Personal Description:

My name is Alyssa and I have been an Ontario Certified Teacher since 2018. I am currently employed by a school board in the GTA where I teach English at the secondary level. My love for reading is in part what drew me to the teaching profession, and one of my goals as an educator is to encourage a love of reading in my students. I also enjoy being involved in extracurricular activities and clubs. I have contributed to a literacy team, facilitated book clubs and supervised Eco Club, to name a few.

Teaching high school has been a rewarding experience and I value the relationships I have established with my students, colleagues and school community. My philosophy is that teaching is based on positive relationships and I pride myself on the supportive environment I create in my classes. I bring my charisma and compassion into the classroom with the goal of getting students excited about learning, and I strive to approach the English curriculum with creative and engaging tasks and evaluations that center on student choice.

Tutoring Experience:

For the past 5 years, I have been teaching English at the secondary level and have had the opportunity to teach both junior and senior courses. My experience includes teaching Academic, Applied, Locally Developed, De-streamed, University and College courses. I have read and taught a variety of texts that span different time periods, genres and levels, and will likely be familiar with what students in other schools are reading in their courses. As an educator, I have worked with students with a diverse range of abilities and needs and have tailored my instruction to help them succeed in my classes.

My tutoring experience has also been focused on secondary English courses, though I am confident in my ability to support elementary students in Grades 7 and 8 as I am qualified to teach those grades as well. In the past I have tutored on an as-needed basis to help students complete specific tasks or evaluations. I have also supported students throughout the duration of their English course on a regular basis. I am able to support students with a variety of tasks and evaluations that span the English curriculum. My experience includes supporting students with idea development and organization, improving writing quality, media text creation, analysis of texts and test/exam preparation. I can also provide additional reinforcement or review tasks to improve and refine literacy skills in a variety of courses.

Tutoring Approach:

My approach to tutoring is individualized to meet students' diverse needs and the goals they want to meet. As mentioned above, my teaching philosophy is built on positive relationships, and this also applies to my tutoring approach. I use different sources of diagnostic information to assess students' needs and strengths, and then use that information to identify effective strategies to provide support. Generally, I start by modeling the use of a specific skill, and then provide opportunities for students to practice and receive descriptive feedback. As students improve and eventually master a skill, responsibility is placed on them to demonstrate it independently. I also utilize samples, diagrams, videos and other resources as needed to demonstrate the skills students are working on. Through the tutoring process I encourage students to reflect on their abilities and choices and I will model how to explain their thinking when working on a specific task. I encourage students to be curious and ask questions, especially if they struggle to advocate for themselves. Overall, my classroom experience is an asset to help students achieve their goals, whatever those may be.