James
Certified Tutor
I'm a working Musical Theatre actor who has a passion for teaching and tutoring, especially in English and standardize tests. As a child, I was horrible at focusing in the standardize tests, and missed an entire section because I was "bored". As I grew up, I learned how to focus and became quite good at understanding the methods of creating the questions and understanding what they were testing. I became interested in grammar and literature particularly, because it is fascinating to get into. So many different words to describe life, and so many stories to delve into! When I was a teenager, a good number of my poems, stories and essays were published professionally. I was also one of the five finalists of the Profile in Courage essay competition for the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library in 2009.
While theatre is my dream and career, I decided to become a tutor so I could help others who needed assistance with something that was just fun for me. Practicing for my own PSATs and SATs, watching my scores (practice and real) go up and up gave me a satisfaction that its almost indescribable. Helping people reach their own goals, and seeing them succeed is really important for me.
My approach is more relaxed, because learning should always be fun. I believe in practice making close to perfect, and repetition is key. The easiest way to remember something is writing it down a time or two. It works with all subjects, and it forces your attention to be on what you're doing in the moment.
I got into some of the top schools in the country, but ultimately decided on Catholic University of America because it had the best Musical Theatre program, which was the most important part of choosing a college in my view. With a degree in theatre, Shakespeare and other such play analysis is just about second nature to me. When I was in High School, I was in Honors and Advanced English throughout my time (AP Language and Literature), and got 5's on both exams. Also, when I took the SAT (back when the writing portion was required), I never got less than a perfect score on my essay. Once I got to college, I decided to be a peer advisor/editor for papers to earn a little money while in school. Once my school work got too crazy, I stopped, but I helped a lot of papers turn from Cs and Ds in the rough draft portion to As and Bs.
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Undergraduate Degree: Catholic University of America - Bachelors, Music and Psychology
Singing, Acting, Reading, Playing Catan and Munchkin, Going out to Movies
- 10th Grade
- 10th Grade Math
- 10th Grade Reading
- 10th Grade Writing
- 11th Grade
- 11th Grade Reading
- 11th Grade Writing
- 12th Grade
- 12th Grade Reading
- 12th Grade Writing
- 1st Grade
- 1st Grade Math
- 1st Grade Reading
- 1st Grade Writing
- 2nd Grade
- 2nd Grade Math
- 2nd Grade Reading
- 2nd Grade Writing
- 3rd Grade
- 3rd Grade Math
- 3rd Grade Reading
- 3rd Grade Science
- 3rd Grade Writing
- 4th Grade
- 4th Grade Math
- 4th Grade Reading
- 4th Grade Science
- 4th Grade Writing
- 5th Grade
- 5th Grade Math
- 5th Grade Reading
- 5th Grade Science
- 5th Grade Writing
- 6th Grade
- 6th Grade Math
- 6th Grade Reading
- 6th Grade Science
- 6th Grade Writing
- 7th Grade
- 7th Grade Math
- 7th Grade Reading
- 7th Grade Science
- 7th Grade Writing
- 8th Grade
- 8th Grade Math
- 8th Grade Reading
- 8th Grade Science
- 8th Grade Writing
- 9th Grade
- 9th Grade Math
- 9th Grade Reading
- 9th Grade Writing
- ACT Reading
- ACT Writing
- Adult Literacy
- American Literature
- AP Psychology
- Audition Prep
- Classics
- College Application Essays
- College English
- College Essays
- Comparative Literature
- Composition
- Creative Writing
- Elementary School
- Elementary School Math
- Elementary School Reading
- Elementary School Science
- Elementary School Writing
- English
- English Grammar and Syntax
- Essay Editing
- Fiction Writing
- GMAT Analytical Writing Assessment
- GMAT Verbal
- Graduate Test Prep
- GRE Subject Test in Literature in English
- GRE Subject Tests
- High School
- High School Chemistry
- High School English
- High School Level American Literature
- High School Writing
- Homework Support
- IB Theatre HL
- Literature
- Math
- Middle School
- Middle School Math
- Middle School Reading
- Middle School Science
- Middle School Writing
- Music
- Music Theory
- Other
- PSAT Critical Reading
- PSAT Writing Skills
- REGENTS Prep
- SAT Reading
- SAT Verbal
- SAT Writing and Language
- Singing
- Social Sciences
- Social Studies
- Study Skills and Organization
- Summer
- TACHS Prep
- Test Prep
- Theatre
- Vocabulary
- Vocal Training
- Voice
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe that everyone should read more, because reading affects all areas of learning. Reading helps math, science, history, and especially English! Taking time to read up on subjects teaches more in depth than just doing the bare minimum.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Evaluate strengths and weaknesses. What they would like to get help with, and also find areas they're already strong in. To get a sense of what they're good at helps with how to approach things they need a little extra help with.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
Guiding them to an answer is much more efficient for learning than telling it to them outright, even if it takes more time. If they can get the answers for themselves with guidance, they will start to get them without guidance. That's what a tutor is there for: not to give them an answer, but to show them to way to get the answer themselves.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
I believe in a system of rewards, and that not reaching a reward is punishment enough. It's easy to get disheartened with punishments, and then rewards lose charm. However, if they know that a reward is waiting, or just the disappointment of no reward, they try harder.
If a student has difficulty learning a skill or concept, what would you do?
Figure out a method to relate it to something they already get. If they are a visual learner, draw it out. If they are a verbal/audio learner, either put it in words or say it aloud. Relating it to something they already get is most effective.
How do you help students who are struggling with reading comprehension?
Patience is key always. Set up a smaller section for them to tackle, and then add to it. Huge reading comprehension sections can be daunting, but starting small and getting bigger can make it less so.
What strategies have you found to be most successful when you start to work with a student?
Assessing strengths and weaknesses is more important, and figuring out how the learn quickest. Some people are visual learners, some prefer to write things down to remember, and others just need to listen and hear the words. Figuring out the ways a student learns what they're good at, and applying the same method to areas they need help in, is one of the best techniques I have found.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
Relate it to areas they don't struggle in. If a student does well, they enjoy something more. If it can be related to something they enjoy, or can be related to their life rather than seem academic, it will become much easier to understand and learn.
What techniques would you use to be sure that a student understands the material?
Testing is the easiest way; not long testing, but quick examples that make sure they truly understand. The more practice a student gets at applying knowledge they have gained will make it stick.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
Always be positive. There are positives in every negative, so focus on those. If they understand one concept, but are confused on another, praise them for the one they know. Then, we can apply the ideas of the first concept to the second to make it easier.
How do you evaluate a student's needs?
Practice questions; see where they excel, where they need work, and figure out a way to work both. For example, SAT Prep; the most important start is a practice test to see where they already fall. Do they score high in one, and low in another? Low in both? High in both? What types of questions did they get incorrect? Text analysis? Algebra? Geometry? Grammar? Finding out what exactly needs help is important, because it would be silly to spend too much time on things a student excels in.
How do you adapt your tutoring to the student's needs?
Figure out what way is best for them. Do they need to look at pictures? I'd draw it out. Do they need to read? I'll write the lesson down to make sure they have it. Do they just need to listen? I'll make sure they tape the audio for the lesson so they can go over what we discussed. Finding out what works best, and running with it is the best way.
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
Practice test books. I believe practice is the most important thing. Grammar guide books are also very important. Going over basic grammar technique will score much higher on tests, the SAT, Essays, College Essays, etc. Well written papers are important, almost as much as conveying the content within the paper.