English Language Tutoring
“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn.”
- Derived from Xun Kuang, Confucian Philosopher
Mentor, Consultant, Friend | Various Organizations | 2020-2026
Key Responsibilities:
Conduct Lessons, Support Continuous Learning in English- Reading/Writing/Speech/Comprehension, Engage in Level-Appropriate Conversation
Communication is the inherent currency of our world. It has facilitated the emergence of governments, religions, technologies, sciences, and other fundamental systems of civilization. Today —and throughout history— the stronger one’s ability to communicate outside of his immediate circle, the richer he is in opportunity, resources, and perspective.
With this core belief, I’ve consistently applied myself to teaching English, which outranks Mandarin Chinese as the most spoken language worldwide. I aim for a tight grasp of English, whether written or oral, to increase prospects, improve quality of life, and, overall, produce a multiplicative effect for my students.
Through teaching, I’ve come to learn that communication is splintered by locale and dependent on access to education. In contributing to peers’ mastery of English, I am conscious of regional gaps and barriers to access.
Role: Writing Tutor
Dates: October 2016 to December 2018
Role: English Program 1-on-1 Tutor
Dates: July 2020 to July 2026
Role: College Application Essay Coach
Dates: September 2020 to July 2026
John S. Knight Institute
for Writing in the Disciplines
While studying at Cornell University, I took on part-time employment as a Writing Tutor at the Knight Writing Institute. Here, I advised students of all ages, across all of Cornell’s colleges, on writing techniques that powerfully convey arguments, prime for papers assigned by professors.
A typical tutoring session involved a student visiting the Knight Writing Institute with a writing prompt from a course and an early, intermediate, or near-final paper. Administering guidance on brainstorming, organization, or revision, I learned that:
My role is that of a consultant, not an editor. Writers ultimately control the fates of their papers, no matter my intentions.
There is no need to “fix” a piece of writing on behalf of the original writer; there is only a need to grow.
A tutoring philosophy anchored to kindness and collaboration yields the most rewarding, lasting impact.
Narrow feedback on contained sections or concentrated choices is unsustainable. Students are encouraged to challenge and engage with their pieces through larger, holistic feedback.
Over two years, I built familiarity with writing styles suited to academia, ESL writers, writers with disabilities, and difficult subject matter. My time at Knight Writing Institute instilled in me the confidence and training necessary to pursue English tutoring with Paper Airplanes and The Opportunity Network.
Paper Airplanes
Once steady at Blackstone, I had the bandwidth to teach English again and reconnect with an academic audience. This appetite led me to discover Paper Airplanes, a nonprofit that pairs aspiring English-learners in conflict-ridden regions with virtual mentors fluent in the language.
Here began multiple lifelong friendships and my most rewarding tutoring experiences to date.
Through a matching system optimizing for availability and skill, I was paired with Mounira Haidar, an Accounting professional based in Syria, and later, with Zia Yazdani, an interpreter supporting the Asylum Services of Greece.
Both students have consented to the publication of their LinkedIn profiles above.
Mounira’s Learning Journey
Based on her then-existing proficiency, Mounira had placed into the Upper Intermediate bucket of learners through her entrance exam with Paper Airplanes, but she sought to improve her grammar and speaking fluency.
Over consecutive semesters, Mounira and I worked weekly via Google Meet to reach program- and personally-established goals within English speaking, reading, and writing.
We followed the predefined Upper Intermediate curriculum and regularly tracked progress and morale, adjusting our approach wherever necessary.
Now, Mounira has withdrawn from the Paper Airplanes program but hopes that ongoing study of English will support her in the TOEFL exam and applications to graduate degrees in the US.
Zia’s Learning Journey
Unlike Mounira, Zia placed into the Beginner bucket through his entrance exam with Paper Airplanes, but like Mounira, he is incredibly passionate and dedicated in his pursuit of improvement.
Zia and I worked weekly via Google Meet and leveraged Paper Airplanes’ materials to advance through 6 levels in the curriculum.
Though our exercises also focused on reading comprehension and speaking, I maximized Zia’s development of writing-oriented and grammatical skills as he had expressed explicit interest in this growth.
