Meet Sheryl from Tutoring with Sheryl

I am the CEO of Tutoring with Sheryl at midwesttutor.com. I have been teaching for 32 years and have absolutely loved it. It has been challenging and fun. But, I started tutoring at the onset of the pandemic when my sister needed some assistance with her children. She had a second and fourth grader at the time, and needed help due to the fact that their school was closed. The kids both needed help with math and reading. Since I was a veteran teacher, I jumped right in to help. We lined up meetings using Zoom and used the shared screen to practice math and reading. The girls were building confidence and they were being supported. But my sister found a homeschooling pod for the kids because they needed some daycare as well. So, we ended the tutoring, but it made me evaluate this gift of teaching that I have.

I figured if my sister needed help, then I could help others. And, I really liked working with the kids one-on-one. I am so used to managing groups of 19-25 or 26 kids, that I found it really refreshing to work with kids one-on-one. I love teaching and I get the opportunity to work with large and small groups of kids. I also work with kids one-on-one, but tutoring allows me to look at one child at a time and seek ways to respond to their needs.

It comes very naturally for me since I have been doing this for years. I can typically tell within a few moments of working on a skills what we need to target. I can also tell within a few sessions just how much we need to do. I work hard to develop a strategic plan for my students as we advance through their skills. It is very important for me to do short bursts of instruction, and then allow multiple practices of the skills the child is practicing. I give immediate feed back and use plenty of praise to let the kids know they are doing well.

Tutoring is different from teaching in the fact that the child is guiding all of the decisions I am making. I am responding to their needs. I do this in the classroom, but it is much different when you have a class of 20 or more students. This is directed to meet the needs of one child, so if they need more targeted instruction, we can do that and not worry about what the other 19 kids in the class are doing. It is just the one child.

I work with the parents and child to support them in whatever they need help with. Sometimes we are practicing skills, sometime we are studying for a test, sometimes we are writing papers, sometimes we are reading stories and working on comprehension and fluency. It just depends on what the child needs.

So, what do I offer that other tutors don’t offer? Experience! I have worked with so many students in the classroom who have had so many different needs. That is extremely valuable to my clients. I am an expert in my field and have worked diligently over the course of my teaching career to learn strategies that will empower students to become confident and independent learners. I also respond to the needs of my students as we progress through their sessions to maximize our time together. And, I make personal connections with my students so they know that I care about them.

Cumulative project with budgeting with money. They had to place an order, calculate the total, add the tax, charge the customer. The customer had to pay with their money, and the owner had to make change and count it back correctly.

I have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Education from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I also have a Master of Education in Curriculum and Instruction. I have two Google for Education certifications. All of that training has guided my teaching and helps support my students as they learn and grow.

We were learning about the water cycle. Students learned about water filtration and how it can work naturally as it filters into our groundwater. They were trying investigating ways to clean debris from water. Lots of learning was going on during this lab!

My career in education has been mostly in grades 3-6. I am an expert in math, reading, and writing. I have used a variety of curriculums throughout my years as a teacher and can typically adapt to what a student needs quickly.

Building fluency happens when kids are reading! Reading aloud is a crucial component in making this happen.

I am a firm believer in communicating with both the student and the parents about how the student is progressing. At the request of the parent, I am happy to reach out to the child’s teacher and work as a team to move the student forward.

Students spent time learning about different types of poetry and poetic devices. As a culminating project, they submitted their poems for publication. These were our published poets! Proud kids, proud parents!

If you are a homeschool parent seeking support, I am also here for you! I know how overwhelming it can be to try and figure it all out.

Whether you are in need of a tutor, a mentor, or a teacher for a homeschooling pod, I am here to support you.

I am accepting new clients for the summer months right now. If you are interested in bridging the gap, or keeping your child from having summer learning loss, let me know! I can certainly help out! Whether you need intervention in math, reading, or writing I can work with you to develop a plan of action and we can move your child forward through the summer months. We can meet once a week for an hour or twice a week for two half hour sessions.