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I would like to recommend Jamie Keller for anyone looking for a writing coach. My son has been working with Jamie on his college essays and he and I are very pleased with the results. Jamie provides guidance on how to develop, structure, and refine these essays in a way that allows for improved writing skill, not just a completed essay. jamiekeller1@gmail.com satisfied mother
I highly recommend Nancy Welt as a reading specialist tutor. My dyslexic son started tutoring with her in the summer between 1st and 2nd grade and continued with her until sixth grade. With her help and hard work in both knowledge of reading programs and patience with my son he became a proficient reader and read at grade level by fifth grade. In fact in 8th grade scored Advanced in English on the Star test. He now reads on his own for pleasure. Something I could never have imagined was possible. Nancy really knows what she is doing and reaches the child on his/her level. I can't say enough about the help she provided me as well. Navigating the public school system with a child that is severely dyslexic can be extremely challenging. She was great with advice on what to ask for in my son's IEP. My son enjoyed working with her and she was persistent in her approach with him. Her knowledge and advice has been invaluable to me and my family and I can't recommend her enough. gf
I would really like to recommend Clara Sneed as a wonderful tutor. She really helped our high school daughter with her writing, organization and Spanish. She has a great way of relating to the teens directly, and our daughter really matured under Clara's wing. She can be reached at Tutorclara@gmail.com. We cannot recommend her enough! Happy Family
My child is just finishing first grade. He is below grade level in reading and writing, had trouble holding a pencil, is starting to get that he is below other kids and it is starting to affect him in that way as well. His teachers have said that there is a gap between his verbal, math and social skills and his reading and writing skills. I would like to get him a tutor this summer or send him to some kind of program for extra help. I am looking at a few programs but don't know how good they are. Please if anyone has any experience with this please let me know (positive or negative). Thank you!!! Don't Know If I Should Be Concerned Mother
Hello, my family has worked with a tutor named Rachael Berger for a year. She is an English teacher and also provides private in-home tutoring. She has been a ton of helping our kindergartener with reading; support with phonics and lots of word sorts. She is patient and kind and my daughter loves her! Her number is 510-418-6495. I know she works with kids of all ages. Madeleine
I would like to recommend my 9 year old son's tutor. She
works with him in reading and writing, phonics and
comprehension sentence writing, punctuation, grammer, and
penmanship. My son is reluctant to work with me but is so
willing to work with her. She is patient and kind with him.
She uses positive reinforcement. And is really encouraging
to him when he is having a hard time. We have been working
with her through the school year and are very excited about
his progress. Her name is Lauren Bassard.
lbassard@aol.com
510-921-4911
Holly
I am looking for a Saturday reading program for my 4 year old. Does anyone know of one that is located in Oakland or Berkeley? Thanks.
I have a 3rd grader who is reading below grade level and is behind in writing skills. I am looking for an experienced Ed. Therapist / tutor ASAP who is patient, creative, and has excellent credentials and who is effective! I live in Berkeley and would like to find someone local. Susan
I would like to highly recommend Sharon Lawless for tutoring reading. Our daughter was struggling to learn the basics of reading after kindergarten and we hired Sharon to tutor her over the summer between kindergarten and first grade. Sharon was amazing with her! She was very encouraging and we credit her with teaching our daughter not only to read, but also to enjoy it and she is now thriving. Her reading words per minute have continued to climb and she is now one of the best readers in her 2nd grade class.
Sharon can be reached at slawless18@gmail.com or 510-336-1201.
Here is more information on Sharon: She works mainly with students who have reading challenges. She uses The Susan Barton Reading and Spelling System which is a research-based program that teaches students phonemic awareness in a sequential manner. She can help students with the writing process and elementary math. She has 30 years of teaching experience, Robin
Can anyone recommend a gentle, patient, intuitive literacy tutor? My son is having some trouble keeping up with his grade-level reading and seems to get frustrated easily. I'm really hoping to find somebody to work with him one on one (hourly maybe?), and I don't want to use any of those big ''tutoring companies''. Also, what type of fee should I expect to pay for such services? Thanks so much for any info-- regina
Hello dear parents, Do you have any referrals for a speech therapist and a reading tutor who would work with a five year old pre-kindergarten boy in our home in El Cerrito? A student speech therapist or a developmental student teacher would be fine too. Thank you very much !
