About Claudia A.
About Me
I was born in Bogota, Colombia. I pursued my undergraduate education at National University of Colombia, wherein I majored in anthropology . I graduated with a major GPA of 4 (on a 5.0 sca... more
About Me
I was born in Bogota, Colombia. I pursued my undergraduate education at National University of Colombia, wherein I majored in anthropology . I graduated with a major GPA of 4 (on a 5.0 scale). My undergraduate thesis was awarded with a competitive grant that funded its outreach project. Following an educational approach, for this project I created and conducted workshops for students and teachers in rural schools of San Agustin, a town in the Andes Mountains of western Colombia. The success of the project resulted in an Honorable Mention, given by the town hall of San Agustín.
I moved to California 3 years ago. Living in Los Angeles I started teaching Spanish. Currently I am a Spanish Tutor at the Los Angeles Public Library. As a native speaker, students of all levels enjoy learning with me. I teach all aspects of the language: listening comprehension, reading comprehension, written production, oral communication, grammar and culture. I have tutored in both one-on-one and group settings.
Experience
My experience in the educational setting started in 2008 at the Children’s Museum in Bogota, Colombia where I worked for a year as an interpreter, teaching science to kids from all ages. Since the beginning of my career I have implemented an educational approach. For instance, while working on leading public archaeology programs, part of my job was to sensitize workers and locals about the importance of cultural heritage. I accomplished this creating workshops that were easy to understand, entertained and engaging. I successfully carried out this work for two years.
Later, as the Exhibits & Collections Intern at Deering Estate at Cutler, I had the opportunity to assist the Education Department with producing interactive materials. This was my first professional experience in an American educational context. It was a great opportunity where I learned a lot.
The past three years while working with the population of Los Angeles, I have been able to keep developing my educational skills. As the Learning Center Assistant at the Downtown Women's Center, I mentored women experiencing homelessness through job search process and school enrollment. Last year, at the International Rescue Committee, I assisted refugees and asylees providing one-on-one trainings in drafting resumes, preparing for interviews and learning soft-skills. Currently, at the Los Angeles Public Library, I teach Spanish as a part of the Leamos Program.
Approach
I start by identifying the level at which the student is, as well as the specific needs they may have, digging into the topics in which they have difficulty. I try to diagnose why the student is having a problem to ensure long-term success. This approach makes the tutoring experience truly individualized.
I like to connect the subjects to study with things that the student like. This way they will feel interested and will be able to see the use of what we study in class. I am a truly patient tutor, and I plan my lessons to be easy and pleasant for my students. I have a keen creative sense and I can effectively interact with people of various backgrounds.
