, comics, short stories, poetry, fiction or other materials that will engage the student.
I believe only regular writing will help the student learn to write. To that end, I ask that the student do short writings several times a week, about 200 to 500 words (1 to 2 double-spaced pages, based on age and skill level. In early grades I ask for a few well-crafted sentences, short paragraphs, and worksheets if necessary.
These are to be submitted prior to the next session as double spaced PDFs. I then review the work, make comments, corrections, and suggestions in the work itself. I look at spelling, punctuation, word choice, grammar, sentence construction, and paragraph form. I work one to one with the student on all of these.
I only work with motivated students and will not tolerate plagiarism or the use of AI. Either are grounds for immediate termination.
Parent engagement is very important and I ask that parents model reading for the student by setting aside time each day to read while their student reads.
I also ask that parents read all student work before submitting.
My education includes a BS in Computer Science, a BA in Education, an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies with a concentration in Spiritual Traditions and Ethics, an MS in Publishing, and most of an MA in Vocational Education.
I spent about 15 years in the schools as a teacher, 20 years as a print journalist, and ended my career as editor in chief of a small publishing house.