SG Prep Tutoring: FAQ

Basics

“Sarah cares about more than just sending the student away with an improved draft; she wishes to teach her students how to move beyond where they are as writers, step by step.” — Mentor

What are your rates?: My rates are $75 per hour.
Where do tutoring sessions take place?: Most often, the sessions take place in the student's home. Meetings in alternate locations, such as a library, can be arranged.
What are your scheduling policies?: Scheduling is done on a case-by-case basis. Most clients prefer to schedule a set weekly time. Others prefer to schedule week-to-week.
What are your cancellation policies?: There is a 24-hour cancellation policy. If the cancellation is not made within 24 hours, the tutoring session will be charged in full. Exceptions will be made for illnesses or family emergencies.

Student Development

I'm thinking of hiring a writing tutor, but I'm not sure it's the right move. Exactly what types of problems can you help with?: I work with students who are struggling with their writing assignments, as well as students who are doing well but wish to fine-tune their work. If you'd like to find out more, please give me a call or send me an email. I'd be happy to discuss your particular challenges.
My son/daughter is struggling with reading assignments. How will you help?: My approach is to ensure that each student walks away with his or her own personal, straight-forward reading technique. The technique will vary depending on each students' personal goals; it may include understanding vocabulary in context, knowing word roots, employing a few simple speed-reading techniques, identify keying phrases, and/or summarizing passages order to check for understanding.
Do you work with study skills as well?: Absolutely. Study skill concepts we work on can include organization, time management, how to take notes, how to study for tests and quizzes, and how to most effectively approach assigned readings.

The SAT

“Sarah was passionate about her work as a tutor. She was patient and sensitive to the mental development of our teenage son.” — Parent

My son/daughter needs to prepare for the SAT, and I'm not sure where to begin. What kind of curriculum do you offer?: Each curriculum is custom-designed based on the individual student's needs. Before the first meeting, we talk about the tutee's goals. At the first meeting, I begin to assess my student's strengths and weaknesses, and, taking into account the student's learning style, personality, and time constraints, I begin to design his or her teaching plan. That said, I do have a general starter curriculum as an introduction to the SAT. It evolves as I get to know the tutee’s requirements. You can contact me for details.
What's considered a "good" score on the SAT?: It depends on each student's goals. In general, a "good" score could be considered to be a score that matches the average score of accepted students at the university the tutee wishes to attend. A great score would be a score that's higher than that school's average. There are exceptions: for example, if a student has a learning disability or a language handicap, some universities may take that into account. My students and I research their targeted schools' average acceptance scores, and then aim for higher than average, in order to give them an edge. For reference's sake, the College Board reported the 2009 national average for the SAT to be 1509.