I have had a passion for studying grammar since I was in the seventh grade and first learned to diagram sentences. Since those early days of being a language nerd, I have gone on to receive a B.A. in English and Writing as well as a B.A. in Liberal Studies, which I proudly earned with a 3.8 GPA. I have an in-depth understanding of the intricate nature of grammar, syntax, and the overall structure of the English language. As a poet and editor, I live and breathe grammar, and I frequently study English, writing, and linguistics in an effort to continually improve my knowledge base.
With a deep passion for teaching, I have taken specific classes to reach my long-term goal of becoming a writing professor, including Teaching and Tutoring Writing, Practical Grammar, Composition Theory, and Linguistic Pragmatics. Helping others to express themselves effectively with language is my calling, whether that means helping someone to better understand punctuation and sentence structure or simply encouraging someone to listen to their intuition. In my work as a freelance editor, I am always first and foremost a writing teacher. Recently, I began helping a client on Elance to restructure and polish his MBA application essays for Duke University. His very positive response included, "I like that you put comments where you think there are good points. That's helpful to know what to do in other areas of the essays." This positive reinforcement is something that many teachers may neglect. I truly believe that writing can be and should be fun and expressive for everyone.
I am fortunate to have worked closely with high school students at Portland Public Schools. I started as a volunteer writing tutor and was then hired to be an Educational Assistant. For the summer school, I worked in an online learning computer lab where I took on the role of grammar and writing teacher. There, I had the joy of individually working with students to help them with language skills ranging from basic to very advanced. I appreciated the role of teachers before I began working as a tutor, but it was while working one-on-one with high school students that I realized that teaching is a means for me to share my knowledge with others while simultaneously learning from them. Teaching makes me feel alive, and I hope to pass on my enthusiasm and passion for studying to every student.
back to top