In Seattle and Online
Hi. Welcome to Tote Bag Teaching. I’m Karen, and I bring more than a decade of experience teaching and tutoring with students from Pre-k to college, both ESL and native speaking. I’ve worn many hats… and carried many tote bags. I’ve been a classroom teacher, a tutor, a scorer and scoring supervisor on assessment projects. This site describes tutoring services, and also contains various resources for ‘homeschoolers and other writers’ — among them, literacy lesson plans and curricula reviews.
I started ‘tote bag teaching’ in Seattle years ago. I was working intensively with students of differing needs and abilities, and so I was always on the lookout for teaching materials. I stored my ‘stuff’ in tote bags and the tote bags on hooks in my apartment. I like what the tote bag symbolizes: customization and portability. I assess student strengths and needs, but do not plug them into a prescribed curriculum.
I have used ‘chopped up sentences’ and glitter glue to help four- and five-year-old learners take those first playful steps toward literacy. I also enjoy helping middle school students succeed in challenging subjects like math, essay writing, and content-area reading.
Some services are now available online.