Frequently Asked Questions:
- I’ve never used a private tutor before. How does it all work?
- A typical lesson lasts for 1 hour. During the first session, I will conduct an assessment to find out areas of strengths and weaknesses. This will give me an idea of what skills/topics need to be covered, and it will give us a good starting point for tutoring lessons. After that, sessions usually consist of some combination of homework help and review or remedial work if students are a bit behind. Some students have tutoring sessions once a week, and some like to meet twice or even three times per week – it all depends on need and availability.
- How does online tutoring work?
- For math lessons, I typically use an online interactive whiteboard through a site called BitPaper. It allows both the student and me to write directly on the screen simultaneously. We can also upload documents or pictures, so working on homework or school assignments is super easy. For writing/reading lessons, I typically use Google Docs to easily store all of our work where it is accessible to me, the students, and parents. I also use Zoom so that the student and I can easily chat and be “face-to-face” during the entire lesson. I do offer a free 30-minute intro meeting where I can show you all of the tools I use to work with students online.
- How do students share their work with you?
- Since I use Zoom to video chat with students, they can easily share their screen with me during the session. Alternatively, if their work is on paper, simply snap a picture and text or email it to me. I can then upload that picture onto a shared whiteboard where we can both see and work on it together.
- Do you offer homework help or just remedial help?
- Both! Usually, sessions are a combination of these two types of tutoring help. Tutoring is tailored to fit what you need most.
- What is a writing tablet?
- A writing tablet, or graphics tablet is a way to “write” on the screen in a more natural way. It is essetially an additional mouse that is connected to your computer. However, instead of holding a regular mouse or using a track pad to write on the screen, holding a pen in hand over a tablet makes it much easier and more natural to write. I created a video that demonstrates exactly how they work at the bottom of this page!
- What subjects and grade levels do you tutor?
- Elementary & Middle School math grades 2nd – 8th
- Pre-Algebra
- Algebra 1
- Geometry
- Algebra 2
- Finite Math
- Homework help for all Elementary core subjects
- How does payment work?
- Currently, I bill on a weekly basis. Payments are made via credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, JCB & Union Pay) through Square. For our first session, I’ll send an invoice to be paid online. At that time, I ask clients to save their credit card information, which allows me to set up automatic charges for any regularly occurring subsequent lessons. All charges are processed on the same day of tutoring, (or if multiple weekly sessions are arranged, the charge for the entire week will happen on the earliest day of the week on which a lesson takes place).
- Are/were you an educator?
- I was certified in Elementary Education, grades K-6 and taught in public schools (2nd and 3rd grades) for over 5 years when I lived in Florida. I also tutored after school during that time. In May of 2012, my husband and I moved to Austin, TX to pursue his career in video games and I began tutoring during that summer while looking for a teaching job. However, by the time the school year started, I had a full tutoring schedule, and I LOVED IT! I will never go back to teaching in the classroom as long as there is a place for me in the tutoring world. This is what I am meant to do!
- Is this your full-time job?
- Yes! During the school year, I work with students about 20-25 hours per week. During the summer months, I typically spend 30-35 hours per week with students. The rest of my time is spent preparing for lessons, researching/learning new methods for helping my students, creating math videos, and creating resources to sell on Teachers Pay Teachers.
- How many students do you have?
- I usually have anywhere between 10-20 students whom I see on a weekly basis.
- How do I know if I or my child needs tutoring?
- Sometimes It’s hard to know when it’s the right time to reach out for help. Usually, students come to me because it’s difficult to keep up with their peers in school, they don’t feel confident, and/or are receiving poor grades. Other times, students aren’t feeling challenged enough at school, or want to prepare for an upcoming class or test.
- What do you do to help kids to focus during tutoring?
- I’ve worked with a lot of kids, all of them different in their own way. One-on-one tutoring is a great way to help students who are more active, have shorter attention spans, or need physical movement while learning. I design each tutoring session to fit the needs of my students. I design sessions to be engaging and fun with various activities to help keep kids focused and motivated. Sitting and working on one thing for a long time isn’t fun for anyone, so I always have many different types of activities and always save time for games at the end! A lot of times, high energy kids are lost in school because it’s hard for them to focus with so many distractions. It’s amazing to see how excited they are once they have the chance to learn it. All of a sudden they get super motivated to learn and do more!
- Do you communicate with my child’s teachers, other tutors, or other support persons?
- Yes! I’m happy to share my information with my student’s teachers or anyone else who is involved in their education. I will collaborate to the best of my abilities to make sure we are all working together towards a common goal.
- What types of curricula have you used?
- Many! To name a few, Scott Forseman, Everyday Math, enVision Math, Singapore Math, Acaletics, Linda Mood-Bell Reading, Houghton Mifflin Reading, Harcourt Reading, Peasrson Math and Reading curricula, iXL, and A to Z Learning.
- What about Common Core and state testing?
- Oh boy…common core and state standardized testing are some serious buzz words flying around in the education world. In a lot of schools I’ve been in, that’s all they talk about! I realize the importance of these types of tests for students, teachers, principals, schools and school districts. Trust me. I get it. However, “teaching to the test” is one of the biggest reasons I left the public school system. During tutoring, I do my best to equip students with the knowledge and testing techniques that will help them in school, but more importantly, I help them to learn things they really need to know, not just memorization for a test.
- Do you guarantee your work?
- I cannot guarantee that a student will pass a test, or earn a specific score in a class or on a test. Those types of things all depend on the student completing assignments, studying for tests, finishing practice, attending tutoring sessions and class frequently and consistently, and actively participating in class. I can guarantee that I will provide tutoring services to the best of my abilities, and if, for some reason, I feel that I am not adequately providing the student with what he or she needs, I will say so.
- What are your hours of operation?
- I work out of my home office, and generally answer phone calls, texts and emails from around 9 am to 6 pm Mountain Time. I do not answer phone calls or email while I am in a tutoring session, or when I am spending time with family or friends. If you’d like to chat, the best thing to do is schedule a time to talk with me. I’ll make sure I’m available. I schedule lessons for as early as 9 am, and as late as 5:00 pm.
- Where does tutoring take place?
- All of my students meet with me online.
- How much do you charge for tutoring?
- Please take a look at my pricing and fee schedule here.
- What if I’m unhappy with your tutoring services?
- Well first of all, I’d be so sad to hear that. If you are ever unhappy, please let me know and I will do whatever I can to remedy the situation or issue a refund. I am not a huge corporation, just one person trying to build her own business, so customer satisfaction is very important to me.
- What if I have a friend who wants tutoring? Can I give them your information?
- Yes! I love referrals! It’s the best way to grow my business. I even give 30-minute credit on your next tutoring session when your referral schedules and completes a tutoring session.
- Can I contact your references?
- Yes! I am happy to provide a list of references to you once we have established communication and you are close to being ready to proceed with tutoring.
- Are there any other fees I should know about?
- I do have a contract that I ask my clients to sign, and there is more information regarding fees. I generally do not charge extra fees except for any bank or card charges due to unpaid invoices or returned checks, special material requests, or if there is some other unusual circumstance.
If you have another question that I haven’t addressed here, please let me know by using the form below: