A Role Model
Role models are an important part of growing up happy, healthy, and with positive attitudes and habits. Beyond tutoring, I offer my services as a positive adult role model to your homeschooler. My personal values include:
- Independence and self-reliance of body and mind
- Thinking for oneself - not waiting for the television to tell you what to do
- Rigourous development and pursuit of personal interests
- Constant never-ending learning
- Honor and integrity, respect and tolerance
- Respect for nature and connection with the natural world
- Healthy eating and daily physical exercise
- Balance and equanimity
It is important for me to integrate these values in to every day spent with a student. Tutoring can not happen in a vacuum; every instructor promotes certain ideals or philosophies, and these are mine.
Skills and Subjects of Instruction
I offer the following skills and subjects of instruction in my tutoring:
Academic Tutoring
- Math, up to calculus II
- English composition & writing skills
- English reading comprehension & analysis
- Physics & astrophysics
- General science (chemistry, biology, etc.)
- Spanish language (basic)
- College entrance exam preparation
Creative Assistance
- Planning & preparing for college
- Travel planning (e.g. gap year trip)
- Developing goals- long-term and short-term
Outdoor Skills
- Backpacking- trip planning, preparation, wilderness skills, cooking
- Windsurfing- basic riding, simple tricks
- Snowboarding- turning, carving, safety (CASI certified)
- Kayaking- basic skills, rolling
- First Aid & CPR (Red Cross certified)
- Lifeguarding (Red Cross certified)
- Wilderness First Aid (WFA certified)
Computer Skills
- Internet research- finding resources & making contacts online
- Web site design- technical & aesthetic
- Graphic design- image manipulation in Adobe Photoshop
- Digital video editing- make your own movies
Other Skills
- Culinary skills- cooking all kinds of foods (esp. vegetarian)
- Nutrition & physical fitness awareness
- MBTI Personality typing
- Improv theatre
Personal Skills (integrated into all above)
- Positive attitude & self-motivation
- Leadership skills
- Personal responsibility
- Goal setting
- Mnemonics
Basic Information
- I am available to travel to virtually any part of the world as a live-in homeschooling tutor.
- I seek to tutor a male or female student age 12-17.
- My length of service is 3-6 months.
- I go above and beyond normal tutoring by mentoring students in self-directed learning.
Time Frame
I offer my services as a live-in tutor for a period of three to six months, ultimate length negotiable. The tutoring begins with a two week trial period and ends at a date agreed upon by the parents, student and myself.
I am available to work begining January 2005.
What to Expect in 3-6 Months
As described in my philosphy page, after 3-6 months of live-in tutoring you should expect to see the following changes in your homeschooler:
- Improved attitude toward learning and confidence in self
- Heightened speed of learning
- Concrete results from pursuing personal interests
- Learning naturally, without threats or bribes
- Maturity and personal growth resulting from taking responsibility for one's own education.
- Increased knowledge and abilities in a few academic subjects, outdoor skills, computer skills, and/or other chosen skills.
Of course, not everything can be accomplished in 3-6 months. What not to necessarily expect from live-in tutoring includes:
- Vast improvement in all academic subjects
- Complete reversal of negative attitudes and bad habits.
- Catching up to "grade level" skills as defined by the public school curriculum
Structure
Different students demand different levels of structure in tutoring. The homeschooler that thrives on schedule, routine, and step-by-step hard work may feel bewildered by a free form tutoring structure, while the homeschooler that that lives by inspiration, bursts of energy, and irregular schedules may feel highly constrained by a rigid, pre-planned tutoring structure.
For this reason I do not advertise a single "solution" for my tutoring, but instead I work with the parents and student in the first two weeks to develop a personalized, flexible plan for the upcoming months.
"Live-in" Tutoring
The "live-in" aspect of live-in tutoring is important because it allows me to develop a strong working relationship with your homeschooler. Live-in tutoring is unique because I can offer your family more than just tutoring; for example, I can cook full-course meals, drive, babysit young children, and help with computers.
My primary function, however, is not to be a housekeeper or "nanny". I am a tutor, a friend, and on occasion a helping hand.
If you are unable or would prefer not to host me as a "live-in" tutor, we can discuss alternative living situations. The family is expected to cover basic room and board expenses in any situation.
Please contact me to find out more about what I offer as a live-in tutor or to contact my references.
About Me | Philosophy | Photos
Last updated: 5/27/2004