Ear on Careers – Ashley Bryan, Children’s Book Author and Illustrator
December 1, 2010
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Ashley Bryan, Children's Book Author and Illustrator
In this episode of “Ear on Careers,” we are extremely pleased to welcome Ashley Bryan, an award-winning children’s book author and illustrator. He is a “lion” of the New York Public Library, a multiple winner of the Coretta Scott King award and a recipient of the Laura Ingalls Wilder medal. Click here
Ashley is a child of the Great Depression who was born in Harlem to Antiguan immigrant parents and grew up in the Bronx. He attended The Cooper Union Art School until he was drafted into World War II. After the War, he completed his studies at The Cooper Union and went on to study philosophy at Columbia University. Named a Fulbright Scholar, and thanks to the GI Bill, he was able to study art in France and Germany. Ashley then taught at Queens College in New York and served as the Chair of the Art Department at Dartmouth College, until he retired as a professor emeritus of art and visual studies. Ashley’s intellect and talent allowed him to excel in a time when the color barrier was nearly insurmountable; as he discusses in the podcast, he “never stopped, even though he was colored.” A modern-day renaissance man, his “post-retirement” career as a children’s book author and illustrator, mainly of African-American stories, also encompasses windows made from sea glass, spoken-word poetry, painting and speaking at conferences, conventions and to children the world over.
Listen as Ashley describes a “typical day” for him, or rather his own philosophy of the way he lives: traveling to conferences all over the world, painting, working in his book projects and walking on the beach near his home looking for new ways to use what has been discarded. He shares the ways in which college opened up the world of possibilities of adventure and exploration, and allowed him to touch lives of those around the globe. In addition, Ashley offers tips for those listeners who want to become a children’s book author and illustrator. In his own distinctive voice, Ashley will lift your spirits and give you the gift of sharing in his passion of storytelling, as well as encourage you to follow your heart and love what you do.
Top-Tier Tutoring is very excited to bring you the web’s premiere “career day” podcast series – what we call “Ear on Careers.” This series of podcasts is designed to introduce our listeners to successful leaders in a variety of different fields, including business, industry, medicine, the arts, and so much more.
We welcome your feedback and ideas. Please submit a comment below, send us an email or give us a call at 973-243-1212.
The Benefits of Private Tutoring
June 16, 2010
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In this podcast, Mike Rivera, co-founder, tutor and college counselor with Top-Tier Tutoring, discusses the benefits that can be achieved in one-on-one tutoring.
During the podcast, Mike gives a historical overview of private tutoring as mainly for the affluent members of society. In today’s world, many students are taking advantage of private tutoring as a way to either help understand topics taught in class, or to stimulate academic challenges, or to help achieving students score even higher on standardized tests ranging from the SAT to the ACT to AP exams. Having a tutor is seen as a cool, status symbol.
Listen as Mike offers insightful questions that you should ask any prospective tutor before making a hiring decision. One of the most important questions to ask is the teaching methodology of the tutor, or the tutoring center, you are considering. Specifically, you will want to know if the private tutoring is curriculum-based or is constructed around your child’s exact needs. Simply because tutoring is going to be one-on-one does not necessarily mean that the sessions will be tailored to the student’s needs.
Mike provides you with great information when you are starting to search for a tutor. The benefits of private, non-curriculum based tutoring, such as offered at Top-Tier Tutoring, are well documented and, in many cases, dramatic. Of course, the tutor cannot do the student’s homework, but working together as a team, superior results can be achieved.
As always, we welcome your feedback and ideas. Please submit a comment below, send us an email or give us a call at 973-243-1212.
Ear on Careers – Joseph Mitzenmacher, Law Librarian
May 6, 2010
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Joseph Mitzenmacher, Law Librarian
In this episode of “Ear on Careers,” we are pleased to welcome Joseph Mitzenmacher, a Reference and Electronic Services Librarian at Loyola University Chicago School of Law in Chicago, Illinois, http://www.luc.edu/law_library/.
Joe holds both a B.A. in Economics and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Upon graduating from law school, he practiced law for a few years but did not find it to be as satisfying as he had hoped. After doing some research, he found the related field of law librarian and obtained his Master’s Degree in Library Science from Dominican University.
