Sophie
Certified Tutor
I strongly value the power of intrinsic motivation in learning—that is, the power of learning for the sake of learning, rather than for external factors like good grades or others’ approval. I believe that when youth and adults alike view school or learning as something to suffer through for a distant goal in the future (a “no pain no gain” mindset), their willpower eventually wears thin in times of stress and hardship. Teaching people to like to learn and succeed in a way that works for them gives them a value that lasts throughout life. I feel that I have been successful in teaching this message to my students in the past, and indeed saw encouraging results come from it.
Connect with a tutor like Sophie
Undergraduate Degree: Harvard University - Bachelors, Psychology
Graduate Degree: The New England Conservatory of Music - Masters, Music
- SAT Composite (1600 scale): 1580
- SAT Math: 780
- SAT Verbal: 760
- SAT Writing: 800
playing piano, singing, writing poetry, taking walks, playing with my cats
- Algebra
- College English
- English
- English Grammar and Syntax
- Essay Editing
- French
- French 1
- French 2
- High School English
- High School Writing
- Languages
- Math
- Middle School Reading
- Middle School Reading Comprehension
- Middle School Writing
- Public Speaking
- Writing
What is your teaching philosophy?
To help students struggling with reading comprehension, I would make sure that we read a lot of different types of sources together in lessons: articles, book excerpts, essays, and poems. For each of these, we would practice talking about the main ideas expressed, as well as practice answering practice questions, together and alone.