in English Literature from the University of Greenwich in London, UK, in 2017. I was then offered a place on the University of Birmingham’s Shakespeare and Theatre MA via the Shakespeare Institute at Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK, and was very excited about starting the course in October of 2018. It was around that time that my elderly father’s health began to rapidly decline (as did my own), so I had t
o push the pause button on everything for a few years as my focus was shifted to becoming his primary caregiver. Sadly, my father passed away in October of 2022. Since my father’s passing, I have been proactively working to reclaim my own health and to get back on track with my life – including academics. (My father wanted this very much for me, and so do I.) I am currently working on my TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification, and hope to have it completed by the end of summer 2023. I would like to be able to help students of all languages, cultures, and backgrounds to excel at English. The TEFL training will equip me with different approaches for teaching those learners for whom English is not their first language. TEFL certification is an additional skill set that I am looking forward to adding to my portfolio, and I am excited for the tutoring opportunities that it may open up for me. Working as a private tutor from my home office provides me with a way to easily accommodate both onsite students who are local to me, as well as online students who may reside in different time zones in different locations all over the world! NOTE: I will also happily tutor students online who live locally, if they so choose. A lovely bonus to basing my tutoring practice from home is that it also grants me the scheduling flexibility I need to be able to look after my health. This will support my efforts to move forward with my own academic pursuits, as I would still very much like to revisit earning my MA, and possibly my Ph.D. Prior to my BA, I earned my AA in Theatre Arts as well as a Professional Acting Certificate from Chattanooga State Community College, having completed their two-year Professional Actor Training Program. I also took Drama classes and attended Theatre workshops while I was living in London. Shakespeare and Theatre will always hold a special place in my heart. In my spare time I enjoy learning new languages. For the past few years, I have been working on learning Norwegian, primarily – with a little Swedish and Danish (as there are quite a few similarities in those languages). I also studied French in school. At some point, I would love to learn a bit of Scots Gaelic, and possibly Welsh. Languages fascinate me! Other pastimes include spending time with my pet birds (I have a cockatiel, a parrotlet, and three finches), reading an eclectic mix of books, enjoying fresh air outdoors whenever possible, and watching Doctor Who. 💕