As a mother of a kindergarten boy who is not yet reading - just
why did the state change to this model 5 years ago? I'm wondering
what kind of extra help is available through the schools for boys
who don't pick it up by memorizing. We are in Oakland Unified
School District. Independent recommendations of outside tutors
also welcome, thanks.
-concerned mom
I learned w/a bit of shock this fall that kindergarteners are supposed
to learn to read. So now I'm looking for a tutor with experience with
kindergarteners. nc
My fourth-grade son is very bright and creative, but, oh man, he has atrocious handwriting. We are looking for someone to come to our house a couple of times a week to help him improve or ideas for local classes/online instruction. I'm open to this being a high-school student or college student with neat handwriting. We're in Orinda. Many thanks! looking for a patient tutor
My family and I have been very pleased with the writing coaching and tutoring for high school students by Professor Diane Wolf, a Berkeley resident who is on the sociology faculty at UC Davis, and is the author of several interesting and readable books. She ably assisted my daughter with college essays, organizing term papers, and creative writing assignments, and genuinely enjoys the young people with whim she works. She has a child who is a recent Berkeley High School graduate and is familiar with many local high schools, public and independent. My daughter is now attending her first choice of liberal arts colleges in New England, thanks in part to Professor Wolf's assistance in focusing writing and working through blocks and self-critical voices. contact info: dianelwolf@gmail.com (510) 847-8696 parent
My son is now a student at UC San Diego. His first quarter report card was excellent and I credit the tutoring he received from Raymond Barglow as a major contributing factor to his success. Without the tutoring her received from Dr. Barglow- including help on improving his writing- he would probably not have been admitted. Although I am a classroom teacher, my son was able to accept assistance from Dr. Barglow in a more positive way than he could from me. Dr. Barglow has a wonderful communication style. He helped my son improve not only his academic skills, but perhaps as importantly, his overall confidence. I would recommend Dr. Raymond Barglow's tutoring highly, especially his guidance in preparing for the SAT or ACT. His website is: www.berkeleytutors.net, phone number 510-486-1050. Alia
We are seeking recommendations for writing workshops in the Bay Area for our 15 yo son. We are open to group workshops as well as a private tutor that can help hone his writing skills. Any leads or insight appreciated. M & P
Recommending tutor: Itir Yakar (despite area code, she is in East Bay, Oakland Grand Lake area, and can travel to you) Tel: 1-415-400-6715 email: itiryakar@yahoo.com Itir (Turkish name, female)is a super patient, super organized, calm and friendly tutor available to help a variety of aged children/teens. She was very patient with my daughter who has a processing disorder and language comprehension disability. She specializes in working with teens around writing and reading comprehension. She can also help with writing college application essays, or even assist first year law student's writing challenges. She has a background in journalism and law. Victoria
I'd like to recommend Dr. Diane Wolf as a writing coach fr high school and middle school students. Diane is a full professor (but not teaching full time schedule) at UC Davis in sociology and the author of several fascinating books. She is also a person who has a great ability to build rapport and encourage students, and she gives meaningful, useful, and reassuring while honest feedback readily. She has been working with my daughter for the past academic year on all kinds f writing, including personal essays for college admissions, papers on topics as diverse as comparative children;s literature,, art history, and epic poetry. I found her through this list, so search the archives for contact information. Judith
We are looking for a well educated, kind writing tutor who will come to our home in North Berkeley to help our daughter to learn the art of writing. She is struggling with focus and self confidence as a writer. She needs support around grammar, spelling and punctuation. How can we make this fun and yet learn important skills for middle school? Thanks! a 5th grade mom
My daughter loves to write, especially creatively, but needs help with structure in essay/analytical writing -- using an outline, organizing her thoughts and editing. Part of this is due to being dyslexic and also to look toward higher expectations of college. Can you please recommend a tutor for after school - someone who's motivational is great close to BART would be a plus. Thanks writing tutor
