Writing And Literature Tutor
About
Hi there! I'm a third-year Literature Ph.D. student at UC Santa Cruz with five years of experience tutoring high school and undergraduate students in literature and writing composition.
My areas of expertise include British and American literatures, and I can provide historical and formal context to help students make sense of a broad array of texts from Shakespeare to 20th-century Latin American short stories.
However, my passion is coaching writing. Many students find writing daunting, particularly if they're not confident in their grammar or English language proficiency. For this reason, my tutoring approach privileges rhetoric (or the skill of making persuasive, evidence-based arguments) over grammar. In my experience, students who are able to master smooth rhetorical moves naturally pick up good grammar habits over time. I focus on building students' confidence by effectively structuring the good ideas they already have, then provide tips for polishing prose later on.
I love teaching and tutoring, and I think it shows: I won the 2020 UCSC Literature Department Award for Outstanding Teaching for my commitment and resourcefulness during the transition to online delivery during Shelter-In-Place. I consider myself a lifelong learner, and I'd love to navigate this new, weird learning space together with you!
Photos and videos
No reviews (yet)
Frequently asked questions
What is your typical process for working with a new student?
During our first session, we'll start by thinking about metacognition (a fancy term for how you learn best). This is important because it will help me design activities tailored to your specific needs.
Once I have a sense of who you are as a thinker, we'll establish a long term educational goal. Then we'll work backward to build a series of attainable, concrete steps to help you achieve that goal.
For example, if your goal is to earn a specific grade, we'll first review your course syllabus with attention to the grading rubric and assignments in order to determine your instructor's expectations. Then we'll assess some of the work you've already completed to set a baseline. Finally, we'll work together to figure out how to close the gap between where you are and where you'd like to be.
What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I've completed graduate-level pedagogy courses specific to teaching composition and literature at both Mills College and UC Santa Cruz.
Most recently, I completed a course on feminist pedagogy at UCSC. I take much of my inspiration from Black feminist scholars such as bell hooks and Kimberle Crenshaw, who believe that the classroom should be a space of joy and liberation, and that students enter the classroom equipped with their own authority as sources of knowledge. For this reason, I consider myself a learner alongside my students, and I find that I can learn as much from my students as they can learn from me.
Do you have a standard pricing system for your lessons? If so, please share the details here.
Pricing ranges from $25-$40 per hour. Rates vary depending on subject, student level, and frequency of sessions. In general, I charge lower rates for recurring or frequent meetings.
What types of students have you worked with?
I enjoy working with high school and college learners of all levels in the areas of writing composition and literature. I have extensive experience working with students who speak multiple languages, including those who speak a version of English that isn't considered standard academic English.