Guiding Light Tutoring

Guiding Light Tutoring

5.0Exceptional(7 reviews)
Offers online services
Offers online services

About

I'm an award-winning journalist and book author who helps my students quickly gain confidence as they acquire new skills. From little ones learning sight words and early teens improving their grades to high school juniors preparing college-application essays and Ph.D. candidates writing doctoral theses, I use patience and clear coaching to improve their work. The mother of a 7-year-old boy I tutor says, "He really flourishes with James' combination of gentle firmness and making learning fun. We can't imagine a better tutor." The mother of a young woman I helped with her college-application essays adds, "As an experienced journalist, he knows about content development, detailed editing, and the art of storytelling. We learned so much from James."

I was honored to receive the 2021 top award for column-writing from the Society of Professional Journalists. I am note the James Rosen who formerly worked for Fox News. My Wikipedia entry describes my background in greater detail:

James Rosen (author) - Wikipedia

I love seeing the amazement and almost joy my students feel when they master the skills and techniques we work on together. Especially for younger students, it's important to make the lessons enjoyable. Keeping my students engaged is the key to them learning! I use a combination of materials and methods to keep them engaged. My first task as a tutor is to learn what their interests are. One very successful method I use is asking them to write stories. WIth my gently probing guidance, even young students can write interesting narratives -- about their best friend or their sibling or their pet or a family vacation. It brings me great pleasure as they steadily realize that they have more to say than they'd thought. Reading, researching, and studying are easier after they're written even simple narratives.

A key difference between other tutors and me is my approach based on teaching reading, writing, and grammar as closely related activities that support one another. A 14-year-old boy I worked with for a year during the pandemic had been misdiagnosed as having learning disabilities. I soon determined that he was merely bored with his teachers, who were using conventional methods of rote learning. After discovering that he was a black belt in karate, I helped him complete a major project on martial arts. His research led him to learn about its different forms in China, Japan, Brazil, the Philippines, and other countries. Within a few months, he had raised his English grade from failing to B-plus. "Working patiently and creatively with my son, James helped him become a confident writer, more successful in math, and raise his grades considerably," his mother said. For older students, I've helped them raise their SAT/English scores by at least 100 points. Learning is a lifelong passion of mine, and it is deeply satisfying to fuel that passion in my students.


Highlights

Hired 6 times
1 employee
5 years in business
Serves Charlottesville , VA
Offers online services

Payment methods

Credit Card, Cash, Check, Venmo, Paypal, Square, Apple Pay, Zelle

Social media


Specialties

Student age

Under 5 years old, 5 – 10 years old, 11 – 13 years old, 14 – 18 years old, 19 – 25 years old, 26 – 45 years old, 46 – 65 years old, Over 65 years old

Current speaking level

No experience, Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Student's goals

Conversational proficiency, Full professional fluency, Native / bilingual fluency

Photos and videos


  • Reviews

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    BZ

    brian Z.

    James is very invested in our student, he digs deep in finding the problems, and won’t move on until our student understands everything entirely. My only regret is that we didn’t consult with him sooner because it’s very obvious as well that the confidence in our student has suffered because of how long he went on without help in school. Although progress can be slow at times, it’s very obvious that James’s efforts are making an impact on our student and are evident in his improving grades. Anybody would be happy with the work that James does!
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    February 25, 2024

    LM

    linda M.

    James has been working with our son (now 8) for almost two years. He has helped our son improve his reading and writing skills enormously, while helping to boost his confidence in himself and his abilities. My son has also made progress in math with James help. Even though a tutor session is work - my son looks forward to his sessions with James and has a lot of fun learning! I give James a 5 star rating because he is an outstanding tutor.
    ... Show more
    April 24, 2023

    DL

    Diana L.

    If you are looking for an outstanding writer and coach, James is your person. He dedicated countless hours and travel time to help my daughter develop and refine 6 essays for college admissions. As an experienced journalist he knows about content development, detailed editing, and the art of storytelling. We learned so much from James, I would highly recommend his services to anyone!
    ... Show more
    November 03, 2021
    Hired on Tutors

    AB

    Aarav B.

    James worked with me to conceive and edit my college-application essays. He understands what colleges want. His tutoring definitely helped me get into Virginia Tech -- ahead of friends with better GPAs and SAT scores. I learned so much working with him, and I am now applying it in my college courses.
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    September 29, 2021

    JS

    Joe S.

    James was a fantastic sounding board for our high-school junior daughter. He helped her brainstorm ideas, develop a theme for her essays, and pushed her to do her very best in a manner that is warm and encouraging. He was a perfect fit for our daughter, and I cant recommend him enough.
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    September 29, 2021

    GL

    Gloria L.

    James tutored my 14-year-old son for six months last year. He showed great dedication in difficult circumstances during the pandemic, getting tested for COVID every month and driving an hour each way twice a week. Working patiently and creatively with my son, James helped him become a confident writer, more successful in math, and raise his grades considerably. I could not recommend James more highly.
    ... Show more
    September 29, 2021

    Services offered

    Speech
    Russian
    Esl
    College Admissions
    Literature
    Homeschool
    Social Sciences
    Chess
    Reading And Writing Tutoring