Sylvie

Rate $50
Response 1h

$50/h

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Reading
Creative writing
Redaction
English Literature
French literature

PhD English teacher, with 18 years of experience, working from home offering lessons in English literature, as well as grammar and writing basics.

Reading
Creative writing
Redaction
English Literature
French literature

Lesson location

- online

About Sylvie

I have taught part-time in various colleges since 2001 and have helped hundreds of students discover and understand both the mechanics of the English language and treasure of English literature; I have a specialty in 19th century studies. I am also fluent in French (native speaker) and familiar with French language, literature, and culture.

About the lesson

My approach to teaching comprises three essential goals:
1. Acquisition of knowledge
For this the main tools are readings, lectures and directed as well as personal research.
2. Critical thinking
. I encourage students to analyze carefully what they read, both the text itself and what is sometimes inferred without words, paying close attention to details. I find particularly effective the challenge of presenting them with texts that seem, at first, to have nothing in common, such as an excerpt of Hitler's Mein Kampf in which he explains the strategy of effective propaganda, and the beginning of Hamlet (I,ii), in which Claudius, upon close observation, fairly follows Hitler's principles. This apparently incongruous association really puzzles students until they perceive the immutability of human motives, whereupon they discover how timeless and wise Shakespeare truly is. Critical thinking also invites empathy and requires a deliberate effort for fairness, for which added knowledge may be necessary. Thus I stress the fact that, to the serious scholar, research eventually becomes a way of life, rather than an occasional encounter, and I point out that this is probably good practice in general, since we are constantly exposed to new ideas and need to be able to formulate informed judgments, if we hope to preserve our humanity, sustain our freedom, and contribute, in thoughts and actions, to the making of a greater society.
3. Clear and effective expression
it is simply not enough to be well informed and say the truth. This truth has no weight when worded in incorrect sentences or grammatically correct platitudes. Eloquence does count, even in the age of text messaging. While the basics of grammar and composition are explained, I also insist on the importance of avoiding repetitions, directing students to use dictionary and thesaurus, but also to read avidly. In this instance, I give as an example my own experience: when I arrived in America, I needed my husband to translate everything for me at first, but eventually I was able to complete graduate studies and write fluently in English, essentially because I read voraciously, and thus acquired both vocabulary and good syntax (an anecdote that foreign students usually find encouraging).

Rates

Rate

Pack rates

5h: $240
10h: $450

Travel

+ $$10

online

$50/h

Details

First 10 miles, $10; any mile added to this will be at the rate of $2 per mile
If the student is on a hourly agreement and cancels after the first hour, no fee, any hour afterwards must be rescheduled or will incur a cancellation fee of $25
If the student is on a 5- or 10- hour agreement, he/she will only be reimbursed half of his or her payment ($120 for the 5-hour agreement; $225 for the 10-hour agreement)

PhD English teacher, with 18 years of experience, working from home offering lessons in English literature, as well as grammar and writing basics.

Lesson location

About Sylvie

About the lesson

Rates

Rate

Pack rates

Travel

online

Details

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Dr Fouzia

PhD English teacher, with 18 years of experience, working from home offering lessons in English literature, as well as grammar and writing basics.

Lesson location

About Sylvie

About the lesson

Rates

Rate

Pack rates

Travel

online

Details

Other tutors in Reading

Andrea

Poe

Mary

Pierre

Michelle

Adrien

Davis

Nagatt Rose

Suzie

Rekha

Aryaman

Alexandre

Pablo

Nev

Susan

Al Hamza

Mark

Connor

Sandy

Dr Fouzia

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