By many metrics, I grew up a reluctant reader—quite the origin story for an English teacher. Even though I consumed tons of media and was always hunched over a magazine or a newspaper, I never dug those readings for English class.
Instead, I succeeded by tapping into my favorite fields and connecting to the material through a pathway. I drew on my love of professional wrestling to understand the power of foils, baseball to make sense of the shapes of narratives, and politics to grasp the...
By many metrics, I grew up a reluctant reader—quite the origin story for an English teacher. Even though I consumed tons of media and was always hunched over a magazine or a newspaper, I never dug those readings for English class.
Instead, I succeeded by tapping into my favorite fields and connecting to the material through a pathway. I drew on my love of professional wrestling to understand the power of foils, baseball to make sense of the shapes of narratives, and politics to grasp the art of persuasion. Eventually, I blossomed into a lifelong learner, taken by the beauty of language and the power of narrative to help us connect and make sense of the world.
While a senior in high school, I took thirty-seven credits at a local university, a rigorous and challenging path that proved rather fulfilling. I enrolled at Long Island University, finishing in three years with a bachelor’s degree in English. I have also earned a master’s degree in Educational Studies from the University of Michigan.
I have worked as a long-term sub in middle, high schools, and early colleges. Additionally, I have been a teacher/advisor/mentor for three full school years, implementing high-interest units of study around media literacy, creative nonfiction, and film. My favorite classes include Comedy Writing, Graphic Novel, and AP Literature.
I am a fourth-generation educator, certified to teach 6-12 English in Michigan and DC, and excited to tutor in the DMV! An avid moviegoer, a book collector, and a baseball diehard, when not teaching, I can be found burning my mouth on a folded slice of pizza with a paperback on my knee or playing along to Big Star records on the bass or guitar.
