ELA Teacher & PhD Student for Literature, Writing, ACT Tutoring

Leyla S.

Hi there! I am a licensed English Language Arts (ELA) teacher with a master's in education. I was a high school English teacher from 2019 until 2022, when I decided to begin my PhD journey to explore the healing potential of literature and storytelling for minoritized communities. I also teach an undergraduate course at the University of Minnesota called Global Stories of Education: Young Adult Fiction. I have been tutoring since 2015, working with students ranging from middle schoolers to college undergrads. I love that as a tutor, I get to use all of the skills I developed as a high school English teacher to fully focus on one student at a time.

I value authentic caring, and believe that emotional wellness is central to academic success. As a teacher I learned to pay attention to each learner’s wellness because I know that anxiety and depression are critical struggles experienced by many young people. In order to invest in a student's academic success, I strive to understand that student as a whole person who needs to be supported holistically. I believe in the healing potential of literature for both students and educators. What would it be like if reading, writing, and learning in general were consistently sources of joy and catharsis?

In my free time I enjoy reading novels and biographies, sewing, playing rugby, and spending time in nature! I value building strong rapport with the students and families I work with, so I look forward to hearing about your hobbies and interests.

A general structure you can expect for a lesson with me includes:
- Brief check-in
- Setting goals for session
- Work time*
- Wrap-up Q&A
- Reflection and setting goals for rest of week

*As the bulk of our session, work time will consist of reaching the goals we set for the session. That might involve us teaching specific skills and then practicing them with you by going through reading and writing activities, or us working on a particular assignment.