Few things make me happier than seeing my students realize their abilities.
I have tutored students in all phases of their formal education, from K - 12 through law school, and have taught law and graduate school. I encourage critical thinking and good reading and writing skills as part of any subject I teach.
My undergraduate degree was a double major in English and Political Science. During college, I had my first teaching experience with ESL. This was in the late 1970s, and many refugees were arriving from Vietnam. No standard ESL materials were available yet, so I worked with the other instructors to develop our own materials and methods.
This was an invaluable introduction to teaching, because I had to quickly learn how to work effectively with a big group of people of many ages, nationalities, and educational backgrounds. Of course, it was challenging, but I came to appreciate the freedom to work with my students in the ways they found most effective and accessible, and to create and develop materials tailored to my students' needs and goals.
After college, I went to law school at night and worked during the days. Though most of my jobs were internships, I also tutored elementary, junior high, and high school students in many subjects. All of my tutees were competitive figure skaters, as was I. Their skating and competition schedules did not allow them to attend school regularly, so I tutored them using their regular textbooks. I also worked closely with their teachers and parents to ensure they were working at or beyond grade level and were progressing through the material on schedule. Among the subjects I tutored were English composition and language arts, history, and social studies.
After law school and passing the Bar Exam, I practiced law for about ten years, and then went back into teaching. I taught at the UW Law School (civil law/procedure, criminal law/procedure, real property, complex litigation, family law, constitutional law, legal research and writing,among others). At several colleges, I taught various undergraduate and vocational business, and law classes, as well as US Government/Political Science. During this period I wrote a textbook.
Every student has a different way of learning, and of expressing that learning. Through my valuable experiences as an attorney, teacher, freelance writer, and school counselor, I have earned many skills which allow me to see my students' learning and expressive styles and to work with, rather than against, them.
My thousands of clients and students have taught me excellent communications skills and the ability to explain nearly anything to nearly anyone; my broad teaching experience has made me knowledgeable about many subjects in addition to law and government.
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