In the podcast, Joe explains that a law librarian assumes an educational role by answering reference questions and teaching legal research classes. He also acts as a liason with the faculty as well as with electronic service vendors. Listen as Joe discusses a typical day for him in the library, shares his surprises in the field and offers a “war story” about hunting down a source for a King Henry VIII statute about coining money. In addition, Joe provides excellent tips and recommendations for those listeners considering a very rewarding career as a law librarian.
We hope this podcast gives you insight into becoming a law librarian, a challenging field that combines a law degree with teaching and research in an academic field.
Top-Tier Tutoring is very excited to bring you the web’s first “career day” podcast series – what we call “Ear on Careers.” This series of podcasts is designed to introduce our listeners to successful leaders in a variety of different fields, including business, industry, medicine, the arts, and so much more.
We welcome your feedback and ideas. Please submit a comment below, send us an email or give us a call at 973-243-1212.
Meet Meghan McGeehan, Spanish Tutor
February 9, 2010
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Meghan, Spanish Tutor, with Mike recording this podcast
In this podcast, Mike Rivera introduces our listeners to Meghan McGeehan. Meghan is a Spanish language arts tutor with Top-Tier Tutoring, who has developed an affinity for Spain and its culture, and imparts her enthusiasm for all things Spanish on to her students.
Meghan holds a B.S. in Spanish and Criminal Justice from Penn State University. She has her Master’s Degree in Spanish Language and Literature from Middlebury College. Her studies have taken her to Sevilla and Madrid, and she has taught in Madrid for two years. Meghan also is a Spanish teacher at Morristown-Beard High School in Morristown, NJ.
Ear on Careers – Bernard O’Rourke, College Professor
August 26, 2009
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Bernard O'Rourke, College Professor
In this episode of “Ear on Careers”, we are pleased to welcome Bernard O’Rourke, an associate College Professor in International Business at Caldwell College in Caldwell, New Jersey. Caldwell College can be found on the web at www.caldwell.edu.
Bernie hails from Ireland, where he earned his undergraduate and law degrees. After college, Bernie was sent by the Irish Government Development Office to the United States to promote inward investment to Ireland. While here, he met his wife, got his M.B.A. at Fordham University and held positions within various corporations.
In this podcast, Bernie discusses the different types of professorships. He shares his love of college campus life with our listeners, finding his role as Professor never tedious. Bernie genuinely enjoys teaching (and learning from) his students, and is extremely fulfilled in his chosen occupation.
His tip for aspiring college professors? Secure the best credentials by way of degrees. Experience counts, but credentials are key. We hope that Bernie’s story will inspire you to consider a career in academia!
We are very excited to bring to you another episode in the series we call “Ear on Careers.” This series of podcasts is designed to introduce our listeners to successful leaders in a variety of different fields, including business, industry, medicine, the arts, and so much more. Consider this your podcast “career day”!
We welcome your feedback. Send us an email or give us a call at 973-243-1212.
Meet Math & Science Tutor Jeff Wojcik
June 2, 2009
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In the second podcast for Top-Tier Tutoring, Mike Rivera introduces our listeners to Jeff Wojcik. Jeff is a math and science tutor with Top-Tier Tutoring, who makes these sometimes intimidating subjects understandable, approachable and dare we say it – enjoyable!
Jeff holds a B.S. in Mathematics and Secondary Education from the University of Scranton. While there, he also was enrolled in
pre-med courses. At the present time, he is going for two masters degrees – one in Mathematics from Montclair State University and another in Administration and Curriculum from the University of Scranton. Jeff is a math teacher at Passaic Valley High School in Little Falls, NJ. Ironically, Jeff says that it was tutoring that got him into teaching!
During the podcast, Jeff explains his philosophy about tutoring, and how he makes students feel “safe” with the subject matter, which leads to their success. We were skeptical at first of how such a math whiz could really connect with students (or anyone for that matter!), but once you listen to this podcast, we’re confident that you will agree that our skepticism was unfounded.
We welcome your feedback. Send us an email or give us a call at 973-243-1212
