Michele E.

At UCLA I earned 7-12 certification in French and English. In NYC I continued my training at Hunter College to earn N-6 certification, as well. In addition, I hold a special TESOL Certificate from Columbia University, Teachers College. I received a fine education, but it was the five years I spent living in Francophone countries--France for 1 year as a UCLA undergraduate, and Belgium for 4 years as an ESL teacher--that have best qualified me to be both a French and an ESL/ESOL teacher/tutor. The fact that I teach both English and French as Second Languages, and lived abroad for so long, makes me particularly well suited to tutor, because I completely understand the grammar and idiosyncrasies of both languages, as well as the challenges of being a second language learner. I am, thus, very adept at communicating with my students and clarifying things, from their point of view as learners. Since moving back to New York many years ago from Brussels, Belgium, I have taught French at 3 Manhattan private schools: Convent of the Sacred Heart, Trinity School, and Petit Paradis Preschool. My ESL positions have been at the 92nd Street Y and, from 2010-2014, at NYFACS, a DOE Charter School in West Harlem [NY French-American Charter School]. In addition, I have always tutored privately to both individuals and small groups: preschooler playgroups, Lower School kids for enrichment, and secondary /college students struggling to improve their grades and pass big exams. Depending on the age, personality, level, and needs of my students, I regularly supplement my lessons with visuals and worksheets—from games and puzzles to exercises, quizzes, and practice tests--and urge my students do some of them at home so they can progress more rapidly. My students and their parents have consistently been very pleased with my work. I greatly enjoy working one-on-one with students to troubleshoot and help them regain their confidence and improve their grades, or just to practice speaking and enjoy their increasing fluency.