I highly recommend JEFFREY SEGALL to tutor your high school student in English reading and writing, SAT preparation, and college applications. We hired Jeff when my son was struggling with a notoriously tough English teacher during his junior year. Jeff helped him understand the writing assignments, organize his thoughts, and edit his drafts. Jeff encouraged and motivated my son to think on his own in a safe environment where there was not just one answer to a question. The benefits my son received in terms of confidence and writing skills are now serving him well in his senior year. Jeff came to our home (working around my son's busy schedule), was dependable and professional, and had very reasonable rates. Jeff can provide additional references. Contact: Jeffrey Segall at 925-254-1907 or 510-206-8847 or jasegall[at]yahoo.com. Susan
can anyone recommend a strong writing tutor for a very bright high school senior who does well on quick write and standardized testing, has an outstanding vocabulary and reading comprehension, has consistently read several years above grade level since third grade, but struggles with the skill of synthesizing ideas into expository writing? she is taking freshman composition in summer session at a community college now, and the discrete skill of transposing her insights into an essay is still a stumbling block for her and causes much anxiety though she is generally a bright, happy, talented person who has had major scholastic achievements when this does not get in the way. we really need help for fall term. she is contemplating taking a year or more away from college if she can't master this skill.
I would like to recommend Dr. Julie Hemker as an exceptionally professional reading and writing tutor. Julie is patient and extremely knowledgeable about teaching effective communication skills to students. Her tutoring has helped my daughter excel in SAT prep and English listerature papers. A professor at UC Berkeley, she deeply understands the issues facing contemporary students. Her contact information is: julie.hemker@att.net and 925 947-1629. H.
My son recently worked with Jamie Keller, a writing coach whom he highly recommends. Jamie's fee was reasonable and her services were more valuable than the private college counselor's. He Says:
I'm a senior at BHS, and I was accepted Early Decision at Swarthmore College. My grades weren't good enough to make the cut, but I hoped to sell the college with my writing, my passion since childhood. But I couldn't write a college essay. After about ten failed drafts, I realized I needed help. We found Jamie. We met 5 times in total, working through numerous drafts of my essay. 5 searing, painful, drafts. It was the first time I realized how difficult writing is. Jamie cut, cut, cut my essay, and then we rebuilt it, this time on a solid foundation. She knows that every persuasive essay must tell a story, so we gutted the blatant pleas in mine and replaced it with a humble, honest tale. I firmly believe this essay made the difference. Jamie made the difference to me. Aside from getting me into college, she was a pleasure to work with.
(Jamie Keller's number is 510-847-2505. Her e-mail is jamiekeller1@gmail.com.) Carol
My son who is currently a freshman at Stanford benefited significantly from the tutoring services of John Chang. I was always concerned about my son's ability to write critically at an appropriate level since it could potentially affect his studies in school and college admissions. Seeing how my daughter improved in John Chang's AP Literature class, I decided to hire him as an English tutor for my son starting from his sophomore year of high school. He helped my son through his high school English courses, the SAT reading and writing portions, and eventually his personal statement. My son has told me that he has not only improved his essays and analysis of novels but also challenged the way he thinks. If you feel your child needs assistance in writing, I highly recommend you contact him at grey_matters@comcast.net. Anita
I'm looking for a good and inspiring writing coach for my daughter. She is a good writer and wants to get better. Inspiration and creativity work! sara
I have a daughter who is a senior at Campolindo High. I am looking for a good tutor to work with her on her writing skills, expository writing, especially with English 4. Any suggestions for someone in the Lamorinda area? Thanks. anon
Our son has been with his writing tutor John Chang for almost 3 years now and he has gone from "struggling to express himself" to wanting to become a writer as a profession (he is 15 now). John comes to our house and read all the books that is assigned to our son on his own time. He is easy going and connected immediately to our son who eagerly awaits his arrival every week. John is also versed in history (since many of the writing assignments are related to history lessons being taught at school, this has been extremely helpful). Also as a consequence of becoming an excellent writer our son has also become a wonderful speaker.
