Robert M.
Private tutor in Albany, CA
Education
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign - BS, Journalism
Experience
I am passionate about teaching English Language Arts and about guiding students to effective writing. Because I so enjoy working with students and helping them to develop effective English skills and find their voices in writing, I formed my own tutoring and writing/editing enterprise in 2005, while working full time as executive director of an education nonprofit organization providing writing support for middle- and high-school students. As the organization and program grew underneath me and I was consumed with management duties, I was pulled farther away from contact with the students we were serving. So, after ten years, I turned the reins over to someone else and returned to what I most love, working directly with students as a tutor. While not a credentialed classroom teacher, I have sought and found teaching and training opportunities at virtually all of the enterprises with which I’ve been affiliated during my working life, or I've been asked to take on those duties, in addition to other job titles and responsibilities. I believe I was born to do this work. I work with students at all grade levels in English, writing, and reading, with a particular specialty in personal statements for undergraduate college admissions and personal statements and statements of purpose for grad school applications. I think the students with whom I work, and their parents, can probably best describe why I appear to be good at this. A parent of a student whom I recently helped get into college said, "Bob is a fabulous writing coach. Our son loved working with him on his college application essay. He always looked forward to his sessions, and always came home with a smile on his face. Our son really valued Bob’s advice, support and encouragement. Bob skillfully guided him to help choose the topics that would best reveal the kind of person our son is, and gave him reasonable deadlines to keep him on track. Not only was working with Bob a great experience for our son, but his essay also did its job, and he was accepted to the college of his choice." And the student himself said, "Working with Bob really helped me to write my college-application essay. I really enjoyed working with him, and the time he spent on it with me really helped me to make my essay as good as it could be. I believe working with Bob played a huge part in getting me admitted into college. I was very lucky to have his help." Other testimonials from students, parents, and teachers are viewable on my website, www.wordorder.com. I would be pleased to hear from you to discuss how I can help you and/or your family with deeply caring and personal academic support!
Subject Expertise
Expository Writing8th Grade Writing9th Grade9th Grade Reading9th Grade WritingACTACT EnglishACT ReadingACT with WritingACT WritingAdvanced PlacementAP English Language and CompositionCreative WritingEnglishEssay Editing8th Grade ReadingFiction WritingISEEISEE- Lower LevelISEE- Middle LevelISEE- Upper LevelPersuasive WritingSAT Critical ReadingSAT VerbalSAT WritingStudy Skills And OrganizationVocabularyWriting12th Grade Writing3rd Grade Writing2nd Grade Reading10th Grade10th Grade Reading11th Grade11th Grade Reading11th Grade Writing12th Grade Reading10th Grade Writing12th Grade1st Grade Reading1st Grade Writing2nd Grade3rd Grade3rd Grade Reading2nd Grade Writing4th Grade4th Grade Reading4th Grade Writing5th Grade5th Grade Reading5th Grade Writing6th Grade6th Grade Reading6th Grade Writing7th Grade7th Grade Reading7th Grade Writing8th Grade
Availability
Weekdays at any time, Weekends in the morning
Can Meet
Up to 15 minutes away for no additional charge
Hobbies
I love to read and write (I'm a published writer) and to work with students, reflected in a long background in community and school volunteering, in addition to my professional life in nonprofit education. I am passionate about photography, sports, film, gardening, and fitness and am pleased to say I'm part of a close family, with two grown children. I tutored many of our kids' friends during their high-school years and helped a number of them get into college with support on their SAT essays and their college-application personal statements. In addition to tutoring, I am a freelance writer and editor with clients in the health, marketing, and education fields. Inasmuch as the connection between a student and his or her tutor is ultimately a personal one, I believe that one of the most important aspects of tutoring is arranging the best student-tutor match. In my experience, the nature of the bond between student and tutor will heavily inform the work they are able to do together.What I want most for each student is the tutor with whom he or she most wants to work. If that's me, great. If it's someone else, also great. In that regard, I asked the parent of one of my students, after we had met for the first time, why the student insisted I was the tutor for him. She replied, "My son said that your passion for working with students came across so clearly it was irresistible. He said it was obvious that you really love doing this." On the latter point, the student was absolutely right.
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