Catherine
Certified Tutor
I recently graduated from Wellesley College with degrees in Economics and in English. I've been tutoring for about ten years now, in subjects ranging from ESL to US History. I love learning, and because of that one of my greatest passions is helping others find the joy in learning new things.
I grew up moving from country to country, and, in moving, I was able to experience many different teaching styles. Watching different classmates succeed based on how material was presented made me realize just how differently we all learn. My goal as a tutor is to find the way that you best learn and, aside from helping you understand the material, I want to help you learn how to translate different teaching styles so that, not matter who your teacher is, you can always learn.
Outside of my chosen subjects, I heartily enjoy philosophy and astronomy. In my free time I am usually involved in a play, often times one by Shakespeare.
Connect with a tutor like Catherine
Undergraduate Degree: Wellesley College - Bachelors, Economics & English
- SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1410
Soccer, astronomy, theatre, rocketry, reading, Shakespeare, ballet, and baking.
- American Literature
- Art
- Business
- College Economics
- College English
- College Level American Literature
- Economics
- English
- English Grammar and Syntax
- Essay Editing
- Fiction Writing
- High School Economics
- High School English
- High School Level American Literature
- High School Writing
- Macroeconomics
- Microeconomics
- Middle School Reading
- Middle School Reading Comprehension
- Middle School Writing
- Other
- Public Speaking
- Study Skills
- Study Skills and Organization
- Theatre
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe that every student is capable of learning anything, including the ability to eventually tutor themselves. In addition to working on a student's desired subject, I believe it is important to teach good study and research skills, so that students can eventually learn on their own.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
A first session always involves a discussion of overall goals, and then a mapping out of how we will reach those goals.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Difficulty with reading comprehension often results from either a deficient vocabulary or a lack of basic reading skills. The first step in improving reading comprehension is understanding the root of the issue. From there, it is easy to work on vocabulary growth games or developing strong reading techniques.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
The easiest way to engage a student is to show them how their subject applies to the real world.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Some tutors will answer all of the questions posed to a student, including those that the tutor asks to check for comprehension. I believe in giving a student a chance to answer what is asked of them, and, if they can't, I believe in letting them give it their best guess. We can then work through the answer together, and I'll pose another about the same subject to see if they can work it out on their own.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
The first tutoring session is incredibly important for evaluating a student's tutoring needs. In that session it is important to work through as many problems as possible with a student to see which style of teaching they best respond to. Once that style is identified, it is easy to prepare problems and examples for the next meeting that best suit a student's learning style.