"I'm Alison but like to be called Al. I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in East Asian Studies at University of Maryland Global Campus. Currently I am a certified Early Childhood-6th Grade Teacher. I taught Kindergarten for five years and 1 year as a 3rd Grade Math Teacher. As a Kindergarten teacher, I taught all subjects and found ways to keep students engaged. Prior to this, I retired from the Navy but was in a classroom setting for 10 years teaching military instruction and tutored classes to help Sailors study for the advancement exam. I also volunteer at my church as a Sunday School teacher for 8-18 year old children. My area of expertise is Elementary Math, Phonics, and Elementary Science.

My tutoring approach is to identify the strengths and areas of improvement of students. This is accomplished a variety of ways. I like to play games such as Jeopardy and Bingo to create an interest in learning. My enthusiasm about subjects creates interest in the material to be taught. I also like to use multisensory activities to connect material to body movements. This allows for retrieval of information and not just constant repetition without context. In math, I teach many methods to solve problems. Some methods are using number bonds, number lines, strip diagrams, and arrow method. As we all know people learn in different ways and to stick to one method doesn't work for all. Additionally, the different methods allows people to read, draw, and write the math problems in a critical way instead of reciting math facts. The math rigor allows students to be 7 months ahead of their peers.

I want all children to have an opportunity to be the best self they can be. They need to have confidence in their ability and to have someone who truly cares about their academic growth. I feel I foster that environment. Please feel free to contact me about any questions or to schedule a lesson. Thank you!" less...