Rachel
Chess? Reading? Writing? Research? I tutor what you need to learn.
- $60 / h
- 3 reviews
- 16 rating s
- Minnetonka , MN ( 55345 )
- 20 miles
From kindergarten through college, ACT 1 through Zine 5, special education and ESL 2, I can equip you with the confidence and skills you need to ace the academic challenges you face. Hi, I'm Rachel, academic coach in language arts, social studies, humanities, communications, study skills, testing, research, public speaking, reading/writing/rhythm, the whole nine yards, all phases, all ages. With an MA in English/education and several years of classroom and private teaching experi...
handwriting
ADD/ADHD
Having taught children and adults before ADHD was diagnosed, I've monitored its inception and progression with interest and compassion. The ability "to focus on the task at hand": the loss and thus the educational objective when working with ADHD. I first observed and worked with ADHD--this unrelenting and crippling series of mental interruptions--at the Blesham Institute in Paramus, NJ some 25 years ago. Ritalin was being introduced along with behavior management techniques, attention lengthening methods, calming experiments...whole new curricula were be launched and tested nationwide. "Why Can't Johnny Read?" became "Why Can't Johnny Sit Still?" I believe ADHD sufferers know little if any "inner quiet", and as an educator work to calm the psychological turbulence and build/restore the silence, the inner sanctum that's been destroyed. A quiet, non-threatening, pleasant learning environment is key. That's what I seek to create. Ultimately, outer quiet becomes inner calm. One method I've had consistent success with: directions/instructions to build something tangible. Theory and application. Variation as required. Attention span extension. It works. We should remember that "good things take time". With ADHD it's never a rush to the finish line--it's "finishing the line" while tripping on as few distractions as possible.
vocabulary
grammar
reading
writing
English
ESL/ESOL
literature
proofreading
TOEFL
spelling
ACT Reading
ACT English
elementary (k-6th)
ADHD
Tianjiao L. from Champaign, IL
I like to have lessons with Rachel. She always has good methods to solve my problems. I love to learn about chess and English writing with her. It's very interesting and helps me a lot.
Daphne S. from Champaign, IL
6/30/2014 Rachel is an awesome chess tutor for our 6-year-old son. She is not only knowledgeable in all matters of chess, but she is patient and funny and makes chess a fun and pleasurable game, which is what it should be for a child. We are looking forward to more lessons with Rachel and to her helping us have our son tournament-ready by this fall! 8/9/2014 Our son won a game in his very first chess tournament today, and he won it with the 4-move checkmate taught to him by Rachel! We are very proud of him, and so grateful to Rachel for her tutelage. We have high hopes for our son's continued improvement. Under Rachel's guidance, he is learning the art of great chess. 10/8/14 Rachel has been tutoring my teenage daughter in chess. My daughter has been playing chess for years, but under Rachel's guidance, she has blossomed, and won 1st place in her section in a scholastic tournament a couple of weeks ago, and just won a cash prize by tying for 2nd place in her section in her first Open tournament. Rachel is awesome and knows her chess!
Lisa G. from Champaign, IL
My son was very reluctant to have a tutor. Rachel figured this out immediately and instead of jumping into teaching, spent a few minutes to break the ice, which she did very effectively. That says a lot, because my son was not going to comply easily. Then, she very quickly discerned what the problem was. I was very impressed with her teaching methods. For the first session, she came very prepared and even brought her own handwriting tools. I would recommend her highly.