Allison

Certified Tutor

I graduated from Pace University with a Bachelor of Arts in English Language and Literature as well as minors in Creative Writing, Queer Studies, and Sociology/Anthropology. I have also completed one semester of graduate level Creative Writing courses at the University of San Francisco. Currently, I am applying to graduate programs to obtain my Masters in Special Education. My personal interests include reading, writing, cooking, music, traveling, exploring the city, and spending time with friends and family.

Throughout my working career, I have gained teaching experience with students of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities. In the past, I have worked as a college level writing tutor for both Pace University and the University of San Francisco. As a tutor, I worked with the general student population as well as English language learners and students registered with disability services. In both of these experiences, I helped students from the beginning of the writing process to the end.

Along with this background in higher education, I also have training with younger students as well. Through a private Math and Reading Center, I guided children age's three to eight through math and reading assignments. One of the most rewarding teaching experiences I have had is with my current job as a clinician at Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes. As a clinician, I work one on one with students to improve their decoding and reading comprehension skills through a specifically designed reading program and lesson plan. I also worked with a variety students ranging from ages five to twenty-one, many of whom had diagnosed learning differences.

While my background is primarily in English and Language Arts, I am not limited to just this subject areas. I also have knowledge in History and the Social Sciences, as reading comprehension and strong writing skills are at the base of mastering these courses especially at the higher-grade levels. In general one of my favorite aspects about tutoring is helping kids fall in love with reading and writing by improving their skills and confidence in this area particularly by engaging their interests.

Another aspect I love about tutoring, is working with students who have learning differences and other special needs. I myself have struggled throughout my life with learning differences so I understand on a personal level both the challenges and triumphs students with learning differences go through. I also enjoy serving as a mentor to students with learning differences and sharing with them my own learning and executive functioning strategies that have helped me over the years.

In each of these positions I have gained so much knowledge from the interactions I have had with students. I have learned to tailor my teaching style and method to meet each individual student's needs and personality. I also understand how important it is to have patience, compassion, empathy and acceptance when working with students.