Ian

Certified Tutor

Since I was young I knew that I loved work related to helping others. When I was in high school I spent my lunch periods volunteering and tutoring in a program where I taught students who were between the ages of 14 to 21 reading skills. Many of the students I worked with had physical and intellectual disabilities, which caused a growing passion in me for working with this population. In college I spent summers working as a job coach, helping adults 18 and over with disabilities find work, and then I would help train them in the positions they received. In addition to studying education in college, I studied literature, as I have always been fascinated with how and why people act the way they have throughout history. Over the last six years I have taught in a public middle school in Jackson Heights queens. I have taught 3 years of seventh grade, and 3 years of 8th grade English Language Arts. Throughout these years I have worked with English language learners, students with special needs, and honors students. For the last two years and the upcoming school year my teaching program is focused on gifted and talented students. I have become a teacher who is eager to figure out how to challenge students in a way that they find valuable.

After high school, I attended the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts and began studying literature and education. I finished earning my bachelor's degree in middle and high school English education closer to home at The City College of New York. I began teaching immediately, and earned my Masters in Special Education at the same time. I have taken numerous professional courses on teaching English to students of all levels, and have most recently been professionally involved in developing my ability to work with gifted and talented / honors students. At the school where I teach I helped run the debate team for 3 years, and am currently in charge of the school's newspaper and journalism club. I am planning on continuing my education and am considering starting a new focus in creative writing, an area that I personally enjoy and have made an important part of my classroom over the years.

I am dedicated to teach to student's needs and help them obtain strategies that best fit the type of learner they are. My approach to teaching is to assess student strength and weakness, and to help them become aware of this so that they can capitalize on what they do well, and learn ways to effectively approach what they have trouble with. I am passionate about learning and seeing others succeed. I love all things English Language Arts, and am always willing to give my best shot at working with any student to help them improve in this area.