Jessica
Certified Tutor
I love reading! I especially love reading science fiction, graphic novels and literature! I am currently into watching Steven Universe and re-watching Avatar: The last Airbender. I am avid cyclist and enjoy riding my bike here in San Antonio.
My students describe me as "inspiring, goofy, quirky and honorable" and they say my class is "challenging but worth it."
When I work with students, I like to get to know their goals and help them understand how the work they are doing now will help them in their future. From my experience as educator, I like to practice the "I do, we do and then you do" method. I believe it increases student's academic independence and helps them to internalize the skill set we are practicing.
SUMMARY OF SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE
ELAR Certification 7-12
Tutoring- Eight years of experience providing academic support for Students K- College
Curriculum Development- Six years experience creating curriculum and lesson materials
Teaching- Two years of experience teaching
My expertise includes:
- Teaching English through Teach for America at a local high school with students of varying socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds; significantly above district average passing rates on End of Year Assessments; obtained Rising Star Teaching Award, a Culturally Responsive Teaching Fellowship, and was named a Star Educator.
- Supervising, mentoring, and tracking students' college application processes with a 100% acceptance rate; helped students secure over $200,000 in scholarships.
- Planned and lead after school programing sessions: including SAT prep to "How to Create a Resume"
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Undergraduate Degree: University of Washington-Seattle Campus - Bachelors, Women Studies and Comparative History of Ideas
Received award for high EOC scores (85% passing rate in district). Doubled number of students who passed AP Language and Composition in second year. Has received leadership awards. Rising Star Teacher award. 100% success rate as college counselor.
- College English
- College Essays
- English
- Essay Editing
- High School English
- Homework Support
- IB Philosophy
- IB Philosophy HL
- IB Social and Cultural Anthropology
- IB Social and Cultural Anthropology HL
- Other
- Reading
- Social Sciences
- Study Skills
- Study Skills and Organization
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
When I work with students, I like to get to know their goals and help them understand how the work they are doing now will help them in their future. From my experience as an educator, I like to practice the "I do, we do, and then you do" method. I believe it increases student's academic independence and helps them to internalize the skill set we are practicing.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
I like to ask students questions about their goals, and then we discuss how whatever they are working on fits in their goals.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Helping the student find the answer through question-based inquiry vs. giving the student the answer.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Help them understand how the work they are doing fits in with their goals.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Provide a model or scaffold the work into smaller chunks.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
I like to introduce students to various decoding techniques, and remind them that reading is a skill that can improve with practice.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
I like to get to know the student's comfort with the subject. What do they like about it? Dislike? I like to have a conversation going with them about how continuing to improve in the class will help them toward their goals.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I find that when students understand the importance of the class in relation to "real life," then they are better able to invest themselves.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
I might have the student create their own problem, make their own model or explain a example to me step by step.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Help them to track and see their own progress.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
I compare the student's current skill set with the grade level appropriate expectations.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
If my student responds well to visuals, then I incorporate visuals. If they do well with real world application, then I try to bring in real world examples of the problem.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
I prefer to use the student's class work and notes and work from there.