I graduated with honors from Willamette University in Oregon in 2004. My major was philosophy and my minor was computer science. After graduating I moved to Japan and taught high school English to Japanese students for three years. Teaching in Japan was challenging at first. I had to create my own English lessons, devise my own tests, and learn how to be an effective teacher all at once. Fortunately, I enjoy being challenged, and I believe I became a skilled teacher by my third year in Japan.
I moved back to the States in August of 2007, and soon after took a part-time job as an assistant youth-librarian at my local library. My duties included leading seminars on Japanese culture and language to library youth groups throughout Ohio. I also worked a little as a private Japanese language tutor. I recently moved to Salt Lake City and hope to take graduate classes at the University of Utah.
I am a patient teacher, and I believe patience is critical to being an effective tutor. It is all too easy for a teacher to forget how difficult learning can sometimes be. I try not to make this mistake, and I believe this is one of my strengths. I also believe it is important not to force-feed information to my students. Learning is never about simple memorization of facts. Learning is about comprehending concepts. Once a student understands a concept, he or she can successfully apply that concept to new material. With a concept in place, new facts are easy to learn and intuitive.