Adelia

I began teaching and tutoring in 2017. I earned my Bachelor of Arts Degree from Occidental College (President Obama’s Alma Mater)! I studied Russian Literature with a Cognitive Science interdisciplinary focus. Since then, I’ve worked as a tutor and started my Master of Arts Degree at General Theological Seminary in New York City.

Tutoring Subjects:‍

I have tutored a variety of subjects in the last 4 years: Cognitive science, Russian, Writing, Literature, SAT prep, and ACT prep. ‍

Ages I’ve worked with:

I’ve spent the most time preparing highschool students for standardized tests, assisting college students with specific classes, and teaching fundamental concepts to younger children. 

Tutoring Style:‍

For all of my tutoring/test prep, I implement an individualized approach. Each person learns in a distinct way. Accordingly, the way I teach each student is different. If a student is completely confident in their literature skills, but consistently scores low on the math section of the SAT, I will devote most of our time to math concepts and strategies. When a student knows the material but struggles with the test format, I will spend more of our time on test-taking and test anxiety strategies. 

I also integrate my mental health advocacy background into tutoring. Test prep in particular is more than learning specific types of problems, it is also learning how to take the test. For those with test anxiety or a lack of confidence, discussing grounding techniques is vital for their success. I tutor individuals, not statistics. ‍

Success Story:‍

I recently tutored a SAT prep student who struggled with test anxiety. As we went through tutoring, her understanding of key concepts developed. However, her timed practices and practice tests did not reflect this growth. After talking, we realized that her anxiety would build throughout the testing period as she made mistakes and caused her to answer questions incorrectly even when she knew how to answer them. Therefore, I developed a strategy for her to use to mitigate this anxiety. I instructed her to first only answer questions she found easy. Then, she would go back to the harder questions; between each difficult question, she would take a deep breath. If she noticed panic amidst this process, her assignment was to put down her pencil and think about an unrelated plan or topic. This helped her reset and stop the panic from getting in the way of her work. The first time she used this strategy on a practice test,  her SAT score improved by 100 points. Moreover, this strategy will help her for all future tests, in high school and college.‍

Hobbies and Interest: 

1. Singing! I’ve performed in two professional operas, one Jazz Combo, and seven Choirs 
2. Dogs--I have a young Australian Cattle Dog at home 
3. Fishing and Hiking