Tutoring for English/Literature - I am certified in Secondary English, and I have taught 9th, 10th, and 11th grade English at both the regular and honors levels. When I teach, I deliberately include a variety of teaching techniques to stimulate different learning styles. (I am now working on a textbook/workbook that uses animated films for vocabulary and writing development.) Even though I use a variety of teaching techniques, I remain focused on the fundamentals. Since effective essay writing is essential in high school and college, I stress the fundamentals of effective essays: structure, a clear thesis, and effective points. These fundamentals will help students tremendously when taking standardized tests.

Tutoring for Mathematics - When I graduated from high school, I won the award given to the best math student in the school. While in graduate school, I tutored other graduate students in statistics, and I am now certified in Secondary Mathematics. At Tewksbury High School, I taught Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2/Trigonometry. Recently, I tutored a student in AP Calculus. I have always enjoyed math and done well in math because math simply makes sense to me. When teaching math, I want math to make sense to my students; I do not want my students simply to spit out solutions.

Tutoring for the SAT and the ACT - As noted above, I am certified in both English and mathematics, and I am able to teach all three of the SAT sections (Writing, Mathematics, and Critical Reading) and all five of the ACT sections (English, Mathematics, Reading, Science, and Writing). In addition, and to the surprise of others, I actually enjoy the challenge of standardized test questions. When tutoring for the SAT and the ACT, I have three primary goals: 1) help the students identify the types of problems; 2) help the students develop the skills needed for each type of problem; and 3) ensure focused practice (and a lot of it) because scores on standardized tests increase simply with practice.

Academic Advisor - Sometimes students need better organization and study skills, and sometimes students need someone to help them stay focused on school work. Usually, I will help students in these areas as I tutor them in a particular subject, but I wanted to have a separate category here to ensure parents that I will meet all of the student's primary academic needs.

NOTE: Given my M.A. in Political Science and my M.A. in International Public Policy, I am also able to help some students with history, economics, statistics, and related subjects.

Price
1 hour of tutoring/advising for one student - $120  

Payments
All payments for tutoring/advising MUST be paid before the session. For convenience, parents may use a retainer, and I will refund any unused portion of the retainer.
I accept cash and checks only. I do not accept credit cards.

Cancellations
If you need to cancel a session, you must notify me at least six hours before the start time of the session so that I have time to schedule another student. There is a $60 charge (1/2 hour) for any late cancellations or for missed sessions.