Personal Description:

Hello,
My name is Karine. Teaching and French have always come naturally to me. Being born in France and doing my schooling in Calgary, at French Immersion schools, lead me to an Education degree, with a minor in French. Upon graduating, I went traveling. I visited Budapest and landed my first teaching job as a kindergarten teacher at a private international school. While having my first, own classroom, I realized this was the perfect career for me. I was learning just as much from the students as they were from me. When I left Budapest, I travelled and then went back to Calgary to teach for the Calgary Board of Education.
I taught grade 1 for 10 years at a French Immersion school. It was during this time that I realized that this is what i love to teach: French speaking and early literacy. Watching the kids grow so much in this one year was so rewarding. Some children would evolve from not speaking a word of French to speaking, reading and writing in full sentences in French by the end of the year.
Once I had my own children, I decided to start my tutoring practice which I loved as i realized I could really help struggling learners succeed.
My family and I are currently in Costa Rica for the year but am continuing to offer tutoring online. My 2 children are attending a French school here for the year. I love the nature and the outdoors (hiking, biking, camping, x-country skiing), traveling, doing yoga and anything creative (photography, jewerly making, painting).

Tutoring Experience:

Graduated U of C in 1999
Taught Kindergarten for one year in Budapest at an International school. (2000-2001)
Taught with the Calgary Board of Education as a Substitute teacher to start, Grade 1 (10 years) Grade 3 (one year), and science teacher (6 months).
Private tutoring in my home for 8 years.
Online tutor for 3 years now.

Tutoring Approach:

My tutoring approach is all about empowering students in their learning as most children that come for tutoring are usually struggling in some way and need to regain their confidence. It is important to make tutoring fun and dynamic while still teaching. This keeps the students engaged and the encouragement makes them want to succeed. With the younger children and those learning French as a second language; I like to sing songs and play games when learning new vocabulary.
For teaching kids how to read in French and write (this is my speciality), I am all about focusing on building a strong foundation from the start. I love seeing the spark of a learner once they understand how to put sounds together to create words. It is magic. Mastering the basics is the key to success. I believe in teaching students critical step-by-step skills which enable them to become resourceful, persistent and confident readers and writers.