My name is Mike Audet. I am a Certified Master Tutor and have been teaching children and adults for over twenty years. I teach reading, writing, and arithmetic, as well as grammar, history, science, spelling, and Greek and Latin etymology. I do one-on-one tutoring and teach reading using traditional phonics, basic arithmetic instruction using traditional algorithms, and grammar using traditional workbooks. I am an adjunct professor of psychology, health sciences, and counseling. I provide power point reading presentations for a nominal fee.
I did my undergraduate work at University of Vermont and Burlington College, studying Geology, European History, and Counseling Psychology. I earned my MA in Counseling Psychology at the Antioch New England Graduate School in Keene, NH, graduating Summa Cum Laude.
I have many years of classroom teaching experience as an adjunct professor of Psychology, Health Sciences, and Counseling. I am also a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor and a Certified Master Tutor, having earned my tutoring certificate at Johnson State College.
At Back to Basics Reading Clinic, my aim is to teach students how to focus and work on academic basics. Many schools fall far short of developing the full potential of children because they fail to teach the basics: reading, writing, spelling, grammar, and arithmetic, in a sequential, additive manner. It is essential to begin building a solid foundation of knowledge in the early grades, when children are the most receptive.
At Back to Basics, children are taught the alphabetic code and the sound-symbol relationships, including short and long vowel sounds and the accompanying diacritical marks. Getting "Back to Basics" means teaching children how to hold their pencils correctly, how to form letters and numbers, how to sound out words, and how to spell phonetically using basic grammar rules.
The curriculum at Back to Basics is based upon the alphabetic code and phonetic principles rather than the whole-word methodology. The relationship between the 26 letters of the alphabet and the 44 sounds they represent are taught to students. This forms the foundation for further skill growth.
We stand on the shoulders of giants when it comes to arithmetic. In the past two thousand years mathematicians have shown us the most sensible and efficient algorithms for solving addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division problems. I start with these basic skills and progress to abstract word problems when the child has mastered the needed skills and is developmentally ready.
I use traditional arithmetic work books that contain traditional algorithms as well as word problems. Each lesson containing new material is presented at the top of the workbook page and it is vital that students hear a thorough explanation of each concept and see procedures demonstrated step-by-step by the teacher.
When you arrive at Back to Basics Reading Clinic, drive up the driveway and turn right into the parking lot. Come through the gate and up the steps to enter the clinic. You will be greeted by two dogs. They love people! Please let me know if you have allergies.