Experienced English Teacher specializing in Writing

Aunt N.

Hello, I'm Nancy! I graduated with a B.A. in English and then a Master's in English Education, earning a 3.86 GPA while and a Presidential Citation as well. I hold a Single Subject Teaching Credential in English for grades 7-12.

I've taught middle school, high school, GED, and junior college level English for over 20 years. My focus was always on making the curriculum relevant and fun, incorporating creativity whenever I could. Students found me approachable and committed, especially the students that needed extra help. I made myself available to tutor before school, at lunch, and after school, determined to help every student succeed.

Writing has always been my focus, and I found that the skills I've honed over my lifetime not only helped me become a published writer of several articles, but it gave me a unique advantage in helping students with every genre. When tutoring students, I approached their essays by helping each develop their theses and tease out what they really want to say before even looking at format, structure, evidence, punctuation or grammar. I used this method when I realized that often, the flaws in their writing stemmed from the student being uncertain about the purpose of the assignment or simply not being able to define their position on the topic. I often asked the students to read their drafts aloud, which helped them identify sentence errors on their own, which led to developing more independence in their editing process.

I've worked as a professional editor for students applying to UC and therefore have experience in college application essays as well years of experience editing fiction manuscripts for writers of historical fiction. My many years of experience and enjoyment of both, as well as my delight in teaching people of any age (I currently teach skiing as a side-job) motivate me to help. I will be your cheerleader and advocate, and always offer you a warm, gentle demeanor.