Hi, my name is Cathy, and I am a retired college professor. Before becoming a college professor, I taught in the secondary school system in the elementary level. I have two master's degrees. One is in English, which includes the areas of writing and literature, and the other is in education in instruction.

My teaching methods have always been to guide students through the process of understanding what they read and how to interpret what they read in written form and in oral format. Critical thinking is part of the process of reading and writing. My tutoring method is to help the student read and write well. I like to know what the student is learning in school and stay close with what they are learning from their school teachers. Using their text books is the best way to accomplish this. As for adult students who need help with reading and writing, the method will depend on the need. For example, I once tutored a student who was a police officer. He needed help learning how to create reports that were clear and concise so that his superior officers could understand what took place at the incident he was reporting on. So I created a program to fit his needs.

In the first lesson, I like to evaluate the student, so I can understand how best to help them. The evaluation for reading is, of course, having the student read, and for writing, having the student write a paragraph or two and then reviewing it with him or her. If the student is a child, then I also like to sit down with the parent(s) in the first lesson and find out what they are looking for and how they believe their child needs help. This ensures we are all on the same page and providing the student with the help he or she needs.