Tutoring Services

Refer a Family

Know a family who could benefit from Marlow Learning’s virtual ELA tutoring? Click here to learn about the client referral program.

Scope of Services

Marlow Learning tutors English Language Arts from Grade 9 through 12 in Alberta and British Columbia. This includes the full range of course streams and specializations within those grades, such as ELA 30-1 and 30-2 in Alberta and English Studies 12, First Peoples 12, Composition 12, Creative Writing 12, Literary Studies 12, New Media 12, and Spoken Language 12 in British Columbia. I also tutor Advanced Placement for students in either province, and I am experienced with the breadth of texts that students encounter across these curricula, including works by Harper Lee, William Golding, Lois Lowry, William Shakespeare, and John Milton.

Note that while I practiced as a lawyer, I do not offer tutoring services in Law, Social Studies, or History. English Language Arts is my tutoring niche. Given the time it takes to develop the systems and resources necessary for tutoring any subject at a high level, I do not intend to expand beyond ELA in the near future.

All Marlow Learning tutoring sessions are virtual. Students meet with me (and only me, as I presently do not hire other tutors) through Nextcloud as explained here. Through a combination of virtual sessions and written feedback, I assist students with all curriculum-mandated skills, including essay writing.

My Personalized Tutoring Style

One size does not fit all when it comes to English Language Arts tutoring. I tailor my tutoring strategies for each individual student. This involves understanding the root causes of a student’s ELA struggles, as explained here, and designing personalized tutoring plans in advance of our sessions. This means that rather than reading a student’s work for the first time during a live session and adjusting on the fly, I ask that students upload copies of their school work via Nextcloud at least 48 hours in advance of a session. I then spend up to one hour reviewing that work and preparing for our session.

No matter the quality of a lesson plan or expertise of a tutor, a student cannot learn in stressful, uncomfortable conditions. Many students lose confidence in their literacy abilities and, as a result, lose interest in English Language Arts when they are asked to read aloud or articulate their opinions in competitive classrooms, where the pressures of assessment and the judgment of peers often negatively affect learning. This is why building trust with a student is my first priority.

Our tutoring sessions will minimize pressure and build your student’s confidence. Writing skills will be developed during every session, but if reading aloud or public speaking are negative stressors for your student, then we will slowly work up to these skills. I model reading aloud so that students may observe my pacing, tone, and mistakes. Flawless reading and speaking are not the objectives of English Language Arts, and it is important for students to hear adults make and correct mistakes as they read. When your student becomes comfortable with me, we will begin reading aloud together.

Our sessions will be based primarily on the texts and assignments that have been assigned at school. I will provide access to Marlow Learning educational resources as required, and we may use these resources during our tutoring sessions. I do not assign additional homework unless we are working outside of the regular school schedule in preparation for the coming academic year.

Building English Language Arts skills is a gradual process, and clients should not anticipate dramatic results after one or two sessions. My preference is for a long-term educational partnership where I work with a student weekly or biweekly over a semester, a full school year, or even from the beginning of Grade 9 through to high school convocation.

Welcoming Students with Learning Differences

Working with neurodivergent students is a great source of professional and personal fulfillment for me. In Why Smart Students Struggle with English Language Arts, I highlight the diverse neurological profiles of some of my students, such as Auditory Processing Disorder, Developmental Language Disorder, Dysgraphia, Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Hyperlexia, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Nonverbal Learning Disorder.

While I tailor my educational approach to suit specific learning profiles, I am not a specially-trained expert with the ability to diagnose or remediate any neurological condition. I carry no credentials beyond my Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor. Further, while tutoring services for a student with certain learning disabilities may qualify as an eligible medical expense, I cannot guarantee that the Canada Revenue Agency will deem my services eligible medical expenses in all cases. Parents and guardians should consult a medical practitioner and the Canada Revenue Agency for confirmation.

For parents and guardians of neurotypical students, please know that I also welcome your student. A diagnosis of a neurological difference is not a prerequisite for a tutoring relationship with Marlow Learning.

Fees

Founding Client Rates

For Marlow Learning’s first ten clients, the $50 initial consultation fee will be waived and the standard $175 Session Fee will be reduced to $100 for the first three tutoring sessions.

30-minute video consultations are $50. Initial consultations are mandatory, as they are used not only to determine fit but to review the Marlow Learning tutoring contract.

Marlow Learning’s standard Session Fee is $175, which in addition to my qualifications and data integrity practices reflects up to one hour of preparation time, the video meeting, and the subsequent Session Summary Letter. Because Marlow Learning tutors curriculum-designated high school ELA courses, tutoring fees are exempt from taxation.

Beyond High School

Not merely a prerequisite for university admission, strong ELA skills are foundational to success across all post-secondary disciplines. Engineering students write technical reports and project proposals. Pre-med students navigate dense, complex research literature. Computer science students produce documentation, research papers, and professional communications. Regardless of the field a student intends to pursue, the ability to read critically, argue precisely, and write clearly will be required at the university level in ways that high school rarely prepares students for. Marlow Learning’s approach to Grades 9–12 ELA is designed with this horizon in mind, building the literacy skills that serve students not only through high school convocation but throughout the academic and professional careers that follow.