Boulder • tutoring • teens • children • reading • test preparation • literacy skills • adult education • tutors • homeschool parents • learning disabilities

Coaching for Tutors

"Bart is up on the roof reading
and he won’t come down!"

That’s what my next-door neighbor told me after I had been tutoring her son for a few months.  Bart was one of my first students thirty years ago, and I knew I’d hit on something when I heard his mother “complain” about her son’s new reading habits.  Bart, age twelve, and a non-reader when he started with me, had plainly gained some new reading skills—and discovered something more: he now loved to read.  He wanted to pursue his new interest, and in his large family the roof was the only safe haven from chores and siblings. 

There have been dozens, even hundreds, of success stories since then, but this one always makes me smile.  It was a moment of truth.  A mischievous boy latches onto reading—and I realize this is the job for me.

Many adults express an interest in tutoring but are not sure how to get started.  My experiences as a reading tutor with Bart and others have inspired me to set up a program to teach tutoring skills in a way that would allow others to have a "reading on the rooftop" feeling of success for themselves.

If you love working with young people and feel you have teaching talent (even if you are not a certified teacher), please consider joining me for an outstanding career education opportunity.  The goal of this program is to provide a way, through individual consultation and practice, for an educated person to become a first-rate tutor without four to six years of education school.

Why now?  I have always had a passion for teaching kids.  Now I've begun to shift my focus and share a lifetime of teaching ideas, tips and trade secrets to benefit others who wish to tutor.  However, I also am receiving as many referrals as ever, if not more!  Rather than seeing this as simply a scheduling crisis, I believe it has the potential to be a win-win situation for me, interested parents and children, and the bridge to an exceptional opportunity for prospective tutors and homeschooling parents. 

For these reasons, over a year ago I developed and began teaching the Active Learning course outlined here.  It addresses the teaching skills needed to tutor elementary, middle school, and high school students, including those in homeschooling.  Special practice and attention is given to kids with ADD, ADHD, dyslexia, and other learning disabilities.  If you are interested in adult education, including career education and other programs for adults, coaching in these tutoring skills also are available.  Please consider joining us. 

The Course:  How to Tutor

Scope

Learn to teach beginning reading, phonics, reading comprehension and reading speed, reading recall; self-motivation and understanding; organization, note-taking, listening skills, textbook reading, outlining, test-taking, SAT, and ACT preparation; handwriting, literature, writing organization, punctuation, proofreading, spelling, grammar, creative writing, homeschool English, and more.

Learn to manage psychological aspects of learning, student records, talking with students and parents, building a tutoring library, getting the word out about your business, billing, and keeping tax records.

Specifics

As a student in this course, you will find out about books, activities and methods that will engage your students and quickly build your confidence as a teacher.  These include a series of interconnected and incremental learning activities to teach all phases of the reading and writing process, as well as work on the emotional and psychological aspects of learning.  Hundreds of students have successfully used these exercises, which cover everything from understanding simple directions to reading college textbooks.

• Draw up your own learning plan through consultation with Sylvia. You may choose to "learn it all" or narrow your focus.

• Learn about psychological and emotional aspects of teaching.  A positive relationship with a teacher can change a child's life.  You can be that teacher.

• This "how-to-tutor" course starts with didactic learning—lecture, discussion and reading—and as soon as the student tutor is ready, it moves to the experiential—observation and teaching.  Our work together is cooperative and democratic—learning flows both ways.

• Students begin teaching in a structured setting (read, "safety net") and become more independent, though still with the opportunity to receive consultation as they proceed.

Structure and Scheduling

This program is ongoing, with flexible start and end dates. Individual and small group sessions are available.  Class length is ordinarily an hour-and-a-half, once a week, with assignments and practice between sessions.  The number of sessions depends on what the student chooses to teach—for example, it takes about 30 hours to learn to teach elementary reading.

Finally, after you have achieved the necessary expertise, I will refer students to you.

Master Class for Teachers

Are you an experienced teacher who enjoys working with young people?  If you would like to enhance your job skills and earning potential, please consider taking this Master Class.

For more than 30 years I’ve been offering one-on-one reading, writing and study skills instruction to students of all ages.  I love my work, make a good living at it, and can think of nothing I’d rather do than pass on some of what I’ve learned to a group of interested professionals.

One way to do this is through my Active Learning Master Class on how to:

• Run a successful one-on-one tutoring service

• Be a top-notch remedial reading, speed reading, and writing tutor

• Teach children to think clearly and effectively

• Do “therapeutic instruction”

• Motivate the apathetic, hearten the timid, direct the distracted, and civilize the sullen.

If these ideas appeal to you, please contact me to find out more, and to discuss your needs and preferences regarding this Master Class.

This class is not for everyone.  There’s no credit, it will be intensive, in-depth work, and you don’t really need it to do homework-help type tutoring; however, if you’d like to master a unique body of knowledge that will give you unprecedented ways to teach skills, build intellect, and transform lives, this is your chance.  It could also be one of the best career moves you’ve ever made, giving you the means to supplement an income or launch a new career.  From my perspective it would provide an opportunity to “pass on the torch” after a quarter century of work I value and want to see continue.

Learn the art and business of tutoring from a pro:

• Learn to teach reading, writing and study skills to students of any age or level

• Be considered to receive student referrals from Active Learning

• Receive help setting up your own tutoring business

Tutoring is a lucrative and respected job, and setting up one's own practice can take years, so this is a valuable and unusual offer.  For me, this is a way to pass along a dream to others who can make it their own.

Please contact me if you want to know more about the Active Learning tutoring course or Master Class, or if you'd like to set up a meeting. 

Ask about a low-stress payment plan that will help you get started in the tutoring course or Master Class.

Sylvia Keepers

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