Theodore B.

specializes in Tutor of ESL, Foreign Language, History and/or Chess · male

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Personal Statement

I have a wide range of experience with classroom instruction and tutoring, having worked with students ranging from preschool to adults. I possess varying degrees of language expertise with English, German, Spanish, Chinese (Mandarin), French, Polish and Russian. I'm also well acquainted with history and the game of chess. Below I will outline how I came to possess the skills I acquired along with their accompanying credentials, when applicable. As to English, I am a native speaker of American English. I have a B.A. in English Literature from Elmira College where I graduated cum laude in 1980, having been chosen for membership in Phi Beta Kappa. I did volunteer work as a tutor with Literacy Volunteers of America for my community service requirement while at college. I have held a position as Assistant Director at the American Language Institute in Atlanta, GA, where I taught ESL classes and tutored one-on-one. I spent three years in Taiwan where I tutored ESL one-on-one to various students or taught ESL classes through my own tutoring business. While there I taught at Tai Da University's Language Training and Testing Center, located there at the campus. As to German, I did my internship at Elmira Academy helping students with their German problems, and then went on to live two academic years in what was then West Germany through both Elmira and Middlebury Colleges at the University of Bonn and the University of Mainz, respectively. As a result I possess an M.A. in German from Middlebury College where I graduated magna cum laude in 1981. Afterwards I used German in my tutoring business with adult students. Moreover, in 2007 I passed the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators examination for German. As to Spanish, I possess a B.A. from Elmira College and have traveled to Spain. I have been active in volunteer interpretation work from Spanish to English or English to Spanish. I have also used this language in a public speaking capacity for more than a year. I have also tutored or taught the Spanish language in a classroom setting off and on since 1982 at either the high school or adult level through my tutoring business or as a Substitute Teacher. I also have on more than one occasion been a bilingual customer service representative using this language. Moreover, in 2009 I passed the Georgia Assessments for the Certification of Educators examination for Spanish. I also hold a Certificate of Completion from Metrix Learning for "Spanish Medical Terminology - General" from this year. As to Mandarin Chinese, I spent five years living in Taiwan, having initially received classroom instruction in Chinese from the BTCS Training Center in Taipei, Taiwan and having received training certification from said institution. I married a native Chinese speaker and therefore spend every day speaking this language, but I'm also able to read and write it. In a professional capacity, I've spent a year and half as a Bilingual Chinese customer service representative in Atlanta, GA. As to Polish, I co-taught a course in high school in elementary Polish. I took courses in Beginning and Advanced Polish while at the University of Bonn, W. Germany and have traveled to Poland. I later went on to proofread a booklet in Polish and then translated two books from English to Polish. As to Russian, I studied the language at Elmira College, where no major was offered for it at the time, but was nonetheless considered by the registrar's office to have attained to the third-year, level II mark in my studies of the language. I visited Russia while it was still part of the Soviet Union. I have also tutored Russian professionally and have done volunteer interpretation work in the language. As to history (or social studies), it has always been one of my favorite subjects. I won the Arthur J. Hammond History Prize for two years running while in high school, where I graduated summa cum laude in 1976. Through Elmira College, where I was an Honors Scholar, I took the following courses in history: Modern German History, Life in Nazi Germany, Modern Russia, The Second World War, and Introduction in the Study of International Politics. While at Elmira, I was a member of the Political Club. Since college, I have read a number of books and have viewed various DVDs in my spare time on American, European and, moreover, world history to expand and enhance my already extensive knowledge regarding the subject. As to chess, this was our family game. My father and I played many a game during my youth and we even read literature on the subject to improve our game. I was a rated player in the United States Chess Federation and played in several tournaments at the Hotel McAlpin in New York City, coming in second place three times. I was a member of my high school chess club. I have taught aspects of the game to friends. My tutoring approach includes tailoring the session toward the particular student's need with respect to achieving of his/her goal. Depending on the situation, it could include speaking, reading or writing practice using a mutually agreed upon textbook. Songs and/or games, I feel, are also useful instruments in learning and can and are used in my tutoring approach.

Geneva, NY 14456