I have over two decades of experience helping students succeed by building on their strengths. I focus on making students feel comfortable and believe in themselves. My primary emphasis is on establishing rapport and building trust to create the openness necessary for learning to occur.
I have a bachelor’s degree in English from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, but when I first started tutoring at Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the greatest need was in pre-...
I have over two decades of experience helping students succeed by building on their strengths. I focus on making students feel comfortable and believe in themselves. My primary emphasis is on establishing rapport and building trust to create the openness necessary for learning to occur.
I have a bachelor’s degree in English from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, but when I first started tutoring at Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the greatest need was in pre- and basic algebra, so when I was not busy helping students with their writing, I would jump in and assist math students, often re-learning techniques on the fly along with the students. Though I hated math in high school and avoided it in college, I discovered a passion for the subject as a tutor and realized my earlier distaste for math had a lot to do with the rigid way it was taught to me. I developed a flexible and forgiving style that focused on what students were doing right. My approach worked really well, and students began seeking me out as a math tutor. My success and popularity grew quickly, and I was offered a position as an adjunct professor in math. My work in that position led to a full-time position as a math professor. I eventually switched over to the English department since I had recently earned an MFA in writing from Vermont College of Fine Arts, but I continued to also work with math students in the tutoring center. More recently, I taught geometry at the high school-school level and developed the competence to also tutor that subject.
Employing the same positive, student-centered approach I developed working with math students also led me to success and popularity as an English composition and literature and creative writing professor.
I have worked with teen and adult students in a professional capacity but also coached elementary school basketball for several years and have four kids of my own ranging from age four to thirteen, so I really am comfortable working with students of all ages.
