Courtney M.

“ I have always been a writer. Regardless of the form in which I've chosen to write at any given point in my life, it has always been something I have been very passionate about. This was a passion that carried over into college. While I am a Psychology major, I take every opportunity presented to me to take English classes. In those very English classes, I excel. I am a favorite of my English teachers as often...

I have always been a writer. Regardless of the form in which I've chosen to write at any given point in my life, it has always been something I have been very passionate about. This was a passion that carried over into college. While I am a Psychology major, I take every opportunity presented to me to take English classes. In those very English classes, I excel. I am a favorite of my English teachers as often times I am one of the only non-English majors that truly seems to care about the coursework.

Tutoring in literature and essay writing is my specialty, however I am a fan of grammar to an almost disgusting degree.

My tutoring methods are incredibly hands-on when it comes to English. When essay writing is involved, I like to come from two different angles depending on what work has been done.

If an essay has been written or mostly written, I am very likely to have a student read what they've written aloud to me, allowing them to first search for their own mistakes or inconsistencies before we move forward. This is a method I use in my own writing and have always found incredibly effective.

Before an essay has been written, I would first go over what is necessary to begin. I would lecture on outlines as well as the need to construct and work from a sturdy thesis in order to create any essay worth more than the paper it is printed on.

Where literature is concerned, I would present the student being tutored with a series of questions on the course material; the sort that one would find in any classroom. If faced with a lack of understanding, I would then go over the topic with the student. The same can be said for my approach to grammar. This is for starters, at least.

I am incredibly aware that my go-to methods might not work for all. This being the case, I would then step back and attempt to approach the situation from an angle that is understood by the student. Because, honestly, if the student doesn't understand what their tutor is saying, in addition to what they are being taught in class, then it is incredibly unlikely that they will ever grasp the course material. However, more often than not, this is the problem. Most students don't do badly in a subject because they lack the intelligence to process the material. No, they flounder because they lack a support system that caters to their specific learning style.

My goal and intention is to find an approach catered to a student's specific style and continue from there.

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