1^st lesson free

Carmen

Rate $25
Response 1h
Students
Number of students Carmen has taught since their arrival at Superprof
3
Number of students Carmen has taught since their arrival at Superprof

$25/h

1^st lesson free

History
General knowledge
Philosophy
Current events
Archeology

Long-time writing teacher and tutor with award-winning students, looking to add more. Writing is a skill which can be taught!

History
General knowledge
Philosophy
Current events
Archeology

Lesson location

- online
- at your home or a public place : will travel up to 20 mi. from Beaverton

About Carmen

I have a Master of Fine Arts degree in multi-genre creative writing from Hollins University and have published in various literary journals and released a book of poetry co-authored with my father, who is also a writer. I have an undergraduate degrees in both English and Spanish. I’ve been teaching since I was 22. I taught English as a Second Language for many years, in Spain, Japan, and Mexico, at language academies and at a university. In that time, I taught all ages, from preschool-age kids to adults, and all levels, from basic to advanced English, including TOEFL classes and Business English. I spent three years teaching English and writing at the higher ed level, and have spent the entirety of the pandemic tutoring. Many of my students have gone on to win multiple writing awards. I mainly teach writing and ESL, but I’ve also taught American history, biology, and Spanish. I’m confident that I can help you or your child become a careful reader and an eloquent writer, and can help with critical thinking skills, too.

About the lesson

I teach a variety of subjects, including ESL, rhetoric and composition, English literature, comparative literature, and also Spanish and occasionally history and philosophy. However, I'm best at teaching writing, and as a long-time writing teacher who has taught at the college level, I recommend all parents who can afford it get their kids a writing tutor.

Basic writing ability is essential across disciplines. In our society we have a backwards approach to teaching writing, in my opinion, the same as we do for math, which is why students so commonly struggle with both of these abilities.

Writing is not a subject, it's a skill set. Unlike single subjects such as history or social studies, writing is applicable to all areas of life, and the ability to write at a high level is a prerequisite in almost every academic discipline, particularly for students who want to persevere to the graduate level. However, even outside of school settings, writing is necessary in a wide variety of professions, from police officer to receptionist to nurse practitioner; and as a former teacher of incoming college freshmen, I can unfortunately report that high schools often fail to teach students even the basic writing skills they need to survive their first year of college.

I don't think this failure is the fault of overburdened English teachers also tasked with teaching literature, which is a subject, unlike writing. Writing ought to be taught as an ongoing writing lab portion across school subjects which is facilitated by educators in those fields, rather than left to a single teacher who cannot possibly be acquainted with the discourse community of every single discipline.

This is also a problem when it comes to mathematics, which is the skill set required for STEM careers; however, math teachers have it slightly easier in that they're usually not also required to teach an in-depth history of mathematics, which would be equivalent to what English teachers are required to do, in presenting both the subject of literature and the skill set of writing to students. Considering the sheer volume of essays they receive, English teachers carry some of the heaviest grading load of all teachers, so it's to be expected that they are often doing their best under less than ideal circumstances.

Considering the necessity of writing and the way it's taught--or not--in schools, a writing tutor makes an extremely valuable asset to a student at any age, whether they're in elementary school and still learning the basic function of syntax and paragraphs, or they're in high school and learning how to compose sophisticated arguments.

In addition to improved writing skills, learning how to write brings confidence. One of my first private students, a girl too shy to write a letter to the editor, with whom I began working when she was 12, now at age 16 is a multiple award-winning writer. In fact, quite a number of my students have won writing awards after working with me for just an hour a week over the course of a few years.

My style is laid-back and hands-on. Depending of course on individual level, younger kids I usually start out with basics of vocabulary and sentence and paragraph mechanics before slowly challenging their ability by teaching them to develop their own voices and write in more sophisticated styles. For older kids, in middle and high school, or in college, I take my students through a survey course of critical essay styles, in conjunction with teaching them basic principles of good writing. I can also facilitate creative expression, such as fiction, drama, and poetry, as I studied all three for my Master of Fine Arts in creative writing. Additionally, I can help with SAT prep, for the language and writing portion of the test, and with drafting personal essays for college applications. I can aid students in learning how to write convincing and concise in-class essays for their AP exams, as well. All in all, a writing tutor soon becomes indispensable for a student, as their grades improve and with it their self-confidence.

Right now, I'm looking to take on some new students, for as few or as many hours a week during the weekdays as they'd like. I might have a few slots still left on the weekends, too. I can teach in person in my area, but actually have come to prefer teaching over Zoom, as my pupils and I can work in Google docs together, and can follow along and work collaboratively as I show them how to edit their pieces.

I hope I've made my case for the necessity of a good writing tutor convincingly! Really, my students' Scholastic Art and Writing Competition awards speak for themselves. They are evidence that even in a relatively short amount of time a student can drastically improve their writing and develop their own style and talent, which is what I aim to cultivate.

I look forward to working with you soon!

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Pack rates

5h: $125
10h: $250

online

$25/h

free lessons

This first lesson offered with Carmen will allow you to get to know each other and clearly specify your needs for your next lessons.

Long-time writing teacher and tutor with award-winning students, looking to add more. Writing is a skill which can be taught!

Lesson location

About Carmen

About the lesson

Rates

Rate

Pack rates

online

free lessons

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Long-time writing teacher and tutor with award-winning students, looking to add more. Writing is a skill which can be taught!

Lesson location

About Carmen

About the lesson

Rates

Rate

Pack rates

online

free lessons

Other tutors in History

Paige

Meghan

Sam

Sandy

Lyle

John

Ada

Simon

Altair

Victor

Julie

John

Marc

Adam

Leila

Dr Tramayne

Carter

Mia

Anthony

Nick

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