Latin with Amelia G.

My philosophy is that teaching is part knowledge, part communication, and part intuition. My intuition is necessary to understand where a student is getting stuck. I myself already understand the material; next I must understand why a student does not. I utilize a variety of communicative teaching approaches, tailored to each of my students' individual needs. As a tutor, I find that it is important to present the material to the students in a way that they can relate to. My job as an educator is to teach them how to learn it and make them want to learn it. I do not believe that negative reinforcement is beneficial. Positive responses to students are extremely valuable, even if they may occasionally give the wrong answer. This always gives them the motivation to do well. Beyond my own education, what fulfills me the most is passing on the knowledge I have gained. I have found that my ability to create a strong rapport with students urges them to be responsive. When I connect with the students I am able to engage them in the subject. Although I am their instructor, I want them to feel comfortable enough to tell me what is making them struggle and know that I will be compassionate to their strife. It is not just important for me to know and teach the material. It is also important for me to foster in the students the skills it takes to learn that material, and in turn, any material. My extensive experience with Language Arts has taught me the crucial skills of analysis, interpretation, logical deduction, and critical thinking. I have tutored English Language Arts, Writing composition, Latin, Italian, and ancient Greek for over six years. I also taught Latin at a high school as well. All in all, I am highly equipped to teach students the abilities it takes to learn, practice, study, and understand language structure, grammar, reading, and writing. In addition to language, I teach/tutor all subjects in Humanities, as well as study skills and organizational planning. I have a record of significant improvement in my students' grades and proficiency in their respective subjects.