Services
My practice falls into two broad categories: tutoring for academic SUPPORT, and tutoring for academic ENRICHMENT.
If your child needs SUPPORT to reach grade-level expectations in Literacy and/or Math, focused tutoring sessions can help him or her meet and exceed those expectations much faster than differentiation in the classroom alone. Classroom teachers are all doing the best they can, but with class sizes as they are, it can be incredibly challenging to provide undivided, focused attention to individual students. One-to-one instruction, in the comfort of the home setting, provides children a safe and supportive space to practice new skills! The child can then return to the classroom with newfound confidence.
If you or your child's teacher have identified your child as exceptional academically, or you have received a gifted label, ENRICHMENT tutoring sessions provide a stimulating and fun challenge. My background working in Gifted Education settings in NYC has given me a unique perspective on the importance of providing appropriate challenge for children who have zoomed through grade-level content. Gifted education is all about providing students opportunities to develop depth and breadth of knowledge - as opposed to simply working through the next year or two of content.
Literacy Tutoring
Literacy sessions can focus on reading and/or writing! Speaking and listening are also important elements of these sessions. A typical Literacy session will include some phonics practice, spelling, reading, and work with a writing prompt or on-going project. I am a big believer in direct, explicit phonics instruction to build the strongest foundation for lifelong readers and writers. Students often need support progressing through a leveled reading system in the classroom, and tutoring can produce speedy results to meet and exceed grade-level expectations. Many parents and teachers also encounter resistance to writing at this age, and it's my job to help children find some ease and joy here! Often fine motor exercises and handwriting support can make a world of difference with writing challenges, as well.
Please note that families often choose to combine Literacy and Math work in hourlong sessions (30 minutes of each).
Math Tutoring
Math sessions are fun because they're all about games! I will identify a topic that needs reinforcement, give a brief review or demonstration, and then introduce a related activity. Children are naturally competitive and playful, so even those who have some resistance toward math cannot resist a game. I also believe in exposing children to relevant, “real world” tasks whenever possible. For example, if we are learning about adding, subtracting, or multiplying money and decimals, I might give an assignment to plan a birthday party within a certain budget. Initiating children’s creativity and making a personal connection to the project are so important, and can spark a dormant interest in math. In Early Childhood, big math topics include: number sense/fluency, measurement, patterning, problem solving, adding/subtracting/multiplying/dividing within 100 and then 1,000+.
Math is a popular focus for enrichment sessions as well, for the precocious math student who is zooming through content at school.
Launch into Reading!
There are few moments more thrilling for a parent, teacher, or child than when the child begins to read. There's a sense of magic... but learning to read does not need to be a mysterious process! In addition to giving children basic phonetic tools and decoding skills, I love to partner with parents and caregivers to demonstrate how to support your beginner reader on a daily basis. Most preschools and even some kindergarten programs will not explicitly teach reading - which is developmentally appropriate for many children, to wait. For others who are eager to begin reading before school age (maybe by watching an older sibling or friend, or mimicking you reading at bedtime!), I offer the launching pad. Having an introduction to reading can be a big confidence boost to many children as they enter kindergarten, especially. If you're not sure whether your child is ready to begin reading, I can help to assess his/her existing "pre-reading" and early literacy knowledge. Children read "when they are ready," meaning there is a significant range in age and developmental stage when it is appropriate.
Kindergarten Readiness
Many children in NYC attend wonderful play-based preschool programs. I am a huge advocate of this progressive setting and approach! Young children learn best through play and exploration, and social development is absolutely an appropriate priority during the earliest years of development. I am also an advocate for exposing children to baseline academic skills and content before kindergarten, in order to smooth the transition between preschool and elementary school. Beginning kindergarten is a major adjustment for most children - and there can be a disconnect between children's prior knowledge, and the starting point of many kindergarten programs. My approach is to introduce the alphabet, letter sounds, counting and number sense within 20+, practice holding a pencil, writing his/her name, etc.; all in a playful and fun manner. Another aim is to extend the child's attention span beyond 15-20 minute windows. With this exposure, children can jump into kindergarten with confidence and excitement! I also help parents use a checklist to make sure the child is holistically prepared for the big day, and can recommend any skills to reinforce before September.
