Language with Elizabeth K.

I am a passionate educator with over 25 years experience teaching in the classroom on a public and private high school level, as well as considerable experience as a college instructor; thus, I have the ability and experience to convey knowledge to my students from the unique perspective of teaching from the ground up -- elementary, middle school, high school and on to my students' college and professional endeavors. I am consistently aware where my students are in the present moment and where they are going; I view their ongoing needs, challenges and accomplishments from a perspective of their past, present and future desires, challenges, accomplishments and requirements and am able to solidify their pursuits and prepare them for their academic and professional future. I have taught in Inner City Schools -- The Bronx, Manhattan and Harlem in NYC for NYC Public Schools; in Gifted and Talented programs and Schools; and for the NYC Catholic Archdiocese in several of the city's finest schools, as well as NYC inner city public schools in the Bronx and Manhattan, NYC, on a full time basis from Grades 5 - 12; and as a long term substitute, from Grades K-4. Two of the schools where I taught English Language Arts, and Test Taking Skills, graduated U.S. Supreme Court Judges Sonya Sotomayor, from Cardinal Spellman H.S. in the Bronx; and Elena Kagan, from Hunter Colege High School, a Gifted and Talented school in Manhattan (NY, NY). I also taught in innter city schools in El Paso, TX; Minneapolis, MN, and at suburban high school in New Mexico. Since my move to Chicago in 2012 I have worked steadily as a writer and editor in my own Editing/Writing business as discussed in my advertisement. I have home schooled Chicago students in English Composition, where we concentrated on writing, grammar and vocabulary; and in the Humanities areas of Social Studies, History, Math and the Sciences, where I designed and created curriculum for all of these disciplines that complied with IL State Core Curriculum requirements. Extensive professional background and years of experience in the Arts - Theatre, Film, Art. Have taught acting for many years to children and professionals, and am able to expose and educate your home school child to these fields via formal instruction and field trips to cultural and educational events. It has been my experience to teach and tutor elementary, middle school, high school, and College Students, along with Business Professionals and Adults in English Composition and ESL, where we concentrate on the writing of essays, papers, theses, reports and ACT & ESL Exam Preparation; Speech, which includes writing and performance; Acting; ACT & ESL Test Preparation; and ESL Writing and Speaking. For years I have been writing curriculum and reading comprehension passages, which includes assembling enough of these reading comprehension passages and their accompanying questions, which include Fiction -- classic literature, creative fictional passages, poetry and fairy/folk tales; and Non-Fiction -- Biographies, Science, History and Social Studies passages -- in order to provide my students, including home schooled students, with a reading comprehension passage and their accompanying questions 7 days a week. Studies have shown this is the most effective method of obtaining excellent, if not superior, reading comprehension skills, because this method of acquiring this skill is learned organically and over time; thus, students do not have to be taught how to achieve excellent results in any of the reading comprehension passages they encounter on formal, entrance or qualifying examinations that they will be required to take throughout their schooling, along with those examinations they will need to pass in order to qualify and achieve certification in professional fields. Teaching to tests is unnecessary, and it has been proven that this method of teaching is largely only an exercise in learning how to test, not learning to read with excellent reading comprehension skills. I have produced, directed and designed for my own theatrical production company for the last 14 years and, upon request, will supply a list of the productions in which I was involved, along with a list of productions in which I have been involved on a professional basis as a Performance Artist, Producer, Director and Designer. It may be because of my theatrical training and experience, but I've been told that I am an interesting teacher with whom to study, and come to the classroom and tutorial experience with instructional methods and real-world experience that is accompanied with a highly developed sense of humor. This enables me to help make learning fun, while providing my students with a more fully rounded education. I'm always interested in and consistently strive to find those personal connections with each one of my students that illuminates a path to personalize and activate my students' innate desire and need for learning in all subjects tutored. I I personally love to learn as much as my profession, and get along well with students of all ages. The great thing about teaching is that those of us in this profession learn as much from our students as our students learn from us! I look forward to hearing from you! *** Lesson Details *** High School, College & Professional Composition: English - Composition - Standard American English, which includes basic Grammar rules, along with all grammar rules for upper level and advanced students, as well as vocabulary study. Journaling and Reading every day is practiced. In all classes, emphasis is put on presentation and articulation of thoughts, feelings and critical analysis, along with utilizing Standard American Composition and rules of Standard American grammar, Concentration on writing the essay, with emphasis on structure, which includes organization and easy-to-follow rules of composing the essay from start to finish, which expands organically from how to write a complete sentence, to a paragraph, then an essay, and finally, a paper. Composing, organizing and developing reports and critical analysis is also investigated, begining with research, which includes development, construction and composition of reports and critical analysis writing. Reports - research, development, construction and composition. How to conduct research, writing w/o plagiarizing and utilizing formal citation for research reports and papers, including MLA, Chicago, APA formats. Acting - Meisner Method: Preparation, Character and Scene Study; Disabling Performance Anxiety. The Audition/Monologue - Preparation/Performance. Speech - projection/allocution/accents. Stage directions and movement. Theatre - Performance based, including study of Classic and Contemporary World and American Theatre. Literature - Classic, modern, World, American and European. Read classic works, along with short stories, poetry and plays. Reading outloud, presentation-based, along with analyizing and disussing plot, literary terms and writing in response to readings. Shakespeare - Reading and comprehension. Taught by oral reading of the plays; analysis of Scenes; plot and character development and analysis. Speech - writing and performance based, with special consideration to disable performance anxiety, including Alexander Technique Exercises. Journalism - We study how to write copy, interviews, commentary and criticism through research, interviews and composition. Psychology - Lecture/notes from text, which includes professional journals/magazines/newspaper research and reports written, presented and discussed/reviewed. Language Arts Grades 1-8 - Lessons structured as above, age and level appropriate. Reading, writing and presentation in all classes emphasized. All subjects Grades 1-9 - Lessons structured as above, age, level and subject-appropriate. Reading, writing and presentation in all classes emphasized. *** Studio Equipment *** Internet Service Computer Printer/Scanner Video Camera Virtual and Home Library Telephone/Fax Classroom Areas: Round Table for Discussion Reading and Relaxation Areas Exercise Area Student desks *** Specialties *** Jr./Sr. H.S., College, ESL, Professionals, Homeschooling ~ English Composition, Reading, Reading Comprehension Passages/Exam Preparation; Social Studies; History; Religion; Philosophy; Latin, French; Algebra I and Geometry; Science; Psychology, Art. Grades 1-6 - All subjects.