Literary Analysis and Composition Specialist

Akahai L.

Aloha! My name is Akahai. I graduated from Brigham Young University - Idaho with a degree in English Education, and have taught English to students in fifth through eleventh grade. I have eight years of classroom teaching experience. In that time I have also tutored individual students and small groups of students.

I have received advanced degrees in Curriculum and Instruction and School Leadership. I have a thorough understanding of the Utah English standards and what it takes to master them.

I love reading complex texts and figuring out how authors communicate their ideas. In my classroom, I have instructed students on classics like The Iliad and The Odyssey, works of Shakespeare such as "Julius Caesar" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream", as well as modern masterpieces like The Giver and 90 Miles to Havana. Analyzing, discussing, and writing about texts like these, as well as accompanying poems and informational texts, have prepared my students for excellence in college.

My reading lessons are text-focused. We read texts together, then I help my students make claims and justify them with evidence. We may focus on the theme/main idea, author's craft, or how one text builds upon another. I use strategies from learning science, like spaced retrieval practice, to help essential vocabulary and ideas stick.

My writing lessons are focused on the craft of writing and using conventions to be better understood. Together we will focus on strategies at the sentence, paragraph, and essay level to help you express yourself clearly and powerfully. I also teach my students to use revision cycles to help refine and polish their ideas for publication.

Whatever your focus, be it essay writing, close reading, or SAT/ACT prep, you can expect a rigorous and warm environment as together we test and improve your ideas. I am excited to work with you and help you grow as a reader, writer, thinker, and speaker.