"My background in tutoring is both professional and volunteer, and both in-person and on-line. As a professional, I have established individual and small group sessions for students having difficulty with concepts and materials in a wide variety of English, business, economics, law, career development, safety and security, and related courses. These sessions have resulted in substantial performance and grade-level improvement. As a volunteer, I was involved with Literacy Volunteers and Companion Animal Owner Education for years. The latter included appearances in grade and high schools, before church and other groups, and at humane societies, where I explained the importance of proper animal care and treatment, and dealing with animal issues. I also handled over four hundred cases of animal abuse, neglect, and cruelty, many of which required owner education, with followup to insure that lessons were learned. I also design and teach community and college courses and seminars, with a focus on critical thinking and content-related issues.

During several decades of both full time and part time college and university teaching and tutoring, I have adhered firmly to certain basic principles: first, the instructor or tutor must perform each and every assigned task professionally, competently, and completely, and should always try to go the extra mile with tutoring responsibilities. Second, course materials pertinent to a particular subject or topic must be presented clearly -- and in terms relevant to student backgrounds and experience, with timely current examples used as illustrations whenever appropriate. Third, performance expectations need to be specified in consultation with those being taught or tutored, so that full agreement can be reached. Often, a needs assessment is the first step in the tutoring process, and we then go on from there.

Further, students and those being tutored must be treated with consideration and respect, and encouraged to do their best work. When actual performance falls below cours" less...