Christina
Certified Tutor
I was born and raised in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago, moved to Michigan to go to college, and am now back in my beloved city. I am married with two dogs, and have a 5-month old son! I used to work in sports and entertainment but decided not to go back to work full-time so I could raise my son. I'm usually a busy body and love to play and watch tennis. I also love to read, mostly non-fiction, and if I could have lunch with someone from the past, it would be a hard choice between Marie Antoinette and JFK. Maybe Frank Sinatra...speaking of that, I am from a large Italian family that doesn't know how to use inside voices. I hold very true to the customs that my grandparents brought over from the mother country and try to have Sunday dinners each week. My husband and I have a passion for traveling and have visited a handful of European countries. On my lazy days, you can find me binge-watching a tv show that has been done and over with for years!
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Undergraduate Degree: Ferris State University - Bachelors, Music Industry Management
tennis, reading, swimming, walking my dogs, binge-watching tv shows, shopping
- Adult ESL/ELL
- CLEP Prep
- CLEP Spanish
- College English
- Conversational Spanish
- Elementary School Writing
- English
- ESL/ELL
- Essay Editing
- High School English
- Homework Support
- Languages
- Other
- SAT Subject Test in Spanish with Listening
- SAT Subject Tests Prep
- Spanish
- Spanish 1
- Spanish 2
- Spanish 3
- Spanish 4
- Test Prep
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
I believe that a tutor should never assume that a student knows something. Patience and kindness are the best ways to get a student to really lean into your teaching.
What might you do in a typical first session with a student?
Introduce ourselves by telling a bit about each other and then really learning a bit about how the student thinks they learn well. I would also ask what part of the subject they seem to be having trouble with most.
How can you help a student become an independent learner?
This is dependent on an individual student's learning ability, but mostly importantly, I think everyone needs to make uninterrupted time in their day to study the subject they seem to be having the most trouble with.
How would you help a student stay motivated?
Positive reinforcement. Focusing on making a big deal out of lessons they excel in rather than the ones they're not so good at.
How would you help a student get excited/engaged with a subject that they are struggling in?
I would try to relate that subject to something in their life that they enjoy. I think it always helps to show the real-world application of a subject.
How do you build a student's confidence in a subject?
In this case, with Spanish, I would constantly speak to the student in Spanish (to their ability) so that they would gain the confidence to speak to others
What types of materials do you typically use during a tutoring session?
I am a fan of plain old pencil, paper, and books. I think there are some good apps out there that can help with subject matter, but I learned Spanish the old school way, and I think it worked out well!