Experience Summary
Having always pursued excellence in eduation, I graduated from the Univ of Colorado with a 3.5/4 in Mech. Engineering. I then worked for Motorola in Phoenix, where I received security clearances for work for the military. Although I enjoyed my work, I realized my true passion was teaching, and earned my certification at the University of Phoenix. My student teaching at a local middle school in Phoenix was successful, earning special recognition. At Heritage High School where I taught, I was trained in a progressive teaching method for algebra. I have left the workplace to care and educate my children and I have used different techniques to meet their education needs. I am equipped to be flexible in my approach, and I have the ability to identify learning struggles. I am very comfortable with one on one tutoring. My two children qualified for advanced placement and participate in PACE through the local school district.
Teaching Style
I love to teach and see the light go on in a child's head as he or she begins to understand. It is a great joy to see them succeed. I am creative, compassionate, and caring, and will do everything I can to find the "missing pieces" for struggling students. Often, students have been rushed through the basic manipulative/hands-on discovery phase of learning, and have had to memorize rules in order to move on instead of truly understanding. I begin by observing the student, take them back step by step to where their struggles began, and start there. I believe that using hands-on/manipulatives, if needed, can then build a firm foundation for solid, concrete understanding and success in learning a new concept. My experience at Motorola brings the "why" to learning, as the student and I discuss why they need to learn something.