John also helped him with his ISEE and SSAT preparation, and our son scored in the 90 percentile in vocabulary and reading comprehension. He has experience teaching AP classes (he was a teacher for many years) so I am looking forward to his continued help during our son's high school years. He has students from elementary age all the way to high school. He is very responsible (he calls when he is even 5 min late). His phone number is 510-913-1662. Happy mom from Oakland
I would like to recommend Jeff Segall - jasegall@yahoo.com - who is tutoring my daughter for the SAT and for her literature and writing classes at BHS. My daughter has learning disabilities and can be difficult to work with. Jeff is patient and able to communicate well with her. Her skills and confidence have increased with his help and she is surprisingly open to his assistance. I recommend him highly and without hestitation. Amy
I'm looking for either a class or someone who can work with my son on his writing skills this summer. He's going into the 6th grade at a very challenging school next fall and writing is the one area he really struggles with. Any suggestions would be great! Thanks BPN!!! D
For parents who are looking for writing help for their teens, I'd like to recommend Jamie Keller. My son went to Jamie because he wanted to be a better writer, with the added goal of improving his writing score on the ACT. By giving him short, relevant writing assignments, and reviewing them together, Jamie helped my son understand how to translate what was in his mind into the written word. She also showed him how to organize his essays and how to include specific information to make his writing clearer and easier to understand.
My son looks forward to his weekly sessions with Jamie. She is
lively, patient, and non-judgmental, and after working with her, my
son scored a 10 out of 12 on the ACT essay. He now has more
confidence in his writing and is motivated to keep improving. Jamie
can be contacted at jamiekeller1@gmail.com, or by phone at 510-524-
8697.
John M
Amy Draizen has been a writing and organizational support to our child for the
past 7 years. Starting in 6th grade, it was clear that these areas were
tremendously challenging for him. Due to her thoughtful, experienced and
patient guidance, he is now a superlative writer and can develop his ideas, write
a comprehensive outline, and complete an outstanding essay on his own. She
understood his quirks and strengths and worked with him to help him achieve in
ways that he never expected were possible. I can't recommend Amy highly
enough. She can be reached at: adraizen@mindspring.com
mm
My son is finishing up his sophomore year and has failed English. He will be taking English at Berkeley City College this summer but there is no way he will pass without tutoring. He is as stubborn as the day is long and convinced that English is 'too hard.' He is bright but lazy and easily overwhelmed, will NOT take help from his parents. We are looking for a miracle worker who can help this kid. Any takers?
