Everyone has the desire to excel at what they do. You and/or your child are no different. At times, we all need a little extra help to get us over a particularly difficult hurdle. I offer a kind, patient, grandmotherly approach to tutoring. Most of us have a general idea of what we are trying to accomplish, but need a few suggestions along the way. Others have some basic concepts, but the subject is just too difficult to grasp without that extra help. Whatever level the learner is on, I will tailor the tutoring sessions to their individual needs.
I believe that we are never too young or too old to learn. Most of us only use 10% of our brain and we are capable of so much more.
Academically, I have two MBA’s, one in Business Management and one in Human Resources Management. I am qualified to teach college level and below. I obtained my BBA and both MBA’s from AIU, Atlanta, GA. I graduated with honors, Suma Cum Laude with a 3.95 out of 4.0 (BBA) and 4.0 out of 4.0 (both MBA’s). My final graduation date was May 2006. My Associate of Science degree was obtained from Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott Kansas. I was on the Dean’s List, listed in Who’s Who, and had a 3.65 GPA out of 4.0.
I have been a business owner both in Kansas and Texas since the late ‘80’s. I have owned and managed restaurants, became a Certified Dietary Manager and managed a few institutional kitchens and staff, as well as catering. My late husband was a saddle maker and we owned and operated a retail saddle and tack business from 1992 until his death in 2000. Around 1995, due to his need for a website, business cards, catalogs and brochures, I bought my first personal computer and desktop publishing software and learned how to design websites and other desktop publishing offerings, and thus started my desktop publishing business. Due to my husband’s website, word of mouth advertising and designing free websites for local charities I soon had a profitable business. At that point, everything I knew about website design and desktop publishing was self-taught. A few years later I took formal classes including HTML, Microsoft Publisher™, Microsoft Front Page™ and others at a local Community College.
Necessity also brought about my bookkeeping skills and qualifications into play. My first PC came with a copy of QuickBooks™. Prior to this I used the ledger method of bookkeeping that was taught to me in the Accounting classes I attended at Cotty College in Nevada, MO. Once the personal computer and my early version of QuickBooks™ became available, I kept our books using that very early version of QuickBooks™, upgrading to the latest version each time one became available. I also managed our payroll and payroll taxes with QuickBooks™. Even before that, I was doing our personal and business income taxes. When QuickBooks™ came into my life, this task became much easier. As part of my desktop publishing business, I offered other business services including bookkeeping, thus keeping books for many local small businesses. In addition to bookkeeping services my desktop publishing business offered catalogs, brochures, business cards and business presentations, all using the software available in the Microsoft Office suite of programs. I have also upgraded these versions of software and stayed current on each. Although I never took the certification testing, I could certainly have done so.
From 1997 to 2008 I served as an officer on the Board of Directors of a Food Bank and Emergency Services agency. During that time I wrote a marketing plan for the agency, instituted a mass mailing campaign to solicit donations, set up a database of current and previous donors to mail solicitations to, chaired the Strategic Planning committee and sat on all of the sub-committees. From 2005 until my resignation in 2008 I was the agency bookkeeper, again using the online version of QuickBooks™. In addition, I used PeopleSoft™ software for payroll and payroll taxes. In addition, from 2005 until 2008, I served as an officer on the Board of Directors of the local American Red Cross. While on that board, I was on the Human Resources committee and dealt with the Policies and Procedures for the agency. I also recorded all donations that came in during Hurricane Katrina and posted funds to be allocated either locally or for the national disaster, depending on the donor’s wishes. This was done with the official American Red Cross bookkeeping system. I also took care of getting deposits ready several times per day. Both boards of director positions were as volunteer, thus unpaid positions. In addition to serving on their boards, I designed their websites for them and attended many formal functions where fund-raising activities were being held.
Between 1997 and 2008 I also assisted a local millionaire who was handicapped. I did his bookkeeping, helped him with his property management business and traveled with him on business trips, assisting him with preparing and presenting various topics to prospective buyers and sellers of property.
After my husband’s death, I married a Texas businessman who moved his business to Kansas. After my mother’s death in 2008, we moved to Texas. I opened my desktop publishing business in Texas. I have continued to remain current on all versions of the MS Office suite of software. In 2009, I was offered a job with a Temp agency and was tested on the Microsoft software and determined to be on the advanced and expert level. I recently upgraded from Microsoft Office 7™ to Microsoft Office 10™ and plan to stay current with each upgrade when it comes available so I can remain current in my knowledge and skills.
Around 2000 I purchased my first Adobe™ suite of products, I believe it was version CS2. Later I upgraded to CS3 and recently to CS5, which is what I currently use. This suite includes Acrobat™, Photoshop™, Dreamweaver™, Fireworks™, and In-design™, to name a few. I believe around 10 programs are included in this suite of programs and I use them all, some more than others, but know each of them well enough to teach others.
Because of ability to learn software quickly, I was a beta tester for several software companies for several years.
My IQ has been tested to be a few points below genius level. I have always known I was intelligent, but do not consider myself overly intelligent, just a person who has a thirst for knowledge and an interest in just about everything creative and technical. I study and read constantly, stopping occasionally to sleep, eat, and take care of other necessary tasks and functions.
I am semi-retired now so I continually look for opportunities to learn. My hobbies include photography, art, writing, reading, sewing, quilting, crochet, needlework, camping, fishing, hiking, gardening, canning, cooking and more, all of which come from my insatiable desire to always be learning. I try to learn something new each day, read at least an hour each day, hone old skills, and attempt to stay current on it all. I require very little sleep, and unless I plan on driving the next day, only sleep as my body forces me to, usually power-napping in short spurts. I am never bored because I like to do everything. The biggest problem with being obsessed with learning is trying to decide what I want to work on next. But I am a list-maker and am very organized so have always been able to accomplish my goals.
Recently, I decided that I wanted to change directions a bit and to teach others again. This is why I decided to tutor. I have always enjoyed teaching. When my children were young, I was a 4-H leader and taught cooking, gardening, canning, leatherworking, animal husbandry, and photography. I was also active in my church and served as the church librarian, youth choir leader, women’s leader (I taught many classes to the women of the church on homemaking subjects and skills), and Sunday school teacher of several different age groups from pre-K through adulthood and the special needs classes.
I believe that my thirst for knowledge is the reason that I love teaching. I have so much inside my head just busting to get out and I am enthusiastic about it. I do not believe that learning has to be dull and boring. I believe on the hands-on approach to learning, as much as possible. Reading and memorizing are necessary of course, but the best and most remembered lessons are those learned by doing, in my opinion. In Kansas, I had several community college students who apprenticed under me. I was asked to teach desktop publishing in a classroom setting, but elected to have one or two students a semester apprentice under me so they could not only be book-smart, but gain hands-on experience.
It is my intention to make your lessons fun. Learning does not ever have to be boring and dull unless that is how you want it. However, if boring is what you want, I am not the tutor for you. My late husband was a Rodeo Clown. Among other things, he taught me how to laugh at life and myself. He taught me how to find humor in almost every situation. I continue to have a great sense of humor and try to incorporate it into everything I do.
Planning is very important though, as is setting achievable goals. I will provide you structure and achievable goals that will be determined by both parties so that at the end of each session, a sense of accomplishment will be felt and progress will be seen. If our tutoring sessions are to continue past one lesson, you will always know in advance what your next lesson will be on so you can prepare ahead. It is my desire for my thirst for knowledge to rub off on you and to give you the life-long pleasure it has given me.
I look forward to a fun, exciting, and rewarding teaching and learning experience for both of us.
Blessings,
Andi
back to top