Brisbane tutor in Creative Writing, EAL, English, English Literature, ESL, Essay Writing, Reading

Service areas
Brisbane, Brisbane Region, Redland Bay, Ipswich, Melbourne, Japan, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast

4.9  (10 student reviews)

"A mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled." - attributed to Plutarch.
Reading books and writing are essential activities for developing our curiosity and understanding of life.

Does your son or daughter need help with reading, writing or understanding what they read?
Is your child falling behind at school? Are you worried about NAPLAN?
Do you need help with understanding and speaking English?
Are you getting stuck with your assignment and how to plan your writing?

I can help you. *(see below for extra services for parents and guardians)

I teach these skills: vocabulary, grammar, sentence construction, reading comprehension and writing composition.

I teach beginners how to read (phonics, phoneme-grapheme decoding).

I can teach English as a second language to adults (EAL/D or ESL): reading, writing, listening and speaking.

I assess continually and adapt as required. I prepare every lesson in advance, thoughtfully selecting and providing resources. I send an email after each with details for homework; and I give timely feedback for all writing composition and other tasks.

Teaching hours: Tuesday through to Saturday.
- before and after school, and during the day.

School holidays: highly recommended.

Lessons are in my home and online for students in other states or countries or on the other side of town.
- Face-to-face at my home: fully equipped classroom with classroom resources (desk, dictionaries, atlas, reading materials and teaching resources. Students are required to provide their own notebook.)
- Zoom (share-screen): you will need to send photographs (via phone, document camera or scan app) of all written work.

Important things to know about my teaching methods.
- I encourage students to read regularly.
- I encourage writing tasks to be handwritten (and can assist with developing handwriting skills).
- I encourage the use of school and local libraries, and scholarly research tools such as online dictionaries and encyclopedias.
- I work with people who have dyslexia, ADHD, ADD or other learning difficulties and adapt teaching accordingly.
- I can assist with selecting good reading materials.

This news report [https://youtu.be/QdW_9C7WfjI?si=OtpXmY8qii9sLAik] highlights the importance of education without technology. Please contact me for advice about resources and activities that will encourage your child to exercise their own minds without resorting to computer and internet assistance.

I teach people from all over the world... across Asia, Europe, Africa and South America. My students come from countries including Japan, China, Taiwan, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Chile.

My interests include: reading, writing, Latin dancing, and walking.

* Private consultation is available for parents or guardians to assist in how you can work with your own child. These sessions are available on request and are charged according to need and content. Please let me know if you are interested in a one-on-one discussion with me. I can give you a variety of ways to assist your child's learning in a regular and systematic manner.

Contact

Experience

8 years home educator for primary and secondary students
20 years teaching small groups
Over 30 years one-on-one coaching in phonemic awareness
Over 40 years extensive international travel and experience with diverse cultures and languages

Qualifications

- BA: (English Literature and History) (+ additional courses including: Indigenous Studies, Linguistics, Communication and Television Studies)
- CELTA: (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, Cambridge University)
- Sounds-Write Certificate
- LETRS: (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling). Certificate of Mastery [https://dsf.net.au/our-services/workshops-and-events/letrs]
- Home educator for 8 years and practiced in various approaches to learning, including: The Well-Trained Mind, Charlotte Mason, Saxon Math, Robinson Self-teaching Curriculum [https://www.robinsoncurriculum.com/rc/homeschool-curriculum-excellence/]

Rates

$85 per hour: one-on-one private lessons
Face-to-face in a fully equipped room (desk, pencils, learning resources)
Zoom for across-town, Queensland, interstate and international students
Private consultation for parents and guardians (upon request + alternate fee structure)

Working With Children Check

Yes, I'm cleared to work with children in Queensland until 25-Jul-2029 (details available on request)

Gender

Female

Registered

Joined Tutor Finder on 19-May-2017 (updated profile on 01-Sep-2026)