Thomas

Certified Tutor

I am a former New York City public school teacher with experience in English, journalism, economics and global history. I believe that all children can learn and that it is my responsibility to help each student discover which style of learning suits them best. My goal is to help students build stamina—important in an age of increased standardized testing—and provide learning strategies that will help them become life-long independent learners.

One of my favorite ways to teach is through the use of questioning—a strategy that dates back thousands of years to Socrates. During tutoring sessions, observers will notice that I will usually ask a series of questions designed to allow the learner to reach a correct conclusion on his or her own. This teaching strategy develops critical-thinking skills and provides a sense of personal satisfaction to the learner that does not come from being simply provided with answers.

To keep things interesting and aid retention, students may also be asked to assume the role of teacher during a tutoring session. (Research suggests that student retention increases to 90 percent when the student is asked to teach a concept or skill to another person.)

Also, students will sometimes be asked to tell me everything they know about a topic, then be encouraged to write down a series of questions they may have. Our tutoring session then may focus on strategies to help the student answer his or her own questions. (This format for tutoring sessions is suited to students who are struggling in a given subject area and to those who are expecting to continue their education after high school.)

As a high school teacher, I was known for using technology in my classroom in order to help every student learn at his or her own pace. Students often participated in online discussions using their cell phones and created essays that were posted online for other students to review.

Before becoming a teacher, I was a newspaper reporter and manager at national magazines such as Harper's Bazaar and Fitness. During my career in journalism, I learned that the written word is a powerful tool. I decided to become a teacher to empower students through the use of writing.