I am passionate about helping students to become more confident in their innate intelligence and develop the skills needed to excel in reading, writing, and critical thinking at the high school and college level. I have 16+ years of teaching High School English in three different Tucson, AZ, public schools. I studied English and earned a Bachelor of Arts at The George Washington University in Washington, DC, in 2001. After my first teaching job at an elementary charter school and taking a year off to have a child, I earned a Masters in Fine Arts in Creative Writing with a concentration in Poetry at the University of Arizona in Tucson. After graduating with an MFA, I was recruited to my first full time job at a high school. While working, I concurrently earned a Post-Baccalaureate Teaching Certification through Pima Community College, which I was awarded in 2010. I teach a variety of subjects in the areas of English and writing, but I am most excited about working on College Application and Scholarship essays because these high stakes pieces are a special opportunity for students' creativity and lived experience to shine. I have a knack for drawing out your creative take on those essays while still helping you solidly nail all the requirements. My teaching philosophy can be summed up to the following adage: "When the student is ready, the teacher appears." I am here to help students find their own inner teacher, and often I use the Socratic Method to help students access their own creativity, logic, and critical thinking instincts. A good tutor is a guide, not an expert. Although I have expert skills, the point is not for me to flex my prowess but to help you, the student, cultivate your own capacities for self-trust and independence as a learner.
Outside of academia, I love to explore my nightly dreams, keep a journal, listen to podcasts, cook tasty meals and bake bread, and raise backyard chickens.
I look forward to working with you soon!