I'm a PhD reading & writing specialist. I work with learners at every level. Let's get started! Everyone can learn.
I've taught for 27 years — middle grades, pre-K, English language learners, high school, college, and adult learners already in the work world. I've worked two decades with high school students, most extensively with AP English Lit, creative writing, journalism, and Theory of Knowledge, a critical thinking course in the International Baccalaureate Program. Some of my most successful students have
gone on to Harvard, Princeton, MIT — and prestigious careers in medicine, broadcasting, law, journalism, engineering, social justice work, the arts, education — even astrophysics. And some of my students have thrilled to be the first in their family to attend college. I've also worked extensively with new migrants to the US, transitioning into a new culture and working to gain English proficiency. I've worked with newly developing writers still learning to trust their own ideas and working to say what they mean effectively. And I've worked with reluctant readers who just 'weren't into' reading — or even professed to thoroughly hate reading — and I've enjoyed the project of helping them connect with texts, to find ideas that matter to them in what they read. Some of my favorite work has been with students who think they hate reading or writing, who think they're not good at it, students whose classroom experiences have 'turned them off' to school. I've found so much joy helping these students find their 'spark' for learning and to develop confidence in their abilities.
I'm also a published writer and poet — and I truly love poetry. If you have a difficult time understanding and interpreting poetry, I am confident I can help you connect with poetic language.
If you'd like more detail about my career, you can take a look at my resume and my philosophy of teaching here on my website:
My mission as a teacher and as a learning coach (which is really what tutors should be) is to meet learners where they are, to help them identify their strengths and their areas for growth, and to help them set challenging goals and to meet those goals. We all can embrace challenges and succeed with compassionate support.
I look forward to working in person with you here on the Big Island — and I'm happy to work virtually with people in other time zones on the mainland.
