Jennifer
Creative Language Arts Tutor, Trained in the Wilson Method
Greetings, As a parent or student you are looking for a smart, sympathetic and compassionate educator who knows how to help. I have been tutoring for eleven years now. I have spent a great deal of time in school. I have a PhD in Art History, an MFA in Painting and am currently working on a MS in Communication Disorders. I have taught preschool age to Graduate School. My current focus is language disorders. I so enjoy helping individuals of all ages master reading, writing and speaking ...
speech
Regents
dyslexia
autism
As an educator, I have spent the last 6 years working with special needs children. I have helped many students on the Autism spectrum. My interest in Autism and other developmental problems in children has taken me back to school to study communication disorders, specifically language disorders in children on the spectrum. (I am working on a Masters degree.) My tutoring practice has specialized over the years in children on the autism spectrum, including Aspergers, sensory integration issues, PDD and ADHD.
art history
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Aspergers
I have been working with Aspergers Syndrome children and adults for a number of years. Many are teenagers that also struggle with attention issues and hyper-activity, which prevents them from focusing for longer periods of time. I have a number of strategies to increase the ability to focus that I teach my students. In my tutoring sessions I help students not only academically but also with social skills, such as understanding facial expressions and non-verbal cues. For a number of the children I tutor I arrange small group sessions for children struggling with peer relations and developing social skills to allow them to practice their communication skills.
ADD/ADHD
I have tutored students diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder for a number of years. In graduate school we examined ADD/ADHD through a neuroscience perspective. In the classroom and tutoring my approach is more concrete-- to create an education plan for each student that takes into consideration their specific needs. The plan may include a multi-sensory approach to learning, self-regulation/monitoring techniques, and integration of physical movement. Instructional modification is the cornerstone of helping students with ADD succeed. I keep the lesson objectives very clear. I encourage the student’s involvement throughout the lesson. I plan lessons using hands on activities and manipulatives. Being enthusiastic and varying the tone of my presentation help to keep the students attentive and involved. I break the main lesson down into manageable chunks that are reinforced with mini-assignments. I do not believe that constant repetition of a task is the right approach for an ADD or ADHD student. Once they have mastered a skill I move on. This strategy helps to hold and keep their attention and moves at a pace right for the student. Because many students with ADD struggle with organization, it is important to spend some time helping the student develop learning strategies. Organizational strategies are a must for students with ADD/ADHD. I help my students get in the habit of making reminders for themselves of what they need to do, using such strategies as assignment sheets, daily schedules, and "to do" lists. I teach older students how to take notes from both oral presentations and textbooks. I help my students form lists of the main ideas or concepts. I have a number of graphic organizers I suggest as templates that have been useful to my students over the years. I am also willing to meet with the teacher or with the parents and the school to help advocate for the student if needed. We now know a number of strategies that assist the ADD/ADHD student in the classroom, such as a seating position that helps to limit distractions or directions presented in both an oral and visual way or clear daily routines that guide the child. There is much that can be done to enhance a child's learning experience.
career development
college counseling
ADHD
study skills
phonics
vocabulary
grammar
reading
English
elementary math
elementary science
elementary (k-6th)
David D. from Brooklyn, NY
Jennifer really wants to collaborate with us in helping Nicky to do better in school. She takes an active interest in what his homework is and wanted to see all the testing we did with our son. Its a relief to have her on our 'team'.
Ann A. from Brooklyn, NY
Our son excelled in school, though he struggled with reading all through elementary and part of middle school. We always had "reading" tutors for him but none were sensitive to his problems and were never able to address them. Jennifer introduced our son, 13, to the Wilson method. Week by week he learned new methods to decode words and become more fluent in reading. It has been miraculous to see so much improvement in so few months when we are so used to our son stumbling along. My only regret is that we didn't find Jennifer years ago. Jennifer is very focused, organized and methodical. She recognized our sons weaknesses immediately after hearing him read aloud and she set a goals and reached them with him. She was encouraging, understanding and interested in him. Although he pretty much hated reading because it was so frustrating for him, he liked and trusted Jennifer because from the very beginning she shared the tools that opened up the world of reading to him.
Elizabeth K. from Brooklyn, NY
Jennifer did a fantastic job of helping our 10 year old organize his thoughts on two essays for middle school applications. He was very frustrated working on it at home and the tutoring environment and Jennifer's calm, effective approach gave him the structure and support he needed to power through both an essay about himself for ICE and a topical essay for Poly Prep. He was able to easily complete both essays at home without tears using the clear outlines Jennifer helped him to create in his own words.
Rashida W. from Brooklyn, NY
Jennifer is always very patient with my children. Her lessons are tailored to each child's needs. She enhances their strengths and works on areas of academic need. I would recommend Jennifer to parents looking for a caring and skilled educator to help their children.
Elisheba L. from Brooklyn, NY
Jennifer is not just a tutor -- she's the instructor that you want in the classroom teaching your child. She has a knack for bringing out the best in children. She was extremely gentle and patient with my eight year old son who because of a speech and language deficit, struggled in ELA. She tailored her lessons in a way that always grasped his attention and helped him retain information. I was pleasantly surprised when he was able to explain what they had worked on at the end of each session because he had never been able to do that prior to his sessions with her. She incorporated art and interactive activities that made the sessions more meaningful to him. After his first session with her (and a scoop of ice cream), he exclaimed that he had the best day ever! When we missed a session he expressed disappointment and communicated to me that he missed her. With her, learning wasn't a chore as it had been in the past. She's very thorough and even went as far as connecting with his teachers during the school year so that she could gain a better understanding of what his needs were. What more could you ask for in a tutor?
Sarah H. from Brooklyn, NY
Jennifer worked with my son on a game that required him to order words by size; he had a blast playing and didn't even realize how much he was learning!
Jackie V. from Brooklyn, NY
Gentle, easy going teacher. Easy to be comfortable with. Set out an organized lesson and had clear focus and tool to evaluate my child's abilities to move forward and teach appropriate lessons.
Lin W. from Brooklyn, NY
I brought my 6 year old 1st grader for reading/writing assistance, as she has been struggling with dyslexia. Before, my daughter would be frustrated with reading however after working with Jennifer, she is very enthusiastic about reading and enhancing her abilities! She picks up books on her own and no longer dreads doing workbook exercises. Jennifer is very attuned to each child's skill sets and areas to improve, and it seems she has "cracked the code" to helping my daughter comprehend better. Parents should definitely have their children work with her, you will not be disappointed!