Now, Zia has withdrawn from Paper Airplanes in response to wrongful administrative claims of AI Assistance, but he will keep his lessons! He and I profoundly appreciate that service-driven projects often lack resources needed to avoid errors.
Sample Tutor Resource: “Teaching the Perfect Progressive Tense”
Sample Lesson Plan: “Home and Emergencies,” including 6 sections: Warm-Up, Pre-Activity, Activity, Post-Activity, Reflection, and Homework
Sample Student Learning Journal entry, with reflection and new goals
I learn something new from each interaction with Mounira and Zia, but here’s what I’ve learned so far:
Be Nimble
Many of my conversations with Mounira veered away from the pre-set curriculum. Instead of stemming these deviations and adhering rigidly to the curriculum, I welcomed Mounira’s curiosity and natural inclinations.
Incorporating key elements from an original lesson plan while prioritizing genuine bonding was also effective with Zia. How else would Zia feel confident in sharing with me the recipe for Mantu, Afghan dumplings, his favorite dish?!
By establishing myself as a learning partner rather than only a tutor assigned through Paper Airplanes, my students gained trust in me. I was able to deliver lessons organically, making them easier to retain.
Be Persistent
Scheduling conflicts were not the exception but the norm when setting up weekly sessions with my students.
Mounira’s conflicts resulted from situational constraints such as electricity cuts and technology limitations. I channeled a recognition of the unpredictability of these conflicts into persistently messaging, aimed at identifying new availabilities and verifying access to equipment and resources necessary to complete independent assignments.
Zia, balancing his participation in Paper Airplanes with full-time employment, was available only during his evenings for our lessons. Given our time difference, this translated to during my workday. So, I routinely contacted Zia to arrange meetings on holidays or weekends.
Be Innovative
Some form of technology was always accessible to Mounira, but it was not always a laptop. She was also more comfortable communicating over WhatsApp than over email, which would have otherwise been our mode of exchanging course materials. Combined, these factors required me to adapt resources and assignments to fit Mounira’s available technology suite.
In Zia’s case, difficulties with audio led us to simultaneously dial into a Google Meet session, both muted, simply for the ability to share our screens, and a WhatsApp call.
Incorporating my students’ preferences into our lessons cost innovation but paid in retention.
The Opportunity Network
With Mounira and Zia being as motivated as they were, I was still able to teach English outside of Paper Airplanes. Given the isolation brought about by COVID-19, I was looking to satisfy a lingering urge to connect with students.
Soon, I discovered The Opportunity Network (OppNet), a nonprofit addressing inequity among students in New York and New Jersey. A student of color myself, I was eager to reverse inequity that disproportionately affects students of color and low-income communities.
At the time, OppNet was recruiting Essay Coaches for the Fall 2020 term. OppNet’s Essay Coaches support college-applicants in preparing written responses of various lengths for submission. Like college-goers are giddy on Decision Day, I was giddy to join OppNet as an Essay Coach in September 2020.
The physical proximity of OppNet (headquartered a stone’s throw away from my then-apartment!) was a delight. Further, OppNet required a minimal time-commitment, as I would only be active as an Essay Coach for half of the year, during college-application season.
Together, these considerations meshed perfectly to allow me to support High School Seniors (those were the days!) as they ideated on, organized, drafted, and revised personal statements and supplements for universities.
Remembering my time at Knight Writing Institute, I empowered writers to both challenge and take pride in their writing.
In 2024, extending my service as a Career Mentor with OppNet, I extracted transferrable learnings from my own professional journey. Tangibly, I shared with my mentees contacts in business as well as blueprints for common documents, which honored the principle of creative concision that I emphasized in my work as an Essay Coach.
By working with OppNet Fellows, I have:
1
Developed support tactics to guide various stages of the writing and recruiting processes, each requiring different amounts of asking, speaking, and listening on my part.
2
Experienced complete ownership of my approach to tutoring, in the absence of a formal curriculum or handbook, and grown independent and adaptable in my mentorship while remaining true to my central values.
3
Solidified the type of student-teacher relationship that I aim to maintain with all of my students going forward, by witnessing my students’ receptivity to friendly feedback.
4
Understood the vulnerability that characterizes early drafts and interview responses, requiring any criticism to be conveyed constructive and professionally to have intended effect.