NOTE: Right now, with COVID-19, I am only available via methods which allow for social distancing, meaning Zoom, email, text, or phone.
I offer the following services:
Tutoring in English Composition: Writing is a craft. Like all crafts, writing improves with practice. Ranging from classes for students with no writing experience who may just be starting to put their thoughts into sentences to classes for students who have been with me for years and have developed a vast repertoire of writing skills, my work with students in the art of composition can help all ages write well and expressively. I always begin where the student IS rather than where some curriculum or teacher thinks the student SHOULD BE. The application of grammar, usage, and mechanics (including spelling) rules are embedded into nearly every lesson and taught with a cumulative approach. Nothing is assigned that has not first been practiced with me. What’s more, the kids learn to write and apply these skills to the things they find interesting or important, so they have a ball while doing something that many perceive to be quite difficult.
Tutoring in Orton-based Reading and Spelling: For students who struggle to learn to read, often due to dyslexia. My target age group here is the older elementary or even high school aged student. I much prefer working with this age group because these kids have often given up on reading and that’s something that I just don’t like hearing. Because of the way I was trained, I often utilize a blend of Spalding and Orton-Gillingham when teaching struggling readers.
Advanced Reading Skills: For students who have progressed beyond “Learning to Read” and are struggling with the “Reading to Learn” stage, this course helps solidify both comprehension and study skills while augmenting writing and test taking skills.
Pricing for the above classes and specialized 1:1 tutoring sessions runs between $12 and $30 per session, with 1:1 students paying more than those in classes. Writing classes have a minimum number of 4 students, while O-G classes never include more than 4 students per class.
Evaluations: For students homeschooling under the Pennsylvania homeschool law, I evaluate portfolios of samples while mentoring the parents so they can do the best job possible while educating their children. Pricing for end-of-term evaluations is $35 per evaluation for reporting students. No charge for younger siblings who wish to share what they have been doing!
Homeschool Life Coaching: If you need targeted and personalized assistance figuring out how the homeschooling lifestyle can work for you or need help choosing or using curriculum, I can be hired on a retainer basis. Rates are based on my regular 1:1 session fee of $30.
Paper Grading: For students, this usually includes planning, editing, and final grading. For other teachers, this includes editing with explanations as well as a rubric-based score. Pricing averages around $15 for most short assignments. Long research papers will be more.
In addition to these paid services, during the school term I facilitate monthly book discussion groups for high school kids (Reading with Reason) and younger students (Junior Book Club). If local families have younger siblings, and there is interest, I will hold another session for these littles ones (Literacy for Littles) as well where I read aloud to the children and help them think more deeply about the stories. Some years I run a free fun “camp” for about an hour or so once a week in the summer time for my youngest students to practice their phonograms, spelling skills, or grammar principles.
You could say that I love to teach!