Welcome New *STAR* Students!!

Wow!!! What an exciting time!  I absolutely adore this time of year. My returning Reach for the Stars students are always eager to learn and have so many exciting things to share with me. The other thing I really like about back-to-school time is the influx of new students. Each child comes to me with unique learning needs.  Every student I work with falls on a wide spectrum which ranges from highly gifted to highly learning-challenged. Parents, who are new to Reach for the Stars Tutoring, may be a bit unsure of my role in their child's education so I thought I would take a few moments to discuss exactly what I do for each of my students.

Whenever I receive a new student, I first do some informal and formal assessments to determine the child's strengths and weaknesses in the subject area for which they are being tutored.  I highly encourage parents to bring me copies of their child's graded papers,standardized tests, and report cards.  I use these materials to develop lesson plans that will best help the unique learning needs of each student.  I have 18 students, each of whom are in a different grade level so you can well imagine how busy things get sometimes! Many parents don't realize that my work really never stops. When I'm not teaching students I am developing individualized lesson plans, reading over the Indiana State Standards to make sure my lessons are compliant with the grade level expectations, searching for resources and materials for the child's tutoring session, and then making necessary copies for the lesson. So, I spend roughly two to three hours preparing (for each one hour lesson) before I even ever see your child!  Anyway, I hope this helps you better understand my role on your child's learning team!

 (Making flashcards for my younger students.)

(Putting together a book of the fractions curriculum I developed for a 6th grader)