About
I bring more than 25 years of experience as a writer, proofreader and editor for the Walt Disney Company, and have hired and trained more than 12 staff writers. (You can look up my name on Google or Amazon.com to see some of the books I wrote during my career at Disney.) Currently, I am working as a freelance editorial consultant. In addition, I have worked with the international students at Glendale Community College who board in our home to improve their English reading and writing skills, coaching them on their use of grammar, punctuation, sentence and paragraph structure and vocabulary.
Although I still take on freelance writing projects, I am "mostly" retired. At this time in my life, after a very fulfilling career, I want to stay connected with young people and to help them learn to truly enjoy the beauty and power of the English language. It should not be work for any student--- it should be a journey of discovery. I really enjoy the personal connection of working with others and watching them realize that they are grasping a concept and watching their skills grow.
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KAKO S.
Kana T.
Misato K.
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
1. Meet, assess student's strengths and areas where improvement is needed with a brief reading test and grammer test. Assess whether personality match will work. Based on assessment, decide with student what areas he/she wants to tackle first. Set a short homework assignment to be completed by next meeting. Establish next time for meeting.
2. During tutoring session, go over the assignment, work on grammer issues that arise. Read short passages from books chosen for the student's reading level and interest. Discuss what we've read. Write a short paragraph about the reading (working together). Set short homework assignment for next meeting. Depending on student's age, give small rewards for positive achievement at end of session
3. Based on perceived student's needs, continue to research available materials to assist in addressing those needs. (i.e. Workbooks, flash cards) and plan tutoring sessions accordingly.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
Over 40 years as a writer, editor and proofreader and an MFA in theater with an emphasis in screenwriting. In addition, have tutored international community college students on their English assignments, assisting them in improving vocabulary, pronunciation, sentence and paragraph structure and grammar.