I have been a teacher for 30 years. My career began in Mississippi teaching drama and puppetry to special needs students. Those five years were some of the most fulfilling as I witnessed my students master dialogue and action that many had thought them incapable of mastering. We toured the state with our performances, and the highlight was my dramatization of Tom Sawyer, performed by the acting troupe at the New Orleans World’s Fair in coordination with the theatre department at the University of Southern Mississippi. Additionally, I was a reading tutor for 2nd and 3rd grade students at the local elementary school.
I then taught 7th and 8th grade English at a small middle school for three years. I moved into the higher grades, teaching English in grades 9 and 11. During this time, I tutored nine students for a total of twenty hours a week tutoring; and I was working on my Master’s. My tutoring covered grammar, public speaking, writing, reading, vocabulary, testing strategies, state testing preparations, and general motivation sessions to get students into learning. Every student passed his or her grade and state testing.
My next position was at a small country school as a teacher and English Department Chair. I had 98 total students in grades 9-12 English. My juniors (all 15 of them) all passed the state proficiency test. After several years, I moved back to my hometown and taught English, public speaking, and theatre in grades 7 and 8. Again, statistics from state proficiency tests bear out my strategies are effective as my students increased their performance levels each year.
Eventually, the Mississippi weather got the best of me, and I moved to Arizona. I currently teach 10th graders, with specific emphasis on AIMS test preparations in reading and writing. Approximately 85% of the students I teach, meet or exceed on these tests, and have for many years now. I also teach puppetry and public speaking to my students.
My philosophy is that every student can learn. In the past 30 years, I have witnessed that philosophy in action on a daily basis. I have a vast amount of experience to offer as a tutor, and a proven track record of student achievement on state testings.
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