Can you recommend a good essay/report writing tutor or summer program for a 9th going to 10th grader. thanks very much. Parent needing tutor/program
My high school senior is still not feeling confident about writing essays for college, which is just over the horizon. I would appreciate any recommendations for a class, tutor or summer crash course in churning out the basic 5 to 20 page essay. Confidence Building
We're looking for an English and/or writing tutor who can help our teen write better, read with more understanding, and generally feel like he's keeping up better with his classmates. It would be great if this person also helped kids be stronger thinkers--helped them approach questions with more curiosity and think about them more carefully and clearly. All suggestions much appreciated! --Tutor-seekers
I am looking for a writing class for my 13 year old daughter who is entering 8th grade next year. While she is very bright and gets excellent grades, I am concerned about the lack of sophistication in her expository writing. She just does not express herself clearly in writing and needs some help on techniques for improvement, especially as she gets closer to high school. I admit that this is one area where I feel let down by the public schools as no teacher has pointed out what I have seen as an obvious issue for several years. I envision she would do better in a group environment with other kids for this particular issue. Concerned about Writing
my son's reading tutor has an opening on mondays from 5PM to 6PM. if your child has any type of reading challenge, don't delay! statistics show that if your child is behind by third grade, he or she will only fall further behind by ninth grade unless there is some intervention. teachers don't have enough time to devote to one-on-one instruction/attention. we have been working with lisa glicksman for 2 months now. from the very first session, she had my son's rapt attention and interest. she'll come to your home. she provides all of the materials. she engages the child with fun and interesting games and activities. most importantly, they are making progress with reading fluency and comprehension. my daughter is asking for lisa to be her tutor even though her reading abilities are above benchmark! lisa can be reached at 595-8799 or lisa[at]glixart.com (email updated 9/16/06) Suzie
I can recommend the following reading tutors who were with Reading Revolution in Oakland. My daughter personally worked with Georgia Morrow who is a dream of a tutor. Personable, professional, fun, and engaging.
Georgia Morrow Berkeley 510/644-3220 Morrows2[at]earthlink.net Credentialed teacher. Reading and writing. Pre-school through adult. Training in Reading Revolution and traditional phonics.
Nancy Van Zwalenburg Berkeley 510/548-4867 nancy[at]rb68.com Credentialed teacher. Reading and lower level math. 1st grade – high school. Trained in Reading Revolution and Making Math Real techniques.
Lisa Glicksman Oakland (510) 595-8799 lisa[at]glixart.com (email updated 9/16/06) Tutors reading and art. 1st grade through adult. Trained in both Reading Revolution and traditional phonics.
Betty Ann Taylor Oakland (510) 763-8571 Btytalr49[at]yahoo.com Reading, writing, elementary math, social studies, science. Pre-school through adult. Sharon
I am part of a group of parents whose Piedmont middle school students need some writing enrichment - not remedial help. These students are all good students, exceptionally strong in math. Does anyone have a recommendation for a writing/research tutor who would be good for working with a group (4-6) of eight graders? I have checked the archives and didn't see anyone who seemed specifically appropriate. Thanks! Mom
Jun 03 2006 My 12 year old daughter has thrived with private tutoring with Grey Matter. I was fighting with my daughter over homework and destroying our relationship. John Chang at Grey Matters gave my daughter the extra edge she needed to excel in school and I am less anxious. He has flexible hours and a previous teacher. He come to your house(510) 913-1662 william
May 17 2006Adina Lepp has been tutoring our 9th grade son this semester. I highly recommend her. She is responsible and articulate and has helped enormously in keeping him focused and enthusiastic about his writing projects. I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Adina is a sophomore English major (emphasis on creative writing) at Mills College. She volunteers at BHS as a writing coach and has been trained with the Writer Coach Connection program. She writes fiction. She is available for academic and creative tutoring, manuscript editing and nanny work, and is available now. You can reach her at adina.lepp[at]gmail.com to discuss specifics. Kathy
Sept 2005My son had a great experience with writing tutor Kevin Arnold. We learned of him through Parents of Teens site. Kevin is young, a former Berkeley High Independent Studies teacher, is skilled and knowledgeable, and tutors with an easy-going style. He connected well with my son who gained much from Kevin's help in just a few months, his already accomplished writing improving in both organization and mechanics. Kevin tutors as a writing tutor, a homework coach, college paper research advisor, and college app essays coach. ''Kevin Arnold'' kevinarnold2004 AT yahoo.com 510.655.6612
Miles
Reading Tutors: 2003 & Earlier
December 2003Tutor for struggling readers
For anyone who is looking for a tutor for a child who is dyslexic or struggling with reading, I would like to recommend a friend who does Orton-Gillingham (multisensory) and also Lindamood-Bell tutoring in reading and spelling. She is an experienced tutor and is presently working toward full certification in the specialty. I am not personally familiar with the techniques she uses, but she spends a lot of time with me and my twins and I can speak for how good she is with children. I can also say she is intelligent, serious about teaching, and very, very patient. You can contact me at Kensington at california.com. Or you can contact her directly at tutorJS at yahoo.com.
