Sabra
Certified Tutor
I earned my BA in English with honors from Rutgers University. Exploring the interrelatedness of literature, history, medicine, and psychology (my senior thesis examined the role of seasonal affective disorder in the works and lives of Emily Dickinson and Percy Shelley) engendered in me an understanding that no area of academic study exists in a vacuum and that an important aspect of teaching (and learning) is to find the places where academic areas intersect and inform one another.
I studied mathematics after college, and before my recent move to Washington, I served as an adjunct math tutor for five years at Indian River State College in Vero Beach, Florida. I love helping people dispel the belief that they "can't do math." One of my favorite compliments given to me by a college algebra student was that I explain concepts "like a person, not a mathematician," and that I "can break down ugly problems and make them easy to solve."
While in Florida, I also taught middle grades language arts, algebra, and geometry for nine years at a small alternative school. My pupils learned the most from lessons and projects that related life experiences to math and English. A favorite was our restaurant business plan which incorporated math through recipes and blueprints and English through restaurant reviews and resumes. I really enjoyed creating and teaching our ballroom dance club in which members learned history, culture, teamwork, and the power of music and movement. The end of each semester culminated in exuberant performances of rhumba, swing or merengue. I laughed with and learned from my students every day.
As a private tutor, I have helped dozens of students improve standardized test scores, fine-tune college entrance essays, and succeed in tough classes. Perhaps more importantly, I have helped them eliminate some of the anxiety that has become prevalent in traditional education. I hope I have given them a desire to learn and a belief in their abilities. My students know that we have a partnership; we are in it together, and I will do all I can to help them reach their goals.
My other interests include wildlife rehabilitation, ballroom dancing, surfing, running, and reading.
Connect with a tutor like Sabra
Undergraduate Degree: Rutgers University-Camden - Bachelor of Science, English
- ACT English: 32
- ACT Reading: 36
- SAT Verbal: 780
ballroom and Latin dancing, wildlife rehabilitation, reading
- 10th Grade Math
- 10th Grade Reading
- 10th Grade Writing
- 11th Grade Math
- 11th Grade Reading
- 11th Grade Writing
- 12th Grade Math
- 12th Grade Reading
- 12th Grade Writing
- 5th Grade Math
- 6th Grade Math
- 6th Grade Reading
- 6th Grade Writing
- 7th Grade Math
- 7th Grade Reading
- 7th Grade Writing
- 8th Grade Math
- 8th Grade Reading
- 8th Grade Writing
- 9th Grade Math
- 9th Grade Reading
- 9th Grade Writing
- ACCUPLACER Arithmetic
- ACCUPLACER Elementary Algebra
- ACCUPLACER Reading Comprehension
- ACCUPLACER Sentence Skills
- ACT English
- ACT Math
- ACT Reading
- ACT Science
- ACT Writing
- Adult Literacy
- Algebra
- Algebra 2
- American Literature
- Arithmetic
- ASVAB Prep
- British Literature
- College Algebra
- College English
- College Essays
- College Level American Literature
- Comparative Literature
- COMPASS Mathematics
- COMPASS Reading
- COMPASS Writing Skills
- Creative Writing
- Developmental Algebra
- Elementary Algebra
- Elementary School Math
- Elementary School Reading
- Elementary School Writing
- English
- English Grammar and Syntax
- Essay Editing
- Expository Writing
- GED Prep
- Geometry
- Graduate Test Prep
- GRE
- GRE Quantitative
- GRE Verbal
- High School English
- High School Level American Literature
- High School Writing
- Intermediate Algebra
- Introduction to Fiction
- ISEE Prep
- ISEE- Middle Level
- ISEE- Upper Level
- Literature
- Medieval Literature
- Middle School Math
- Middle School Reading
- Middle School Writing
- Other
- Poetry
- Poetry Writing
- Pre-Algebra
- PSAT Prep
- PSAT Critical Reading
- PSAT Mathematics
- PSAT Writing Skills
- Quantitative Reasoning
- Reading
- SAT Math
- SAT Writing and Language
- Shakespeare
- SSAT Prep
- SSAT- Elementary Level
- SSAT- Middle Level
- SSAT- Upper Level
- Summer
- Test Prep
- Vocabulary
- World Literature
- Writing