About Periscope
Everyone deserves a truly individualized education. Tutoring can deepen and accelerate learning, help students discover and develop aptitudes, remedy problems, and maximize educational opportunities.
Our tutoring emphasizes:
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Individualized learning
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Achievable steps
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Making connections
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Learning to learn
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Building thinking skills
All tutors undergo an intensive application and interview process, including a criminal background check.
In addition to individual and small group tutoring services, we offer affordable test preparation classes.
Learning is a lifelong process! We welcome students of all ages.
Carol McConnell
Owner & Manager
Carol grew up in Corvallis, Oregon. She is the first generation in her family to attend college. With two shaky starts at Scripps College in Claremont, CA, she eventually ended up at the University of California at Santa Cruz where she earned a Bachelor's with Honors in American Studies. From there, she was recruited to teach in South Central Los Angeles. This provided an opportunity to use Spanish language skills she had taken throughout her college career, as well as jump at starting life as a professional educator.
By mid-1992, Oregon was her home once again. After a brief internship at a small newspaper, Carol went to work as a Project Coordinator for the "I Have a Dream" Foundation-OR. She worked with a group of 94 Woodlawn fourth-graders until their graduations from Jefferson, Grant, Roosevelt and Benson, all Portland, Oregon area high schools, among others, in 2001. These relationships were strengthened by lots of time spent on remedial and enrichment tutoring, college tours and service projects. Since 2001, parenting and substitute teaching have been her jobs, until she took over Periscope in late 2015. At Periscope, Carol tutors any subject up to the 8th grade level. Beyond that, writing, study skills and test taking are her areas of expertise, along with executive functioning techniques. She also teaches the reading, writing, and grammar portions of Periscope's test prep classes (ACT, SAT and GED)
Apart from reading and writing, Carol enjoys colláge, traveling, bargain hunting and food. Her long ago worldly experience includes waiting on tables, running a food cart, bicycle racing, and writing abstracts of college studies for a professional journal.
Frequently Asked Questions
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How do I get started?
Most clients schedule a free consultation to talk about goals and how tutoring may work for them. This also helps us match clients with a tutor that best fits their needs. Consultations are typically conducted virtually.
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How much does it cost?
Regular academic tutoring costs $40-60 an hour.
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Where does tutoring take place?
Current tutors offer sessions at area libraries, coffee shops and online.
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I only need tutoring for a limited time. Do you offer that?
Yes, we can schedule just one or two sessions, if that is all you require, though we are not able to offer last minute scheduling to new clients.
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What about preparing for the ACT and the SAT?
We offer individual and group preparation, scheduled around students' needs. Individual sessions are $45 an hour and group classes cost about $30 an hour per person.
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Do you guarantee your results?
No, we cannot make a promise that just by coming to tutoring you will increase your scores or your grades, though most students do so. Test results involve many variables such as test administration peculiarities, students' states of mind and particular test content. We discuss all of these in tutoring.
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How are tutors screened?
Tutors are recommended to us, then they apply to work through Periscope. After an initial interview, which includes a review of credentials, Periscope performs a criminal background check.