Thank you,
Susan kensington at california.com
Writing Tutors: 2003 & Earlier
5th Grade Boy Needs Writing Mentor
Nov 2003Our 5th grade (11 year old) son needs some extra help with his writing skills. He has excellent reading comprehension, good handwriting and ok spelling. He seems to understand the use of notetaking, webs, and checklists before embarking on an essay, but it often doesn't progress beyond that. He can orally express complete and sequencial thoughts (with some prompting) but has difficulty ''remembering what he said'' when it comes to writing it all out. We're looking for writing specialist/mentor since we believe a personal connection would facilitate the learning. Our son is into skateboarding, swimming, skiing and baseball as well as non-violent video games. Can anyone recommend where to look? Thanks. LESLIE
I can highly recommend a colleague of mine, at a local independant school. His data: Andrew von Mayrhauser (referred to as Mr. von) 32 years old 6th Grade Teacher for 10 years (3 in Oakland,7 in Maryland) Writing specialist- was exclusively a writing teacher for five years Has passion for writing and enjoying life Connects well with kids, especially 5th - 8th grade Tutoring references available PHONE: 510 261 4373 avonmayrhauser AT headroyce.org Give him a call or drop him an email, he connects well with the kids by introducing a variety of ways of being creative. Shahana
Hi, I have heard great things about Ivy Sandz, who runs reading/writing programs and tutors. http://www.literacyaccess.com/reading.html susan
January 2004I'd like to post my recommendation for Kristan Willits, whose tutoring services I sought for my child after reading positive reports at the Parents Network website. My 7th grade son has a learning disability in written expression, which means that learning to express himself in writing in the traditional way taught in the classroom doesn't always work for him. Any writing assignment had potential for bringing on a meltdown at home and worse, my son was losing confidence. Kristan was able to break down the writing process in a way that made sense to him. With her help, he now has many strategies to use and his confidence has been restored. Kristan also welcomed my input and gave me good feedback and helpful ideas for helping my son at home. I have no doubt that Kristan's patient, supportive style and ability to tailor strategies to the individual would work for students of all different needs and abilities. She can be reached at The Socratic Method, 510/540-9562. Signed, Pleased Parent
Jan 2003I would like to recommend Matt Eggers as a great reading/writing tutor and as a homework coach. Matt has been working with my son, who used to resist any help, and after a few months I'm very impressed with his results. You can reach Matt at 415-206-1856. Silvia
July 2001I would like to recommend Melissa Levine as a tutor. She has a B.A. from Yale and an M.A. from Washington University in St.Louis. Extensive experience teaching and tutoring reading, writing, grammar, and literature at all levels--elementary through college. (She's a published writer and journalist, too.) Can also tutor Spanish and French at the elementary and junior high levels. $50/hr. Call at 510-666-9068 or email at mlevine at mindspring.com. Christy
Mar 2001To the person looking for a writing tutor or a summer writing class, please contact Becky Gross. Her phone number is 510-849-4877. She is quite wonderful and really gets teens writing! PS My son also thinks she is terrific. Lynne
(updated May 2003)
Regarding the search for a writing class or tutor posted in the last newsletter: I'd like to recommend Molly Gales - who runs a tutorting service called Classroom Matters - a truly inspired tutor and mentor for teens.
May 2000My daughter is a Senior in the BHS Independent Studies program. She has an excellent English teacher, Sara McMickle, who will be offering summer tutoring in Essay Writing, Literature, Grammar, and SAT preparation. Sara is an wonderful teacher and can be reached at 644-4500, ext. 3631.
Jeffrey
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