I have an MA in Education with an emphasis in reading and an MA in English with a focus in composition. I've tutored at grade, middle, and high school levels, as well as taught basic skills courses at the community college level and a first-year college composition class. I have also edited dissertations and tutored APA citations.
My philosophical approach to teaching acknowledges that students have much to contribute to their learning; they bring their experiences, both inside and outside the classroom with them. This information becomes part of the student/teacher dialogue that forms the instructional process. Instruction is varied to fit students' learning styles to ensure their engagement in this collaborative process. My intent is to foster a supportive leaning environment in which students become active agents in their learning.
As a student of color, I believe with bell hooks that education is indeed, “an act of freedom.” For students of color in urban environments, and for first-generation college students, this declaration undoubtedly rings true.
I endeavor to create a learning environment that meets the varied needs of students, observing, getting to know them, their patterns and beliefs about themselves and their abilities, their similarities and differences. I strive to see students individually, in terms of their potential, as well as their unlimited possibilities.
I recognize the importance of helping students sustain a vision of themselves as learners, and of holding the vision for them when they are challenged and appear to lose sight of it.
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